AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals

Date
Thu 5th March 2026 (UTC)
Thu 5th March 2026 (Local)

Timestamp
2026-03-05T13:00:00

Time

13:00:00 UTC (08:00:00 Local)

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League
NHRA Drag Racing

Season
2026

Round
1

Status
Match Finished

Location
Gainesville Raceway

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Event Statistics

Description

The AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals officially kicks off the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, marking the start of the sport's historic 75th anniversary season. As the traditional East Coast opener, Gainesville Raceway welcomes a sold-out crowd eager to see the fastest accelerating machines on the planet.

Thursday serves as the foundation for the weekend, primarily focusing on the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the opening qualifying sessions for the alcohol ranks. While the 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel and Funny Car stars won't take to the track until Friday, Thursday is a marathon of horsepower for the Sportsman categories. All eyes are on the technical inspections and the first rounds of qualifying for Stock, Super Comp, and Top Dragster, where hundreds of racers battle for a spot in the elite elimination brackets. For fans, it's the first chance to see the new 2026 liveries and feel the ground-shaking power of the Top Alcohol classes as they begin their quest for a Gatornationals "Wally" trophy.

Reports

Result List

01	Josh Hart	3.733
01	Chad Green	3.959
01	Matt Hartford	6.530
01	Richard Gadson	6.753

Result Description

Josh Hart Top Fuel
Chad Green Funny Car
Matt Hartford Pro Stock
Richard Gadson Pro Stock Motorcycle
Derek Menholt Pro Mod
Jamie Noonan Top Alcohol Dragster
Sean Bellemeur Top Alcohol Funny Car
Peter D`Agnolo Competition Eliminator
Daniel Fletcher Super Stock
Jeff Adkinson Stock Eliminator
Kelly Kundratic Super Comp
Jason Dewitt Super Gas
James Hinkle Top Sportsman
Jacky Bennett Top Dragster
Richard Hord Factory Stock Showdown
Antron Brown Allstar Tf Callout
Bruce Larson Nhra Legends Race

The opening day of the 2026 Gatornationals saw a massive turnout of Sportsman competitors, with over 400 cars taking to the Gainesville concrete. The day was defined by nearly perfect atmospheric conditions, leading to several record-breaking runs in the Stock and Super Stock qualifying sessions. Doug Duell set the early pace in Stock Eliminator, piloting his '69 Barracuda to a blistering -1.060 under his index to claim the provisional top spot.

In the afternoon's headline action, the Top Alcohol categories made their 2026 debut. Sean Bellemeur picked up right where he left off in 2025, topping the Funny Car charts with a clean 5.491-second pass at 265 mph. In Top Alcohol Dragster, Joey Severance led a highly competitive field with a 5.299-second blast. The day concluded with the first round of qualifying for Top Dragster and Top Sportsman, setting a high bar for the professional sessions scheduled to begin on Friday.

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