News and notes from Sunday at the 41st annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals from Gainesville Raceway. Compiled by the National DRAGSTER staff.
SUNDAY (Previous: Thursday I Friday I Saturday)
Last update: 6:30 p.m. Easterm (click to latest)
It's race day! (8:50 a.m.): Another beautiful morning at Gainesville Raceway. It's a cool start to the day with temps in the high 40s to low 50s, and it's not expected to warm up too much today (about 70 at the highest), so we should see quick, fast racing again today. The previously water-logged Lucas Oil racers are finally getting their chance to run this morning. Stock racers already got a qualifying hit, and the Super Gas contingent is currently ontrack running a time trial. The plan for the Lucas Oil classes right now is to try and finish everything today -- if all goes according to plan and there are no major delays, that should happen with a finish time of about 9:30 tonight. More Sportsman qualifying and time runs will continue this morning leading up to first round of Top Fuel, which is at 11 a.m.
Darrell Gwynn track walk (10:25 a.m.): A very cool scene here in Gainesville right now as a mass of people are walking down the right lane behind the special edition Coors Extra Gold dragster, which is being towed by a golf car. Racers and fans alike all donated $20 or more to the Darrell Gwynn Foundation to take part in the walk down the Gainesville Raceway strip.
Here we go (11:05 a.m.): The first pair of Top Fuelers have just made their way down the track -- Steve Torrence defeated Morgan Lucas. More to come ...
Special awards (11:10 a.m.): Arnie Martel, Doug Kalitta, and Mike Castellana were special-award winners in Gainesville. Martel's Comp Eliminator Speedco GTO was named Best Appearing Car. Kalitta and his crew were judged the Best Appearing Crew for their throwback Coors Extra Gold uniforms, and Castellana's Al-Anabi Pro Mod was judged Best Engineered Car.
Darrell Gwynn Foundation wheelchair giveaway (11:15 a.m.): As part of today's abbeviated pre-race ceremonies, the Darrell Gwynn Foundation once again presented a wheelchair to an individual who otherwise couldn't afford one. This year's recipient was Brian Robinson, who has a form of Muscular Dystrophy. The wheelchair, which was custom built by DMR, costs $25,000. Since 2002, the Darrell Gwynn Foundation has given away over $1 million worth of wheelchairs.
Top Fuel, round one (11:45 a.m.): As expected, the quick and fast runs continued to come up on the scoreboards in the opening round of competition. Cory McClenathan recorded the fastest speed in history, 322.50 mph, en route to victory against Bobby Lagana Jr. McClenathan's teammate Tony Schumacher also put up a big speed, 320.81, as he dispatched Terry McMillen with a low-of-the-round 3.810. While many of the usual suspects advanced, there was also a couple of surprises, including a win by Doug Foley and his new Dote Racing team.
Round 2 pairings (lane choice in bold):
Antron Brown vs. Steve Torrence
Shawn Langdon vs. McClenathan
Schumacher vs. Foley
Larry Dixon vs. Brandon Bernstein
Funny Car, round one (12:10 p.m.): First we got the fastest run ever in Top Fuel, and now we have a new best in Funny Car as well. Matt Hagan made a monster 316.15 mph run, bettering his previous mark of 313.88 mph. Hagan's qualifying speed of 313.58 backs up the 316, so Hagan's speed is a new national record. While Hagan's run was impressive, the most interesting and entertaining match of the round was that of Melanie Troxel and Ashley Force Hood. Both women had troubles on their runs and smoked the tires, and both pedaled in an attempt to get traction back. What ensued was a wild pedalfest with both cars getting extremely sideways and really close to the wall. Troxel was so close at one point, in fact, officials had to review the video to ensure she didn't slap it. The review showed Troxel's run was clean, and she came out the winner with a 5.32.
Round 2 pairings (lane choice in bold):
Hagan vs. Tim Wilkerson
Tony Pedregon vs. Troxel
Robert Hight vs. Bob Tasca III
Ron Capps vs. John Force
Pro Stock, round one (12:30 p.m.): Mike Edwards' quest for a double up for the weekend continues, and as usual, he's doing so in convincing fashion. Edwards clocked a 6.520, the third-quickest time ever, at 212.23 mph, the third-fastest speed ever, to easily defeat Rickie Jones and advance to round two. The next-best run of the round was Ron Krisher's 6.542. There were also several 6.55s put on the boards during the round.
Round 2 pairings (lane choice in bold);
Edwards vs. Ronnie Humphrey
Allen Johnson vs. V. Gaines
Krisher vs. Jason Line
Jeg Coughlin Jr. vs. Greg Anderson
Pro Stock Motorcycle, round one (12:45 p.m.): And the killer performances continue -- Karen Stoffer just set a new national e.t. record, running a 6.847 en route to victory over Redell Harris. "That record isn't exactly safe," said Stoffer after the run. "We've still got the good conditions out there that we had yesterday, and everyone's got the nerves out after the first round. I'm not sure it can go any lower than that, but I'm not going to set it in stone just yet." Stoffer was head and shoulders ahead of everyone else, holding almost two-hundredths over Eddie Krawiec, whose 6.864 was second best of the round.
Round 2 pairings (lane choice in bold):
Stoffer vs. Shawn Gann
Hector Arana vs. Andrew Hines
Krawiec vs. Steve Johnson
David Hope vs. Craig Treble
Top Fuel, round two (1:35 p.m.): The Don Schumacher Racing team continues to show the way in Top Fuel, but this time it was No. 1 qualifier Antron Brown leading everyone. Brown blasted to a 3.812, low of the round by nearly two-hundredths, to defeat Steve Torrence and advance. The closest race of the round was Cory McClenathan and Shawn Langdon. Langdon got the jump at the Tree and used the advantage to defeat McClenathan on a holeshot, 3.852 to 3.840. On the other side of the ladder, Tony Schumacher and Larry Dixon advanced, setting up a much-anticipated match in the semi's; Dixon earned lane choice by ust .008-second.
Semifinal pairings (lane choice in bold):
Brown vs. Langdon
Schumacher vs. Dixon
Funny Car, round two (1:45 p.m.): Bob Tasca III still has a shot to defend his Gatornationals title after he defeated reigning world champ Robert Hight in round two. Hight got out of the gate first but then struck the tires, opening the door for Tasca, who clocked a 4.131. Tasca will surrender lane choice to Ron Capps, who was the best of the second round with a 4.066.
Semifinal pairings (lane choice in bold):
Tim Wilkerson vs. Tony Pedregon
Tasca vs. Capps
Pro Stock, round two (1:55 p.m.): Mike Edwards just continues to march, once again running low e.t. of the round, to oust Ronnie Humphrey, who was the round's second-quickest driver with a 6.571. Edwards easily earned lane choice for the semifinals against Allen Johnson, who clocked a 6.600. The other side of the ladder is all Summit with teammates Jason Line and Greg Anderson both advancing. Both ran 6.58s with Line edging Anderson for lane choice, 6.582 to 6.587.
Semifinal pairings (lane choice in bold):
Edwards vs. Johnson
Line vs. Anderson
Pro Stock Motorcycle, round two (2:05 p.m.): Karen Stoffer's amazing weekend came to an early end when she had a challenging ride in the second round. Stoffer was fighting to keep her Suzuki in the groove all the way down the quarter-mile and that cost her tremendously. Stoffer slowed to a 6.979, opening the door for Shawn Gann, who won with a 6.945. The other three second-round races were decided by red-light starts: Andrew Hines red-lighted against Hector Arana, Steve Johnson fouled out against Eddie Krawiec, and David Hope turned on the red against Craig Treble.
Semifinal pairings (lane choice in bold):
Gann vs. Arana
Krawiec vs. Treble
Top Fuel, semifinals (3:05 p.m.): The first pair out was the highly anticipated Tony Schumacher and Larry Dixon, and they lived up to the hype and put on a great show. Both drivers run 3.82 with Schumacher's 3.822 edging out Dixon's 3.825. Schumacher's run was also incredibly fast, 324.98 mph, far and away the best 1,000-foot speed in history. Schumacher will not have lane choice in the final, however, because his DSR teammate Antron Brown was quicker with a 3.801 that easily outpaced Shawn Langdon's 3.909.
Funny Car, semifinals (3:15 p.m.): The Top Fuel final is a battle of teammates and so is Funny Car. Defending event champ Bob Tasca III and Tim Wilkerson will battle it out for this year's Gators Wally. Tasca advanced to the final by defeating a tire-smoking Ron Capps, and Wilk ousted Tony Pedregon, who also had troubles on his run. Tasca has lane choice for the final thanks to his 4.125 clocking.
Pro Stock, semifinals (3:20 p.m.): And Edwards marches on ... the reigning champ powered to a 6.564 to defeat Allen Johnson, who ran a game 6.596, and earn a spot in the final. If Edwards is going to keep his season record perfect, he will have to get past Jason Line. Edwards has the performance edge by a bunch; Line ran a 6.606 in his semifinal victory over teammate Greg Anderson.
Pro Stock Motorcycle, semifinals (3:25 p.m.): Eddie Krawiec and Shawn Gann are the final riders standing in the two-wheel ranks. Krawiec dodged a bullet in the semi's against Craig Treble. Treble got a .065-second off the starting line, but Krawiec was able to just run him down and win 6.903 to 6.971. Krawiec will have lane choice against Gann, who got a free pass to the final when reigning world champ Hector Arana red-lighted.
Full Throttle Series final rounds (6:30 p.m.): Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock), and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) came out on top in the Full Throttle class final rounds. Schumacher defeated teammate Antron Brown, Wilkerson stopped Bob Tasca III, Jason Line used a .004 light to beat Mike Edwards, and Krawiec got the better of Shawn Gann.
SATURDAY
Sun in the Sunshine State (10:35 a.m.): Now this is more like it! The sun is out, the sky is blue, and cars are running. Comp is on the track for their final qualifying session before the first round later today. The two alcohol classes will also make qualifying runs this morning before we head into Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying session two. Pro Stock racers will follow, and for eight, it will be extra busy as they also complete eliminations from Phoenix.
Pairings for the second round of those Phoenix eliminations, which will happen during the first qualifying session today are (lane choice in bold): Mike Edwards vs. Greg Anderson, Allen Johnson vs. Jason Line, Ron Krisher vs. Greg Stanfield, and Rodger Brogdon vs. Bob Yonke.
Pro Stock Motorcycle, session two (12:20 p.m.): Cooler weather created ideal conditions for improvement this morning, and most of the Pro Stock Motorcycles took full advantage of it. The biggest proof of this is Junior Pippin, who entered the session in the No. 1 spot but fell to eighth when he was unable to improve on his 6.95 from Friday. Karen Stoffer jumped to the head of the pack with a 6.869 on a run that wasn't completely perfect, meaning there's room for improvement. David Hope jumped up to the second spot with a career-best 6.874, and Craig Treble snagged the No. 3 position when he posted a 6.889. Eddie Krawiec also dipped into the 6.8s, knocking out a 6.890 for the fourth spot. Angie Smith sits on the bump spot heading into the final session; she ran a 7.083.
Pro Stock Arizona Nationals eliminations, round two (12:55 p.m.): After a couple weeks plus an extra day after Mother Nature was uncooperative yesterday, the second round of the NHRA Arizona Nationals is finally in the books. Mike Edwards was low of the round, giving him both a ticket to the semifinals and the No. 1 spot on the sheets for the Gainesville qualifying Edwards clocked a 6.537 to edge Greg Anderson, who ran a game 6.561. The suprise of the round was Bob Yonke, who turned a .006 light into a 6.623 to 6.561 holeshot win against Rodger Brogdon.
Semifinal pairings (lane choice in bold): Edwards vs. Allen Johnson and Greg Stanfield vs. Yonke.
Pro Stock, qualifying session two (1:05 p.m.): Mike Edwards remains No. 1 in the field thanks to his 6.537 run that paid double dividends with both an Arizona round-win (see above) and the top qualifying spot. Jeg Coughlin Jr., who was one of the drivers not running in the Arizona eliminations, was second quickest of the session with a 6.551. Ron Krisher ranked third with a 6.555. Those runs were part of a spectacular session that included 11 6.5-second runs and numerous career bests.
Top Fuel, session two (2:05 p.m.): Antron Brown took the top spot in an exciting second round of Top Fuel qualifying. Brown unloaded a monster 3.819 at 320.28 mph. Surprisingly, Brown’s 320 mph speed was not the fastest of the session. That honor is bestowed upon Dave Grubnic, who equaled the fastest speed in the history of 1,000-foot racing at 321.58 mph at the tail end of his 3.832-second lap. Grubnic is qualified No. 4, while Tony Schumacher and Shawn Langdon maintained their respective Nos. 2 and 3 positions with their runs from Friday night qualifying. The third-best run of the second session was Larry Dixon’s 3.834, moving the Al-Anabi team up to the No. 5 spot.
Funny Car, session two (2:15 p.m.): John Force Racing continues to show the way in Gainesville, but this time it was Ashley Force Hood who was tops for the session. Force Hood powered to a 4.093, bettering her 4.096 from yesterday. The run moved Force Hood up a spot in the order, to second, above her father, John Force, who also has a best of 4.093 but loses the spot on the speed tiebreaker, 308.43 to 307.72. Tim Wilkerson was the second-quickest driver of the session with a 4.128, and defending event champ Bob Tasca III earned one additional point for his third-quickest 4.138.
WFO Radio in Gainesville (2:30 p.m.): WFO Radio with Joe Castello continued its coverage of the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals today. The show, which originally aired live from 10 a.m. to noon ET, is available on demand at www.wforadio.com. Today's guests were Darrell Gwynn, Doug Kalitta, Ashley Force Hood, Rodger Brogdon, Craig Treble, Kenny Koretsky, Paul Lee, Jeff Arend, and Tony Pedregon.
Pro Mod (3:30 p.m.): Roger Burgess jumped to the No. 1 spot on the ladder and will lead the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series racers into the first round. Burgess jumped to the top spot with a 5.856 that pushed Jay Payne down to second. Melanie Troxel ended up third, followed by Burton Auxier, Mike Knowles, Ken Lang, Khalid Balooshi, and Michael Gullqvist.
Pro Stock Motorcycle, session three (3:45 p.m.): Things got even better during the final qualifying session with improvements pretty much across the board. Karen Stoffer stayed No. 1, clocking the second-quckest time in history, 6.855, to move back to the top of the charts. Eddie Krawiec momentarily bumped Stoffer down with a 6.868 earlier in the session but was shifted down one spot when Stoffer improved in the final pair. Hector Arana was the third-quickest rider of the session with a 6.881 that moved him up to fourth, just behind David Hope. Redell Harris was the final rider to qualify, with a 16th-best 7.032.
Pro Stock Arizona Nationals eliminations, semifinals (4:20 p.m.): Wow, an interesting final round has shaped up for the Phoenix Wally. No surprise, Mike Edwards will race for the title after easily taking care of Allen Johnson, who had troubles early and had to shut off. However, his opponent is a shocker: Bob Yonke, who qualified for the first time at the Phoenix event and followed it up with his first round-win before eliminations were postponed, added another round-win when he bested Greg Stanfield in the semifinals. As he did in the second round, Yonke again won on a holeshot, this time defeating Stanfield by a scant .0007-second, 6.590 to 6.573. Edwards will have lane choice when he and Yonke return after the nitro cars wrap up qualifying.
Pro Stock qualifying, session three (4:30 p.m.): Bob Yonke making the NHRA Arizona Nationals final wasn't the only surprise of the final qualifying session/semifinal round; Mike Edwards also wasn't the quickest of the round, the first time this year he hasn't paced the field. Ron Krisher, who leases engines from Edwards, just outran the defending champ, clocking a 6.540 to Edwards' 6.544. Jeg Coughlin Jr. was the third-quickest driver of the session with a 6.554. Rickie Jones ended up on the bump with a 6.601.
Top Fuel, session three (5:10 p.m.): An absolutely spectacular day of action continued in Top Fuel with a lot of shuffling and many career numers put up as the final field for tomorrow was set. The names atop the charts did not change, but the times did. Antron Brown improved to a 3.803 to take the pole. Tony Schumacher remained No. 2 on the strength of a 3.805 that bettered his 3.823 from yesterday. Larry Dixon jumped up to the third slot with a 3.820.
Funny Car, session three (5:40 p.m.): The Funny Cars also put on quite a show to cap a spectacular day of racing. Matt Hagan was the best of the bunch, clocking a 4.060 to grab the No. 1 spot on the ladder. Hagan's teammate, Ron Capps, moved up to No. 3 with a 4.070, and Tony Pedregon grabbed the fourth starting spot with a 4.078. John Smith is the bump boy with a 4.231.
Pro Stock Arizona Nationals eliminations, final (5:45 p.m.): The clock struck midnight for Cinderella Bob Yonke, who, though he got the starting-line advantage, didn't have enough power to keep up with Mike Edwards. Edwards powered to a 6.552 to score another victory and further extend his series points lead.
FRIDAY
Not looking good (10:30 a.m.): Unfortunately, Mother Nature isn't being very kind once again today. Things cleared up for a bit last night, but the rain has returned in Gainesville. Currently, rain is falling at a pretty steady pace, and local forecasters are calling for the wet stuff to continue throughout the day. Though there is a chance for "severe thunderstorms" in the afternoon, the weathercasters are saying there may also be some breaks this afternoon. Overall, though, things are not looking good at this point. More updates to come as the day rolls on and things change (hopefully for the better).
Looking a little better (1 p.m.): The rain hasn't completely stopped, but it has eased up enough that the NHRA Safety Safari has made it's way out to begin the drying process. The Safety Safari is using everything its arsenal, from the big tractor and trucks to brooms and handheld blowers to try and dry the track so we can get something in the books. The skies are still overcast, but they do seem to be lightening up a little, so perhaps we may be heading towards better weather.
Looking even better (1:45 p.m.): The rain has completely stopped, and the Safety Safari is making good progress on the track. The activity has slowed some as a lot of the water has been removed; now, the jet dryer is the lone thing on the track, working its magic to both dry the strip and heat things up some. Some crew guys have also started to come up to check things out.
Like a kid at Christmas (2:45 p.m.): The downtime due to the wet weather this morning opened the door for a couple of press conferences, including one with NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, who is running in Super Gas with his '70 Dodge Challenger this weekend. Though the former Sprint Cup champ hasn't had a chance to make a run this weekend due to the weather, he says he is having a great time and very much enjoying the experience.
"The fun meter has been pegged, and I'm having a great time doing do it," said Busch. "It’s been an honor and a privilege to be part of the Gatornationals. Normally, you can’t just show up and run a national event. I’d like to thank Graham Light as far as allowing me to come and participate. As many off weekends as we don’t have in the NASCAR circuit, I’d love to come run some regional events and get our feet wet and just get the mojo started. It’s just tough to really commit full time to running the program. We’re here, we’re enjoying ourselves. Mother Nature hasn’t quite cooperated just yet for us, but hopefully we’ll get a pass, whether it’s later today or tomorrow. Running the Super Gas division, it’s really neat.
"Wednesday, we went through tech inspection, and that was a big moment for me, going through tech and getting that little decal that says, ‘Participant of the Gatornationals;’ I kind of felt like an 8-year-old schoolboy when they gave me that decal."
Good news (3 p.m.): There's finally some positive news to report out of Gainesville. The Safety Safari is spraying traction compound on the dragstrip, and there are cars rolling into the lanes. Comp will be out first, followed by Pro Stock Motorcycle, Pro Stock, Funny Car, and Top Fuel.
And, we're running (4:10 p.m.): Comp is on the track right now, making their first qualifying attempts. Pro Stock Motorcycle is in the lanes and will be next ontrack.
Pro Stock Phoenix eliminations (4:35 p.m.): Due to the rain this morning and the delay that it caused, today will be limited to just one qualifying session for the Full Throttle categories. As a result, Pro Stock eliminations from the NHRA Arizona Nationals will have wait yet another day. Today's run will be just a qualifying pass, then the first run tomorrow will double as the second round of the Phoenix event. The second qualifying session tomorrow will also serve as the semifinals from Phoenix. The final two racers will then come back later to run the final round and determine the NHRA Arizona Nationals champ.
Pro Stock Motorcycle, session one (4:45 p.m.): A surprise at the top of the charts after one run in the two-wheel class: Junior Pippin, who has never qualified No. 1, is the leader with a 6.959. Pippin is a hundredth and a half ahead of the rest of the pack with Shawn Gann's 6.972 ranking second. Matt Smith is third quickest with a 6.986. Darin McCurdy finished in the important 12th spot with a 7.140, the final time that transfers into tomorrow.
Pro Stock, session one (5:15 p.m.): The Mike Edwards reign of terror over the Pro Stock field continues as he again sits No. 1 in the field after posting a 6.610. The up side for his competitors is his advantage over everyone else isn't as large as normal; he sits just six-thousandths ahead of his engine customer Ron Krisher. Rodger Brogdon is third with a 6.629. Allen Johnson holds down the 12th spot with a 6.670.
Honoring Gwynn (5:45 p.m.): Prior to the start of the first nitro qualifying session today, Darrell Gwynn was honored with a video presentation. In addition, those in attendance and listening online were encouraged to text DGF to 50555 to donate $5 to the Darrell Gwynn Foundation. This is one of several tributes to Gwynn scheduled this weekend. Doug Kalitta is running a special Coors Extra Gold scheme on his dragster in honor of Gwynn, and on Sunday morning (March 14 at 8 a.m.), prior to the elimination rounds, drivers and team owners will join Gwynn for a special “Track Walk for Those Who Can’t” on the quarter-mile Gainesville Raceway strip. Fans will be able to get “up-close and personal” with Gwynn and top drivers by walking with them on the famed track for a donation of $20 or more to the Foundation.
Funny Car, session one (6 p.m.): A good start for the John Force Racing trio, who occupy the top three spots on the ladder after the first of three qualifying runs. Robert Hight is first with a 4.060. Boss John Force is second after posting a 4.093, and Ashley Force Hood is No. 3 with a 4.094. Matt Hagan ranks fourth thanks to his 4.104. Jeff Diehl is in the 12th spot with a 7.705.
Lucas Oil Sportsman update (6:15 p.m.): Due to the water in the pits and the troubles it has created in getting cars out of trailers, most of the Lucas Oil Sportsman classes will have to be put on hold until a yet-to-be-determined time. The only Lucas Oil categories that will run Saturday will be Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, and Comp. The other categories are in wait-and-see mode; if conditions are good enough, they will begin making passes Sunday. If conditions don't allow for racing Sunday, action will be pushed to Monday.
Top Fuel, session one (6:35 p.m.): Tony Schumacher is the leader in the dragster class after posting a 3.823 at 318.02 mph. Shawn Langdon isn't far behind with a 3.829, and Doug Kalitta, who is flying the Coors Extra Gold colors in honor of local hero Darrell Gwynn, continues his hot start to 2010 with a 3.846 that places him third. Terry McMillen's 8.085 is the final transfer time heading into tomorrow.
Pro Mods are up with a qualifying session next, and the two alcohol classes will also get a shot at the track to wrap up today's activities.
Pro Mod (8 p.m.): The Get Screened America Pro Mod Series is making its debut this weekend, and its competitors got their first run of the event tonight. Jay Payne paces the group with a 5.887 run. Melanie Troxel, who is also competing in Funny Car, is second at 5.888. Mike Knowles is third, followed by Ken Lang, Michael Gullqvist, Tony Pontieri, Rickie Smith, and Chip King.
Saturday schedule (8 p.m.): Due to the change in the Lucas Oil classes, Saturday's activities will start a little later than usual. Comp will be on the track first, with a run scheduled at 10:30 a.m. TAD and TAFC will follow in advance of the first session of the day for the Full Throttle classes, which are scheduled to begin at noon. The Pro Mod racers follow Funny Car, and Comp round one will also run between the two Full Throttle qualifying sessions. The second session, which begins at 2:45 p.m., will include Pro Stock Motorcycle, Pro Stock, Top Fuel, Funny Car, and finally the NHRA Arizona Nationals final round in Pro Stock. The day will then wrap up with round one in Pro Mod, TAD, and TAFC.
THURSDAY
Over and done: Persistent rain showers and a forecast for more showers and thunderstorms throughout the day forced NHRA officials to postpone Thursday’s scheduled racing at the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at historic Gainesville Raceway.
Weather permitting, racing will begin Friday at 8 a.m. Friday’s Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for noon and 2:45 p.m. Saturday’s two qualifying sessions also are set for noon and 2:45 p.m. Sunday’s eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
Among the highlights of the weekend include the completion of three rounds of Pro Stock eliminations from the weather-delayed Phoenix event; NASCAR champ Kurt Busch’s NHRA debut in the ultra-competitive Super Gas category in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series; the debut of NHRA’s newest touring series, the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Series; the first race of the 2010 season for the Pro Stock Motorcycle category; and plenty of exciting racing in the NHRA’s marquee Full Throttle Series as points leaders Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) race to build on their championship point leads.
WFO radio at Gainesville: Race fans have the opportunity to experience more unprecedented coverage of the NHRA Full Throttle Series when WFO Radio with Joe Castello broadcasts live from this weekend's NHRA Gatornationals.
WFO Radio will broadcast live 10 a.m. - noon ET on both Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13 from the media center at the Gainesville Raceway. To listen live, on-demand, or to download, go to http://www.wforadio.com
NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kurt Busch is scheduled to appear on Friday's edition of WFO Radio. Busch will be coming off his first day of competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Super Gas category.
Drag racing stars appearing on the special live edition of WFO Radio include Ashley Force Hood, Darrell Gwynn, Doug Kalitta, Tony Pedregon, Melanie Troxel, Morgan Lucas, Shawn Langdon, Allen Johnson, Angie Smith, Matt Smith, Kenny Koretsky, Jeff Arend, Rodger Brogdon, and Paul Lee.
In addition to celebrity guest appearances, WFO Radio will be providing race fans with on-location reports from the Gatornationals throughout the race weekend. Check WFORadio.com for updates.
Gainesville TV update: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will air its coverage of Full Throttle Series qualifying from the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals Saturday evening at midnight Eastern (9 p.m. Pacific) but will rebroadcast the show the following morning, Sunday, at 10 a.m. Eastern for the convenience of race fans.
The qualifying show also will include highlights from the continuation of Pro Stock eliminations from the NHRA Arizona Nationals, which was postponed last month due to track conditions and weather. The second round of Pro Stock from Arizona will be run during Friday's second qualifying session and the semfinal and final rounds completed during Satudary's first and second sessions, respectively.
The repeat qualifying showing will lead right into the NHRA Race Day presented by Lucas Oil pre-race show at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.
Final eliminations will air in prime time on the East Coast, from 6-9 p.m. and air again on March 17. Highlights of Lucas Oil Series competition from the event also will air March 17 while coverage of the kickoff race of the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series will air March 21.