NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Three weeks from now we’ll be at Gainesville Raceway for the kickoff of the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series as we celebrate the 55th anniversary of the famed Gatornationals.

Gainesville has been hosting the event since its inception in 1970 and sits third only behind Indy and Pomona as the longest-running continuing venue for an NHRA national event.

Florida’s crown jewel dragstrip has undergone a lot of changes in the five decades since it opened on Dec. 7, 1968, 15 months before it first hosted the Gatornats. Built at a cost of $600,000 (more than $5.4 million in 2024 money), the 200-acre facility boasted a 5,000-foot-long dragstrip and owner Jim Raulerson owned an additional 400 acres for future expansion.

Here’s a look back at the ever-changing face of Gainesville Raceway over the years.

Compared to today’s huge grandstands, the bleachers at the opening event were tiny. I count just 12 rows of seats.

Traction was pretty good at the 1970 event; just as Top Gas runner-up D.A. Santucci, who stood ‘er up tall alongside Gordon “Collecting” Collett in the final round.

And, of course, Florida’s most famous racer, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, was there in the ill-fated and unfortunately numbered Swamp Rat 13. Naturally, he qualified No. 1 (6.55) but was upset in the semifinals by Jim Paoli. Less than a month later, Garlits would be laying in a hospital in Long Beach, Calif., after a transmission explosion March 8 at Lions Dragstrip maimed his right foot.

There wasn’t a dedicated winner’s circle until the 1976 event. Wally Parks congratulated 1970 Pro Stock winner Bill Jenkins on the starting line, while James Warren celebrated his second and final Top Fuel win in the winner’s circle at the 1976 event.

And who remembers the staging lanes crossover bridge that existed for a short time?

For years, this was the only tower at Gainesville Raceway, housing both race control and the announcing deck.

Little by little throughout the 1970s, the track and the grandstands began to grow.

The famed “gator on wheels” event logo, created and drawn by my late, great pal John Jodauga, made its first appearance in the late 1970s.

And, yes, there was an alligator that lived on the grounds, residing in the pond on what the NHRA tech department labeled the “protest area.”

They're still here ... if you know where to look.

By 1981, the event had grown both in facility size and crowd. Look at that parking lot!

The first dedicated VIP tower was dedicated for the 1984 Gatornationals.

Roof-top viewing. Cool!

1985 top-end brush clearing, courtesy of Bob Gottschalk's roaring Funny Car fire and the NHRA Safety Safari.

Darrell Gwynn enjoyed his final winner's circle at his homestate track at the 1990 Gatornationals, just weeks before a career-ending injury suffered on an exhibition run in England.

The grandstands, which had doubled in height in the 1980s, rose even higher for fans to see Eddie Hill win Top Fuel at the 1993 race.

Aerial view of the 1999 race, with the Top Eliminator Club added and the old starting-line tower removed. Can you see me on the starting line?

Skyboxes were added to the top of the grand in 2007, and the starting-line tower was widened.

What a way to watch a drag race!

After the 2017 event, the VIP tower was torn down to make way for a more modern structure.

The futuristic-looking new tower, unveiled for the 2018 event, houses the event offices, race control and announcing, and the media center.

The media center, located on the third floor, can accommodate dozens of journalists and has a dedicated interview room. Can you spot me?

And, of course, some of the old came with some of the new ...

In 2012, the left lane was rechristened as Bernstein Way in honor of Kenny Bernstein's historic 300-mph run there in 1992, and the main grandstand was named in honor of Florida legend Don Garlits.

Here's an aerial from last year's race, where we really packed 'em in. Look at all of those cars.

This is becoming a common sign at the event. Better get your tickets now! To purchase tickets to the 2024 Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are free in general-admission areas with the purchase of an adult ticket. Get your tickets now for the Top Eliminator Club because these will sell out.

I'll be there. Will you?

Phil Burgess can be reached at pburgess@nhra.com

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