NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Welcome to the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. This weekend marks the dawn of a new era as Mission Foods will debut as the official NHRA series sponsor as historic Gainesville Raceway hosts the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals for the 55th consecutive year.

There are more than 500 entries on the property competing for season-opening wins in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, Pro Stock Motorcycle, Pro Mod, Factory Stock, and nine separate NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Sportsman categories. The event will also feature the Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Top Fuel Callout, a special high-dollar event for the top eight drivers in the Top Fuel category based on 2023 qualifying results.

The defending event champions in the Professional categories include Mike Salinas (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Troy Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle).  

The Top Fuel category is stacked this season with a field that includes current and former world champions Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown, Steve Torrence, Brittany Force, Shawn Langdon, and Tony Schumacher. The event will also feature the highly anticipated debut of NASCAR and IndyCar superstar Tony Stewart, who is filling in this season for his wife, Leah Pruett. Stewart, a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, competed in the Top Alcohol Dragster category last season before making the move to Top Fuel this year with his Mobil 1 entry. Stewart also figures to be the leading contender for the NHRA Rookie of the Year honors.

There has been a lot of offseason movement in the Funny Car class as four-time world champion Robert Hight is currently sidelined while he addresses a medical condition. In Hight’s place is John Force Racing teammate Austin Prock, who will drive the team’s Cornwell Tools Camaro this year. Also new to the class are Daniel Wilkerson, who is driving the Scag Power Equipment Camaro in place of his father, Tim, and Buddy Hull, who has also moved from Top Fuel to Funny Car as he takes over the controls of Jim Dunn’s Dodge Charger entry.

Despite the changes, the Funny Car class will still feature some of the class’s most successful racers, including world champions Matt Hagan, John Force, Ron Capps, J.R. Todd, and Cruz Pedregon, as well as Bob Tasca III, Alexis DeJoria, Chad Green, Paul Lee, and Blake Alexander, who returns as the driver of Jim Head’s Mustang. Hagan is the defending event champ, having defeated Todd’s DHL Toyota in the 2023 final round.

The Pro Stock field is nothing short of amazing with 23 entries on the property, and the vast majority of them are fully capable of winning the race. The list of contenders includes reigning and six-time world champ Erica Enders and fellow world champs Greg Anderson and Jeg Coughlin Jr. Defending event winner Troy Coughlin Jr. also ranks high on the list along with Aaron Stanfield, Matt Hartford, Dallas Glenn, Camrie Caruso, and Deric Kramer, who each won at least one race in 2023.

The Pro Stock field also includes several newcomers, including 17-year-old rookie Sienna Wildgust, Elite team crewmember Kelley Murphy, and Brandon Foster, greatly increasing the possibility of a first-time winner.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, the biggest question is: Can anyone stop Gaige Herrera? The Vance & Hines rider won the 2023 Gatornationals, kick starting a run to the eventual world championship. Along the way, Herrera won 11 times and set multiple records. Herrera is the overwhelming favorite this year, but he’s got plenty of competition, including the husband and wife team of Matt and Angie Smith, Hector Arana Jr., Joey Gladstone, John Hall, Chase Van Sant, and 2010 champ LE Tonglet, who is making his return this season aboard a Suzuki backed by Maple Grove Raceway and Nitro Fish.

The biggest offseason change took place on the Vance & Hines team, where four-time world champion and six-time Gainesville winner Eddie Krawiec has transition to a crew chief role, making way for up-and-coming young talent Richard Gadson, who will ride the team’s RevZilla Suzuki.

2023 EVENT WINNERS

Mike Salinas, Top Fuel; Matt Hagan, Funny Car;  Troy Coughlin Jr., Pro Stock, Gaige Herrera, Pro Stock Motorcycle.

 MOST VICTORIES

Tony Schumacher, 5, TF; John Force, 8, FC; Warren Johnson, 9, Pro Stock; Eddie Krawiec, 6, PSM.

TRACK RECORDS

Top Fuel - 3.646 seconds by Doug Kalitta, March '23; 337.75 mph by Brittany Force, March ‘22

Funny Car - 3.828 seconds by Robert Hight, March '17; 336.23 mph by Ron Capps, March '22

Pro Stock - 6.450 seconds by Erica Enders, March '23; 214.69 mph by Erica Enders, March '14

Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.665 seconds by Karen Stoffer, March ’22; 203.49 mph by Gaige Herrera, March ’23.

NATIONAL RECORDS

Top Fuel - 3.623 sec. by Brittany Force, Sept. '19, Reading, Pa.; 338.94 mph by Brittany Force, Nov. ‘22, Pomona, Calif.

Funny Car - 3.793 sec. by Robert Hight, Aug. '17, Brainerd; 339.87 mph by Robert Hight, July ’17, Sonoma, Calif.

Pro Stock - 6.450 sec. by Erica Enders, March '22, Gainesville, Fla.; 215.55 mph by Erica Enders, May '14, Englishtown, N.J.

EVENT SCHEDULE (Eastern Time)

FRIDAY, March 8

Lucas Oil Series Drag Racing Series qualifying at 8 a.m.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, March 9

Lucas Oil Series Drag Racing Series eliminations at 8 a.m.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying at noon and 3 p.m.

SUNDAY, March 10

Pre-Race ceremony begins at 9:15 a.m.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series eliminations begin at 10:30 a.m.

TELEVISION SCHEDULE (All times Eastern)

SATURDAY March 9, FS2 will televise 30 minutes of qualifying coverage at noon

SATURDAY, March 9, FS1 will televise 90 minutes of Pep Boys Allstar Top Fuel Callout coverage at 7 p.m.

SUNDAY, March 10, FS1 will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 8:30 a.m.

SUNDAY, March 10, FS1 will televise two and a half hours of eliminations coverage at 10.30 a.m.

SUNDAY, March 10, FS1 will televise 90 minutes of final rounds at 9 p.m.

Watch all day on NHRA.tv