Antron Brown, defending Top Fuel world champion, won the season opener at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, defeating Shawn Langdon in the final round. Brown’s victory marks the 81st of his career, as he got to the finish line in 3.673 seconds at 333.99 mph.
Chad Green (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also secured wins that kicked off a new season of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Brown’s path to victory included wins over Krista Baldwin, Clay Millican, and Steve Torrence.
“It’s tough to go against Shawn Langdon and [crew chief] Brian Husen,” Brown said. “They always have the performance. Actually, there are a lot of cars out here that did their homework, put the work in, and can run mid to low 3.6s. Brian [Corradi, crew chief] and my guys were just adamant that we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot.
“We dug deep to make a run like that and set low E.T.; says a lot about our team. We just stayed cool until the track came around. You’ve got to put it up there when you’re racing these guys. These drivers in Top Fuel are just incredible this year. We kept digging deep after winning a championship, and that’s a tribute to these guys.”
Langdon, who won in Gainesville a year ago, drove past Justin Ashley, Tony Stewart, and Jasmine Salinas to reach the final round for the 46th time in his career.
Green’s victory was his second in Funny Car, and first since the 2023 NHRA Finals. He considered this victory a personal milestone.
“This race is so special. I mean, it’s the Gators,” Green said. “There are so many historical things that have happened at this race for so many years, and I was saying in my [top end] interview that my very first race down the racetrack in an official race car was here at this track, so, yeah, it means a lot to me.
“I’ve always said it’s so important to start off the year off and do well at the first race, or else you’re behind the eight ball. This just takes the cake right here. To start off No. 1 in points, that’s really awesome. I’m just so excited.”
Ron Capps, who is seeking his first win since the 2023 season, advanced to his 148th career final round with victories against John Smith, Bobby Bode, and Alexis DeJoria.
Glenn secured his 14th career win by defeating teammate Greg Anderson, running low elapsed time of race day with a 6.549 at 211.13 mph.
“I’m thankful because there were a few rounds where I felt like I didn’t have the best car, but we picked away at it,” Glenn said. “In the final, I was looking to throw one down, but it shook a little in low gear. I think we had more in it. It’s nice to get one back from Greg, but I’m more impressed by our KB Titan team. We had the top four spots in qualifying and almost put four cars in the semis. Cory Reed was a handful today, and he’s going to be tough all year. It won’t be long before he’s sitting up here doing a winner’s interview.
“I’ve now made a lot of runs in the car, and I know I can beat Greg, but you have to do your job to perfection. It’s hard to do, but I know I can beat him. When we race, I just try to be me and stick with my normal routine.”
Gaige Herrera remained undefeated at Gainesville Raceway, picking up a third straight victory with a run of 6.722 seconds at 200.23 mph. A starting-line advantage of .028 seconds allowed Herrera to easily outrun Smith’s virtually identical 6.723.
“This was a good day for me and a great day for Vance & Hines,” Herrera said. “We got here early this morning and had to sit through hours, and I was like, ‘Let’s get on with it.’ Otherwise, my bike was deadly consistent. We made three straight runs that were 6.76, and I’m amazed that Andrew [Hines] can do that. In the final, we knew we needed more, so we threw everything at it. I thought we’d run better, but I didn’t expect a 6.72. I’m a neutral person, and Matt [Smith] and I are cordial, but he does have a bit of rivalry with Vance & Hines, and I think it’s good for the class.”
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will continue March 21-23 with the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park near Phoenix.
