EXCITEMENT BUILDING FOR AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS TO OPEN
2025 NHRA SEASON
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Jan. 13, 2025) – With the NHRA set for its 74th
season of racing in 2025, the countdown is on for the start of the NHRA
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and it doesn’t get much bigger than
the season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, which kicks off
the year March 6-9 at Gainesville Raceway.
The legendary facility will play host to the 56th annual Amalie Motor
Oil NHRA Gatornationals, long regarded as one of the marquee events on
the NHRA tour. This season will be no different as all the stars in Top
Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will look to win the
historic race and start their year with a spectacular victory.
The season kickoff is loaded with a host of special events to make the
Gatornationals even bigger, including the big-money Top Fuel All-Star
Callout specialty race, which takes place on Saturday, March 8, as well
as the first race of 2025 in the Congruity Pro Mod Drag Racing Series
and NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown, and action in the Lucas Oil
Drag Racing Series.
The Gatornationals have drawn massive crowds for more than five decades,
as fans in 2025 will get their first glimpse of the incredible
11,000-horsepower, 330-mph nitro machines and all the biggest stars on
the NHRA tour, including reigning world champions Antron Brown (Top
Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige
Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
In 2024, Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), J.R. Todd (Funny Car), Erica Enders
(Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won on the
hallowed grounds of Gainesville Raceway to open the year. It marked the
first double-up victory for Kalitta Motorsports, while six-time world
champ Enders won the historic race for the first time. This year’s
race will again be broadcast on FS1, including coverage of the Top Fuel
All-Star Callout at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 8 and eliminations at 7
p.m. on Sunday, March 9.
Brown won the Top Fuel All-Star Callout a year ago, using that momentum
to clinch his fourth world title. The standout will look to defend his
title in the thrilling one-day bonus race, which adds the unique callout
element to the big-money specialty event.
Action in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will start with two
rounds of qualifying on both Friday and Saturday, the Top Fuel All-Star
Callout on Saturday and then eliminations on Sunday.
More top names that will be in action in Gainesville include Top
Fuel’s Doug Kalitta, Brittany Force, reigning rookie of the year and
motorsports legend Tony Stewart, and local native Josh Hart, Funny Car
stars Matt Hagan, Ron Capps, Bob Tasca III and Jack Beckman, who will be
driving for legendary champion John Force in 2025, Pro Stock’s Aaron
Stanfield, Dallas Glenn and Jeg Coughlin Jr., and Pro Stock
Motorcycle’s Matt Smith, Jianna Evaristo, Angie Smith, Richard Gadson
and Chase Van Sant.
Before the race, fans will again be invited to a special
“Gatornationals Kickoff Party and Fanfest” at Josh Hart’s Burnyzz
Speedshop in Ocala. In what’s become an exciting pre-event tradition,
the event will take place from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5. The
fun-filled kickoff event will include driver appearances and autographs
from 7-8 p.m. at the state-of-the-art facility and much more.
A host of additional special events – both off and on the track – as
well as the full event schedule for the 56th annual NHRA Gatornationals
will be announced in the coming weeks.
To purchase tickets to the 2025 Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals,
fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets [1]. Upgraded experiences in the
Gainesville Top Eliminator Club [2] – which features a premium
experience and a number of exclusive benefits at one of the biggest
races of the season – are also available for purchase [2]. Children 12
and under are free in general admission areas with the purchase of an
adult ticket. For more information about the NHRA, visit www.nhra.com
[3].
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