GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Opening day for the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season began on Friday as two qualifying sessions were the focal point of on-track action.
After two rounds, Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) lead the way.
Fan Turnout
There’s a reason the annual Gatornationals is a crown jewel event on the NHRA schedule every season.
Fans arrived early as traffic was already backed up to get through the gates of Gainesville Raceway by 8:30 a.m. Once unloading began in the pits, attempting to maneuver through the nitro area was near impossible at times.
Perhaps the most eye-opening aspect was how jam-packed the stands were from the time qualifying began at 2:00 p.m. until the final pass well into the dark of night.
Despite lulls in the action due to on-track incidents, the fans remained.
Anderson Keeps Making History
Fresh off his dramatic championship in Pro Stock last season, KB Titan Racing’s Greg Anderson laid down the quickest pass in Pro Stock history with a 6.443 ET at 212.06 mph.
Optimal conditions under the lights allowed for the record-breaking pass as Anderson continues to show no signs of slowing down.
John Force Racing — Still Fast
John Force Racing, the powerhouse of NHRA, continued its tear on Friday. With the team knocking on the door of 300 Funny Car wins, Jack Beckman struck first with a pass of 3.832 ET at 334.65 mph.
Prock would arguably be right with Beckman had he not suffered a rear end failure during Q1 and other issues in the following session. The defending champion sits 17th out of 18 entries.
In Top Fuel, Brittany Force clocked in the sixth-fastest run. She may have a say by the end of Saturday, however, after clocking in the fastest one-eighth-mile speed in drag racing history during testing on Wednesday (302.69 mph).
Even with an offseason where improvements from every team is expected, JFR continues to hold down the top spot until proven otherwise on Sunday in eliminations.
Leave a Reply