It’s almost a month before the NHRA traditionally releases its schedule for the following season, but a news release promoting the NHRA Gatornationals has tipped its hand about where it will begin.

NHRA officials confirmed on August 1, 2023, that the 2024 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will again open with the NHRA Gatornationals, the 55th annual running of the event in Gainesville, Fla. 

The event will feature all four Camping World Drag Racing Series categories, including the Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout specialty race.

“There’s already a lot of excitement and anticipation for next year’s Gatornationals, and we are thrilled to begin the 2024 NHRA season in front of another tremendous crowd at Gainesville Raceway,” said NHRA Vice President of Track Management and Operations, Kasey Coler. “It’s always a special weekend in Gainesville, and the history and prestige of performing well at the Gatornationals truly makes it a can’t-miss event.”

The Gatornationals will also feature the first race of the season in the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports and Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown, as well as action in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
 
According to Competitionplus.com Senior Editor Susan Wade, rumors from the annual sponsor meeting Thursday ahead of the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, a source suggests the talk of 2024 includes possible gaps in the 2024 season with a return to tracks previously on the schedule. 

Could that include Virginia Motorsports Park? Might the Arizona Nationals return at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park with the announcement that The Radford Driving School has taken over the operation of the facility?

There will be at least one new venue, with the forthcoming Flying H Dragstrip on the Missouri side of Kansas City expected to provide a seamless NHRA Heartland Nationals transition from the closed Topeka strip. 

What remains to be seen is whether the Professional Racers Organization, which is expected to announce a high-stakes independent event, plans more than one event in 2024. Time will tell.