Latest news with #AmalieOilGatornationals
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NHRA Season Gets Off to Rough Start at Gainesville
This weekend's NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season started as a dumpster fire. The NHRA completed just six first-round Top Fuel matches of Sunday's season-opening Amalie Oil Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway before the Florida skies opened again in a rain shower like the one that shut down Saturday's racing altogether. But the early action was filled with ugly drama that began with four straight pedalfests – tire-smoking passes that cause drivers to get on and off the throttle to try to regain some traction. Each successive pair of cars tore up more and more of the prepared racing surface. Finally, Brian Corradi, Antron Brown's crew chief, spoke up. Taking aim at the NHRA, which owns Gainesville Raceway and controls every national event regardless of who owns the facility, a perturbed Corradi said, 'This is my personal thought on this whole thing: This could have been avoided by starting on this thing and dragging it earlier and putting down some rubber, because they know how to do it. I don't know what you want to call it, but I have a name for it.' The NHRA faced a dilemma. And it chose to move up the starting time an hour and half to avoid predicted early-afternoon storms. In doing so, it risked the inability to present the ideal racing surface. Doug Kalitta and Ida Zetterström faced off in the fifth pair, and Zetterström spun the tires right after the launch, so the problem persisted. And then in another such match, Dan Mercier pulled away from 2023 Gatornationals winner Tripp Tatum before Tatum crashed behind him. Tatum's dragster hit the left wall, ruining his left rear tire, then shot across the track and smashed into the opposite wall nose-first. It spun laterally back across the lanes, flames leaping from the engine, before coming to rest with the motor finally shutting off. It was a costly blow to Tatum's part-time operation. Ironically, Mercier had thought Friday evening that he likely would miss the race following an incident of his own that shredded his left rear tire and damaged the frame and body of his dragster without hitting the wall. His crew from Quebec worked through Saturday and Saturday night with the NHRA Technical Committee and volunteers from other teams to repair the car, and he was able to use his No. 15 qualifying position to upset No. 2 starter Tatum. Mercier, like Tatum, runs a limited schedule but proved, especially last season, that he can topple the sport's elite. It's unclear how much the racing surface condition contributed to Tatum's accident, but NHRA officials tried to improve the situation. While they were doing that, the rain blew in and interrupted the racing for nearly four hours. Just when the track drying was nearly complete and drivers had returned to the staging lanes, the power went out throughout the facility as another storm cell moved closer. Photographers were stranded in the tower elevator. The crowd, unaware of the power outage and with the public-address system inoperable, began to scream and demand answers for why no activity was happening. To top it all, the FOX TV drone crashed into the top of the tower, smashed to the ground three stories below, and shattered. Friday qualifying wasn't always pretty, either. Besides Mercier's mess, reigning Funny Car champion Austin Prock got a rude welcome back to the dragstrip. The rear-end gear on the John Force Racing driver's Cornwell Tools Chevy Camaro broke and dumped fluid on the track, resulting in a long clean-up delay. Also in the Funny Car class, Bobby Bode lost his brakes at the end of his run. And because Paul Lee's car and parachutes had moved into Bode's lane to make the turn-out off the track and because the NHRA flagger also was standing in Bode's lane, Bode drove to Lee's inside. The drivers worked out the small flap, but the incident sparked some controversy and excitement. By Sunday, the Top Fuel class' Right Trailers All-Star Callout bonus race already had been rescheduled to run during the March 27-30 Winternationals at Pomona, Calif. The NHRA announced the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series eliminations have been moved to the national event May 15-18 at Joliet, Ill. The NHRA brought in generators, and normalcy seemed to be restored finally. And Steve Torrence gave the sizeable and steadfast crowd a splendid performance with a winning 335.15-mph pass against Doug Foley. And Jasmine Salinas upset quicker-qualified Shawn Reed. So after a 9:30 a.m. start, the first round of Top Fuel eliminations only wrapped up just after 2 p.m.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Rick Ware Racing's Addition of Tony Schumacher in Works for Many Months
Clay Millican said Rick Ware Racing's decision to add Tony Schumacher to his NHRA Top Fuel team has been under development for a handful of months. Moreover, he said Wednesday's announcement of Schumacher's intention of a partial season schedule with RWR was short on details for several reasons and assured that 'we want to make sure when it happens that it's done correctly.' Millican, talking Friday before qualifying began at the season-opening Amalie Oil Gatornationals at Florida's Gainesville Raceway, said, 'It's been in the works for a longtime, actually—several, several months. It's not an easy thing to put together. It's a lot of moving pieces. 'We don't have a deadline for when that car will come out, because we literally are starting from scratch,' he said. 'We have no truck, no trailer, no race car. We have Tony. But when we do it, it'll be done right. That's why we did not put a timeline that 'We will be out at X race.''Both Millican and Schumacher are legends in the sport. Schumacher is the NHRA's winningest Top Fuel driver with eight championships and 88 victories. Millican is the No. 1 Top Fuel racer in IHRA history with six championships and 52 event titles. Millican said, 'For Tony, this will be kind of normal, having a teammate. I've never had a teammate. So I'm looking forward to that. I think it will be a big benefit for everybody on [his own Parts Plus Dragster] team, because you can just double everything that you're learning. Between Tony and I, we've both made a lot of runs. We will have the winningest all-time NHRA and IHRA Top Fuel drivers.'
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
More Than 10 Reasons to Watch NHRA Gatornationals; Plus Picks to Win Season Championships
Mike Salinas is returning to Top Fuel with a renewed sense of energy following heart bypass surgery. Will Steve Torrence regain his relentless performance form? And Tony Stewart, no longer a pro rookie in Top Fuel, continues to fight with his contrary car—but those who have watched Tony Stewart for long know that he usually wins his battles. So in the Top Fuel category alone, the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series brings plenty of suspense to the start of the new season this weekend at the Amalie Oil Gatornationals at Florida's Gainesville Raceway. Funny Car could end up with the hottest competition, and the Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes could deliver some fun entertainment. And honestly, picking champions before even the first of 20 races is like throwing darts blindfolded. Besides, if we hit a couple of bullseyes, you'll swear we peeked. But if you want to be the best, you have to outguess the best. So, here's our take on how we think the 2025 season will shape up:Antron Brown – The reigning champion already had a stretch of three titles in five years (2012, 2015-16) before capturing his fourth last November. When he gets on a roll, he's hard to stop. Tony Schumacher – The most successful Top Fuel star and one of its most charismatic personalities returns to a new team at Rick Ware Racing. Schumacher is an eight-time champion and 88-time winner might just be a factor this year. Brittany Force – Brittany Force, well, call her Full Force, as she's free from the overwhelming weight of worrying about her father's progress from a traumatic racing injury and being the family spokesman for the last half of the 2024 season. Antron Brown knows she's a threat. He said, 'She looks like a Barbie doll, but she ain't no Barbie doll when she puts that helmet on. I say she is a monster.' Championship pick: Justin Ashley (pictured) Former public-address announcer Alan Reinhart said, 'The kid is driving unconscious. You just can't rattle him. We're going to have a purple giraffe jump over the wall, and then we're going to have a balloon blow up, and then we're going to have dynamite and flares. And then we're going to have a spaceship land on the track. And he probably wouldn't even notice. You just can't bother the kid.' Known for his class-best reaction times, for leading the standings in the Countdown multiple times, and for being a top-five finisher the past four seasons, Ashley finally will break out this year and win when it Beckman – The 2012 Funny Car champion officially has shaken the 'substitute driver' status at John Force Racing. He is chasing points that he gets to keep for himself – and although he says he loves his off-track job as an elevator repairman, the ups and downs of elite drag racing certainly offer more thrills. So he's ready to mix it up with teammate and current champ Austin Prock and everyone else. Bobby Bode – This 22-year-old has shown his passion and promise while taking over his dad Bob's Funny Car seat and eventually calling his own tuning shots. It all didn't go unnoticed by team owner Del Worsham, who as a driver is just one of three drag racers (besides Kenny Bernstein and Gary Scelzi) ever to earn championships in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. Worsham put Bode in his DC Motorsports entry at the PRO Superstar Shootout in February, and it looked like a comfortable fit. Matt Hagan – Team owner Tony Stewart wasn't messing around when he replaced longtime crew chief Dickie Venables, who tuned Hagan to three of his four championships, with established assistant Mike Knudsen. 'Having a new crew chief is kind of exciting,' Hagan said. 'I had almost 15 years with Dickie Venables. We made a lot of memories. We won a few championships and accomplished a lot of great things. I've also spent 15 years with [Knudsen] and watched him move his way up from the bottom. I would love nothing more than to win a championship with him. We have a chance to start a legacy with what he's doing and build on what I've accomplished so far in the sport. I'm excited to dig deep and work hard.' Cruz Pedregon – With John Force on the shelf, the two-time class champion is the longest-tenured Funny Car racer who's embarking on 700 starts. Pedregon is settling in with his crew, which has the chops to bring him a third title. Championship pick: Austin Prock (pictured) As tough as the field will be, it's hard to imagine the reigning class champ stumbling right now. He wasn't perfect in 2024, but face it—in his first season after a switch from Top Fuel, Prock won eight of 12 final rounds in 20 races, qualified No. 1 a Funny Car-record 15 times, and made the fastest run in NHRA history at 341.68 mph in his most recent official event en route to clinching the championship. And this week he said, 'There's always room to improve,' Prock said. 'The way I've always looked at it, if you lose that hunger and intensity to do better, that's your sign to hang it up. We're always pushing to innovate and make things better and relay that to the track. "Coming into the season, we'll have a totally different package. My dad and this team have done things to try and make the car better and we're going in the right direction.' That ought to scare his the past four years, the chatter has been the battle between the established class royalty (predominantly six-time champ Erica Enders and five-time and current king Greg Anderson) and the wave of bold, self-assured young heirs to the throne. The fresh competition—Aaron Stanfield, Dallas Glenn, Troy Coughlin Jr., the Cuadra brothers Cristian and Fernando Jr., Mason McGaha, and, if he returns, Kyle Koretsky—has been right on Anderson's and Enders' heels in the final standings. And it's time they stepped forwardor they won't be considered the 'young guns' much longer. Championship pick: Dallas Glenn—He works hard, wins humbly, has 13 victories is 27 finals as he approaches his 75th start this weekend, sports a 135-60 career record so far, and has an excellent mentor in Anderson. He was second last year after leading for most of the season. This should be his year to Smith will go again for his seventh championship, and Gaige Herrera again will try to stop him. Smith might not get too much of a rise from Herrera's low-key personality, so the super-talented and sometimes-agitator might find himself engaged elsewhere in a debate along the line. This class takes the prize for drama. And while it's swirling around, second-year Vance & Hines competitor Richard Gadson just might fly under the radar and into the record book. Championship pick: Richard Gadson (pictured) As thoughtful as he is talented, Gadson also has the best mentors in Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec, with their combined 10 championships. Gadson will win his share of races this season and possibly the title.
