NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

TOP FUEL ROUND 1

Maddi Gordon, the 23rd woman in NHRA history to qualify in Top Fuel, got the first round win of her rookie campaign with a huge conquest of one of her driving mentors, 2025 championship runner-up and No. 2 qualifier Shawn Langdon, who smoked the tires alongside her 3.762.

"I heard him pull the tires loose, and I seriously said 'Holy ... something' inside the car, and we were going good," she said. "Man, this is what dreams are made of. This is amazing."

Eliminations kicked off with a surprise as No. 5 qualifier Tony Stewart's crew chief, Mike Green, opted to be in the first pair (usually it's the place reerved by default for the No. 8 qualiifer), probably to make sure that they got in a run under what will be the best conditions of the event, and that paid off with a handsome 3.713 against Clay Millican, who suffered breakage. Crazily enough, Stewart's wife, Leah Pruett, in the next pair, exactly matched his e.t. in besting tire-smoking Jasmine Salinas. The two are on opposite sides of the ladder and can't meet unless both make it to the final round.

Josh Hart, the 119th low qualifier in Top Fuel history, advanced easily with a 3.75 after Dan Mercier smoked the tires. Antron Brown followed in the right-lane tire tracks of a bunch of cars that had smoked the tires, and crew chief Brian Corradi showed there's no issue with that side of the track with a strong 3.76 to defeat Gary Pritchett.

Halfway through the round, the cloud cover is gone, and the heat is already here, making Green's decision to run first look like a pretty good one.

Two-time world champ Doug Kalitta showcased his vast driving experience, winning a pedalfest over Justin Ashley, who again was psychic on the Tree with a .022 light. Both drivers battled for grip downtrack before Kalitta turned on the win light in a wild 4.33 to 4.58 race. Tony Schumacher and Shawn Reed also went into a pedalfest that ended when Reed leveled the top of the engine with a blower explosion just before halftrack.

Tripp Tatum, whose first and only Top Fuel event win came here in 2022 (and who crashed here in round one last year), beat the team that originally put his first car together—the Lagana brothers-led Capco team — in a wild pedafest in which Billy Torrence showed fans both sides of the car before crossing the centerline behind Tatum's 4.56.

Second-round pairings (lane choice first): Josh Hart vs. Tripp Tatum; Tony Stewart vs. Antron Brown; Maddi Gordon vs. Tony Schumacher; Leah Pruett vs. Doug Kalitta

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FUNNY CAR ROUND 1

It took five pairs for Matt Hagan and crew chief Mike Knudsen to blast the first three-second run of the round with a 3.99 to defeat Julie Nataas, but the real fireworks came in the final pair in an all-JFR match between championship runner-up Jack Beckman, who didn't qualify until Q4, and rookie Funny Car driver Jordan Vandergriff. Vandergriff raced to a 3.97 to beat "Fast Jack's" 3.98.

Ron Capps will not join his new Top Fuel driver, Maddi Gordon, in round two as the No. 1 qualifier was upset by John Smith after Capps lost traction. The outcome is a reversal of last year's Gatornationals, where Capps beat Smith in round one.

With world champ Austin Prock failing to qualify — the first time that a defending world champ has failed to qualify at the next season's first race since Mark Oswald in 1985 — and Capps and Beckman out, this is very good news for Hagan.

Defending event champ Chad Green extended his Gainesville Raceway win streak to five straight rounds with a 4.02 conquest over plucky Terry Haddock, who brought out his backup car after his No. 1 car was side-swiped by Buddy Hull's flaming flopper in Q4 last night. Green's car was just one of the few to make it down under full power, and, unfortunately for him, he'll face the low e.t. car of Hagan.

2025 Rookie of the Year Spencer Hyde, who failed to qualify at last year's event and barely made the field this time, made the best of it, driving through some late tire smoke with a 4.63 to beat tire-smoking Paul Lee. Behind him, J.R. Todd also did a masterful pedal job to navigate a trick back half to get the 4.50 win over Dave Richards.

Alexis DeJoria, who clocked an unofficial career-best speed of 337.24 mph in pre-season testing here, wins her first eliminations lap as part of John Force Racing after Cruz Pedregon smoked the tires and crossed the centerline alongside her. Her quick-pedal 4.54 was not great, but it will give her lane choice over Hyde.

Hunter Green, who will split seat time in the second Chad Green Racing car with Blake Alexander (Alexander will run the next two races, in Phoenix and Pomona, before Green returns in Charlotte), fell to Daniel Wilkerson, who ripped to a 4.02. Green's 4.26 would have beaten most of the other first-round winners.

Second-round pairings (lane choice first): Jordan Vandergriff vs. John Smith; Matt Hagan vs. Chad Green; Daniel Wilkerson vs. J.R. Todd; Alexis DeJoria vs. Spencer Hyde

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PRO STOCK ROUND 1

Generational talent continues to show itself, and Pro Stock newcomer Cody Anderson will race his dad, Greg Anderson, in round two. Cody's first round opponent, Greg Stanfield, struggled to get down the track, while Cody Anderson looked like a natural. 

While his father, Greg Anderson, turned things around on race day after struggling throughout qualifying. He took out No. 4 qualifier Deric Kramer with a 6.564 to Kramer's 6.568. 

Eric Latino had a few issues and moved around a bit, while the winningest woman in motorsports, Erica Enders, navigated the track and pulled down a 6.587.

Aaron Standfield bested Troy Coughlin Jr. who is flying the well-known black and yellow JEG'S colors this year, on a holeshot by two hundredths of a second and laid down a 6.581 second pass.

Dallas Glenn comes into the event with not only a target on his back as the reining world champion, but also the reigning event champion. He continues his Gatornationals winning streak and will move on to the next round after beating Jeg Coughlin Jr. to the finish line stripe with a 6.583 to a 6.606.

No. 1 qualifier will advance Cody Coughlin after defeating Chris McGaha. Cody shared that he is simply "rinsing and repeating" and "keeping a level head" this year, and he goes through rounds. In round two, it will be KB Titan's Cody vs. Elite Motorsports' Erica Enders.

Arizona's Matt Hartford left first, but his opponent, Kenny Delco, had the better 60 ft. time. Hartford was able to make up some time outran him to the finish line stripe with a 6.574.

Pro Stock sophomore Matt Latino is showing off what he learned in year one and left the starting line first. He never looked back at Stephen Bell, laying down a 6.583. He and Glenn, who clocked the same e.t., will face off in the second round, but Matt will choose his lane as he ran the faster time of 209.98 mph to Glenn's 209.39 mph.

Second-round pairings (lane choice first): Cody Coughlin vs. Erica Enders; Greg Anderson vs. Cody Anderson; Matt Hartford vs. Aaron Stanfield; Matt Latino vs. Dallas Glenn

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PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE ROUND 1

Steve Johnson’s holeshot win over Jianna Evaristo set the tone for a wild round of Pro Stock Motorcycle competition. Johnson, now into his fourth decade in the class, banked six hundredths at the start and held on for a 6.830 to 6.799 victory.

The race between Chase Van Sant and Ryan Oehler was closer, in several ways.  Van Sant turned on the win light on his Trick Tools Suzuki, 6.826 to 6.832, but the real drama occurred in the shutdown area where Oehler nearly drifted into Van Sant’s lane. Ultimately, both riders got their bikes stopped without incident.  

Clayton Howey, who was strong during all four runs in qualifying, received his first 200 mph time slip in his6.786 to 6.854 win over Kelly Clontz.

John Hall cut a .005 light against Brayden Davis and needed most of it in a 6.796 to 6.800 race that statistically was one of the best of the round. Hall is coming off a career year in 2025 with two victories.

Gaige Herrera extended his Gainesville win streak to 13 rounds with a 6.755 and a 201.46 mph speed on his RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki.

Angie Smith held low elapsed time of the round until the final pair, where six-time world champion Matt Smith blasted to a 6.739 in his win against Chris Bostick.

Second-round pairings (lane choice first): Angie Smith vs. Steve Johnson; Gaige Herrera vs. John Hall; Richard Gadson vs. Chase Van Sant; Matt Smith vs. Clayton Howey
 

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TOP FUEL ROUND 2

Antron Brown, last year's race winner and this year's Top Fuel Callout winner from Saturday, won his ninth straight round in Gainesville to advance to the semifinals, and did it with his right foot, beating Tony Stewart on a 3.82 to 3.81 holeshot.

Two drivers on opposite ends of their careers — Tony Schumacher, with 30 years and 582 starts under his belts, and Maddi Gordon, in race one of her first Top Fuel season — squared off, and the difference was a dropped cylinder and a top-end blower backfire that allowed the rookie to move into the semifinals in her debut, 3.78 to 3.86. Gordon was the 114th driver that Schumacher has faced in his career, and to add insult to injury, Schumacher also got docked points for an oildown.

After missing the tune-up in round one, Alan Johnson didn't make the same mistake twice, tuning reigning world champ Doug Kalitta to a 3.76 victory over Leah Pruett to earn semifinal lane choice against Gordon.

The up-and-down Tripp Tatum experience took another wild turn as he uncorked a 3.79 against low qualifier Josh Hart's 3.84, but it was an ill-gotten gain as he red-lighted with a -.098 reaction time.

Semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Antron Brown vs. Josh Hart; Doug Kalitta vs. Maddi Gordon

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FUNNY CAR ROUND 2

Alexis DeJoria joined fellow John Force Racing debutant and Top Fuel teammate Josh Hart in the semifinals, her first final four showing since last year's U.S. Nationals, with a 4.04 to 4.06 defeat of Spencer Hyde.

The other new JFR driver, Jordan Vandergriff, also advanced to the semifinals, posting another three-second pass, a 3.99, to end John Smith's Cinderella Sunday

J.R. Todd and the DHL "yella fellas" will face their former Kalitta Motorsports teammate DeJoria in the semifinals after a 4.03 victory over Daniel Wilkerson's seven-cylinder 4.15

The round ended with a big upset as defending event champ Chad Green powered to a 3.97 to 3.96 holeshot defeat of four-time world champ Matt Hagan and will have lane choice against Vandergriff.

Semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Chad Green vs. Jordan Vandergriff; J.R Todd vs. Alexis DeJoria

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PRO STOCK ROUND 2

In the highly anticipated father-son matchup, it was Greg Anderson who emerged victorious after Cody had some starting line troubles. Greg went on to clock a 6.542, proving that his qualifying struggles are a thing of the past. Greg and Cody are the 28th father-son duo to compete in NHRA Pro Stock.

In an evenly paired contest between Matt Latino and Dallas Glenn, it was the reigning champ who made the most of the round when he left the starting line first with a .029 reaction time to Latino’s .040 and never trailed. With his 6.588, he will continue his quest for another Gatornationals win. 

Pro Stock standout Aaron Stanfield had the starting-line advantage against Matt Hartford, but Hartford will advance and take the Total Seal Pro Stock Camaro to the semifinals.

No. 1 qualifier Cody Coughlin’s dream to win his first Wally will have to wait as six-time world champion Erica Enders defeated him with a 6.563 to his 6.585.

Semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Greg Anderson vs. Erica Enders; Matt Hartford vs. Dallas Glenn

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PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE ROUND 2

If you like upsets, then you loved the second round of eliminations in Pro Stock Motorcycle. The drama started early when Steve Johnson scored his second-straight holeshot win when he beat low qualifier Angie Smith 6.863 to 6.796. Johnson boosted his chances by leaving the starting line first by nine-hundredths.

Perhaps the best race of the round involved John Hall and two-time world champ Gaige Herrera. Both drivers were nearly perfect on the starting line, and Hall held on to win by a scant .012-second at the finish line, running 6.748 to Herrera's 6.758.

Another big domino fell when Clayton Howey topped six-time world champion  Matt Smith, 6.822 to 6.836. Howey took care of business on the starting line with a .017 light.

Finally, Richard Gadson defeated Chase Van Sant, 6.757 to 6.808, to help send one of the Vance & Hines/RevZilla Suzukis to the semifinals.

Semifinal pairings (lane choice first): John Hall vs. Steve Johnson; Richard Gadson vs. Clayton Howey.

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TOP FUEL SEMIFINALS

Josh Hart's John Force Racing debut cannot have gone much better so far: The homestate hero became the fourth driver to officially run 340 mph, grabbed his first No. 1 qualifier, and now is in the semifinals for the first time since the 2024 four-wide race in Las Vegas after out-pedaling Antron Brown for a 4.48 to 4.55 win. It's the first time since the fall 2023 Las Vegas race that he's reached the semifinals on two round wins in the same day.

Maddi Gordon's great day ended against the reigning world champ Doug Kalitta after her Carlyle Tools machine lost traction, but Kalitta was already long gone by the time that happened with a 3.75 that will earn him final-round lane choice over Hart.

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FUNNY CAR SEMIFINALS

Defending event champ Chad Green's Gatornationals magic continued with his seventh straight round win with a solid 3.98 to 4.06 decision over Jordan Vandergriff, whose Funny Car debut ended with a 4.06 loss.

Green will have final-round lane choice over Alexis DeJoria, who raced to a 4.04 defeat of former Gatornationals champ J.R. Todd, who double-stepped the throttle and fouled with a -.099 reaction time. Like Hart in Top Fuel, she's in the final round in her JFR debut.

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PRO STOCK SEMIFINALS

In a tale as old as time, KB Titan's Greg Anderson and Elite Motorsports' Erica Enders lined up against one another, but put another tally in Anderson’s column because he got to the finish line stripe first with a 6.571 to Enders’ 6.602.

Dallas Glenn’s hopes of going back-to-back at the Gatornationals were dashed when his RAD Torque Systems Camaro struggled to get off the starting line. However, Matt Hartford has had consistent performance, racing to a 6.576, and will be looking for his first Gatornationals win, but it will be Anderson who has lane choice.

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PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE SEMIFINALS

You want more drama? The semifinals of Pro Stock Motorcycle had plenty of it beginning with Richard Gadson’s win over Clayton Howey. The race ended when Howey fouled by six-hundredths, but it almost didn’t end there as Gadson drifted towards the centerline. The outcome was briefly in doubt when a timing block was dislodged but it was quickly determined that it was caused by wind rather than contact with Gadson or his bike.

In the other pairing, John Hall continued his string of nearly perfect reaction times with a .001 light to help in his win over Steve Johnson. Hall earned lane choice for the final with a 6.836 to Johnson’s competitive 6.862.

LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES RESULTS

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
Jamie Noonan vs. Anthony Troyer

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
Sean Bellemeur def. Chris Foster

COMP
Pete D’Agnolo def. Matt Alvey

SUPER STOCK
Dan Fletcher def. Kent Hanley

STOCK
Jeff Adkinson def. Jim Marhsall

SUPER COMP
Kelly Kundratic def. Tim Millwood

SUPER GAS
Jason Dewitt def. Ernie Knight

RIGHT TRAILERS TOP DRAGSTER
Jackie Bennett def. Holden Laris

RIGHT TRAILERS TOP SPORTSMAN
James Hinkle def. Bruce Thaxton

NHRA PRO MOD SERIES
Derek Menholt vs. Lyle Barnett

FLEXJET FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN
Ricky Hord def. David Janac

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RAIN DELAY

Minutes before the Pro classes were scheduled to make their final-round passes, rain began to fall on Gainesville Raceway. Racing is expected to resume at 4:5 p.m. Eastern