Competition Plus’ Water-Cooler Topics From The NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
1 – DON’T SCREW THIS UP – Shawn Langdon admitted he rolled to the staging lanes for the finals of the NHRA Gatornationals with no pressure of a potential double-up on his shoulders. After all, Top Fuel always ran after Funny Cars, and whatever his teammate JR Todd managed to pull off would dictate the weight on his shoulders
“I saw the guys jumping up and down,” Langdon said, realizing Todd had won his race. “So, I just took a deep breath and honestly I told myself, ‘Don’t screw this up.’ That was kind of my motto all day long, ‘Don’t screw this up. I got a good race car.’”
For some reason or another, in 18 tries, Kalitta Motorsports had come up short in team double-ups. And the two drivers with the only chance to pull off the feat were clearly not on the same page. Langdon was a win waiting to happen with domination throughout qualifying and into eliminations. On the other side of the ladder, Todd had every inclination to go buy a lottery ticket since his DHL Toyota had not run a 3-second run or exceeded 300 miles per hour in the first three rounds.
In the history department, Todd last won in Sonoma in 2024, while Langdon hadn’t won a national event in over four years.
This weekend had a lot riding on it. Days earlier, the late Scott Kalitta was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, and his father, Connie Kalitta, the team’s patriarch, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
“JR doesn’t really think about the double when he goes up there because he’s first,” Langdon said with a smile. “And then he wins and then I’m like, ‘Well, here again, don’t screw this up.’ Right? Yeah, obviously there’s so many pressure situations going on.”
Whether or not it played into the scenario, a social media post on X (formerly Twitter) apparently left the Kalitta team out of the conversation about which team would be the first to double-up in 2024.
“We decided that 100 percent of the comments did not age well,” Langdon said. “Because nobody picked Kalitta. No way. But we’re okay with that. We just keep on working. That’s all we do. We keep working.”
Apparently, they work well under pressure.
2 – BRIAN’S SONG – Shawn Langdon was asked his opinion ahead of personnel changes being made at Kalitta Motorsports before the season. He responded at the absurdity of the phone call by suggesting, “Why are you calling me?”
Langdon appreciated the sentiment but the decision was a no-brainer. It was to him the equivalent of someone asking if he’d like $1 million with no strings attached.
Langdon would admit Husen is the perfect crew chief for him.
“This isn’t to say anything about any other crew chiefs that I’ve had in the past or anything, but there’s just people that you click with,” Langdon said. “And dating back to 2012, when I started on the Al-Anabi team, Brian and I, I always felt like we clicked from day one. It’s just when I say something, he gets what I say. He says something, I understand what he says. You can have short conversations and you just kind of understand where each other’s coming from. There’s nothing personal. Sometimes I may say something a little chippy, he may say, or whatever the situation is, but at the end of the day, you’re in for the betterment of the team. You’re there to win races. We’ve just always got along very well.
“And even when the Al-Anabi deal went away, him and I always stayed in contact, and I’ve always had great respect for Brian. So, then yeah, when it all kind of came back around and the opportunity, I got the phone call of ‘Hey, this is what we’re thinking about doing. What’s your opinion on this?’
“I’m like, ‘Why you’re calling me? Of course, yes, yes, yes, yes.’
“So, obviously I’m going to sing praise for Brian. Like I said, I’m so proud of Brian. I’m so happy for him.”
Sunday was the first official victory for Husen as a crew chief of record. And as Langdon sees it, there will be more records to come.
3 – PERSISTENCE OVER PERFECTION – Truer words were never spoken after JR Todd had just scored another improbable round win. Todd came up on the winning side over speed merchant Bob Tasca III, when both drivers shook, pedaled and manhandled their way to the finish line.
“That was definitely probably the most bizarre day I’ve had in drag racing,” Todd said. “Usually you might have one run that you call that your lucky run, but we had three for sure.”
Performance came together at the perfect time for Todd and he slew the giant of the weekend, albeit a rookie driver, who was having a weekend Todd would have dreamed of having.
After starting the day with a win over John Smith in the first round, 28-year-old Austin Prock (3.899 seconds at 332.43 mph) beat John Force (3.913 seconds at 328.46 mph) and Chad Green in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Todd had run a 4.203, 9.107 and a 4.963 to reach the final round.
“That run, in the final, that was probably the first good clean run that we made all week going back to Tuesday.” Todd admitted. “Just lot of problems in the bellhousing all weekend. Just couldn’t get it figured out really.”
Todd, who has raced nitro cars since he was a teenager, learned a long time ago the differences of how to approach qualifying and eliminations day.
“It’s a matter of survival on race day,” Todd said. “Of course, we all want to go No. 1. It would be nice to qualify up there in the top three and get some points for that, but at the end of the day, I’ll take one of these trophies any day of the week over qualifying on the pole.
Todd will gladly take ugly race-day wins, too.
WANT TO SEE “THE TEN” FROM QUALIFYING? – CLICK HERE
4. GAIGING THE DOMINANCE – The more Gaige Herrera runs, the better he gets. The better he gets, the further the rest of the field falls behind him.
A year after scoring his first career national-event victory in his debut race, Herrera was busy putting the finishing touches on his sixth straight race win. He ran a stout 6.636 elapsed time at 204.39 to pull away from Matt Smith.
The victory marked his 12th career victory and not much was in doubt Sunday. He put together four straight runs in the 6.60s at more than 200 mph, defeating Joey Gladstone, John Hall and Angie Smith leading into the final round. That blistering performance included a track-record best of 6.629 at 204.54 in the second round, which was the second-quickest run in class history, behind only his record-setting run last year in Dallas.
“Today was good and we ran really well,” Herrera said. “The weather was really close to Dallas, where I set the national record. Everyone kind of picked up in the class and we expected to as well. Overall, I had a very consistent motorcycle. We actually hurt the motor in the semifinals, so we had to swap motors for the finals. Overall, I had a very consistent, smooth motorcycle all day. As long as I didn’t miss a beat, the bike didn’t miss a beat. Even though I didn’t do any testing during the offseason, it felt like I didn’t even have an off-season and I’m glad to come home with a win.”
Can we see a 6.5-second run this season? Herrera says no, even though he seems to pull out performance effortlessly. That effortlessness might cause him a few problems in the next few days.
“Do I think it’s possible? No. I mean the tech department is already in our trailer getting data, so I’m pretty sure they already know something,” Herrera said. “They were doing that after E1. I’m curious to see the email coming this week. But overall, I don’t know if NHRA tech department wants bikes to go that fast or be that close to (Pro Stock cars), I should say. We’re usually always about a tenth to tenth-and-a-half behind them. And, I mean, you might see a .50-something, but it’s going to have to be mineshaft conditions for sure.”
Interestingly enough, Herrera makes everything look mineshaft.
5 – GATOR BITES – For Erica Enders, the only unfinished business is now Virginia Motorsports Park. It’s the only stop on the NHRA’s 21-race tour where she hasn’t won a national event. Sunday she beat Cristian Cuadra to scratch Gainesville Raceway off the cursed list.
Enders, motorsports’ winningest female, raced to a 6.494 at 211.93 in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/SCAG Power Equipment car. The win was the 48th of her career.
The final round with Cuadra came at the expense of Kelley Murphy, Aaron Stanfield and longtime rival Greg Anderson to reach the final round
The No. 1 qualifier with a 6.549, Enders dipped into the 6.40s three times during eliminations, including a 6.483 at 211.96 to defeat Anderson in the semifinals.
“We’ve been chomping at the bit to get this done,” Enders said. “I’ve been to three final rounds here and we finally got it done. It’s pretty cool to win this one. There’s certain track that have special (trophies) and to get the Golden Gator and the 55th win, it’s awesome. It will sit proudly on our shelf and seeing a packed house at the Gators, it’s so special. Being able to check off these boxes and get a win like this, it’s really special and we’re just going to keep working.”
6 – KRISTA BALDWIN SET FOR RETURN – When you are a third-generation Top Fuel driver, nitromethane runs through your veins. Sometimes this is a good thing and other times it can be a challenge.
Krista Baldwin uses the nitro gene as inspiration for her family tradition.
Baldwin recently purchased a Top Fuel dragster from Pat Dakin. Unless her budget expands, she plans to run a three-race schedule in 2024.
“Top Fuel runs deep in my veins, deep in my family, three generations at this and I know I needed to make the next step,” Baldwin said. “I knew that I had to become a consistent 3.7-second car to be out here to actually be competitive, not just a spectator or participant.”
The Dakin car comes with a performance record that can deliver what she is looking for.
“Nothing is changing except for the driver and the owner,” Baldwin said. “So I’m the only part that’s changed in this operation. We’re going to continue with Scott Graham as the crew chief, Dan Hemric as the car chief. And we’re going to see how fast this cheetah can go.”
Baldwin will debut the car in Pomona, with stops in Phoenix and Las Vegas. She’s also planning to head to Route 66 outside of Chicago, though it’s not currently on the schedule.
“They are bringing me out west,” Baldwin explained. “And that’s going to be the cool part is I get to go to my home track, first run Friday night. It’s going to be the first time I’ve been in that car and hopefully we can rip it to a 370 something.”
WANT TO SEE “THE TEN” FROM QUALIFYING? – CLICK HERE
7 – YES WAY, JOSE – Jose Gonzalez emerged victorious in the season-opening event of the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ at Gainesville Raceway, defeating Kris Thorne in the final round. With this win, Gonzalez secured his ninth victory and showcased his prowess behind the wheel of his Q80 Camaro.
“It’s just hard work from the crew,” Gonzalez said. “We hadn’t made one run before we got to Gainesville and we really started behind the eight-ball. We got a break on the first run and then the car started to come around. It’s a team effort. I’m just the one driving the car and they’re doing the hard work.”
Gonzalez’s performance throughout the weekend, including a standout run of 5.685-seconds at 253.23 mph, attributed the success to the collaborative effort of his crew, acknowledging their hard work in optimizing the car’s performance.
Thorne, a former Gatornationals winner, advanced to the finals after defeating notable contenders such as Mike Castellana and Mason Wright. Despite his impressive run to the final round, Thorne faced challenges as he encountered tire traction issues, ultimately conceding the victory to Gonzalez.
Thorne, who won the Gatornationals in 2022, defeated reigning world champion Mike Castellana, Mason Wright and Mike Thielen to reach the finals for the ninth overall time.
8 – IN MEMORY OF DON – Veteran racer and team owner Mark Pawuk clinched victory in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series.
Pawuk, who qualified as the No. 3 contender, secured his win by defeating Stephen Bell in the final round, also claiming the Flexjet $1,000 bounty. Notably, Pawuk honored the memory of NHRA Hall of Famer Don Schumacher with a special tribute on his traditional-looking Dodge Drag Pak.
“Don and I were very close, and I reached out to his stepdaughter Megan and asked if I could do a car in his memory.” Pawuk said, “We are going to celebrate him at a couple races. … It’s just so cool. I’ve always wanted to win the Gatornationals.”
Throughout the competition, Pawuk faced formidable Chevrolet COPO Camaro opponents, including a dramatic first-round match against Lee Hartman, where he overcame an early deficit to clinch victory with a 7.796-second run. In the quarterfinals, Anthony Troyer proved to be a tough competitor, but Pawuk’s precise driving secured him a narrow victory with a 7.784-second run, advancing him to the semifinals.
Pawuk credited his team’s hard work and collaboration for his success, particularly highlighting the contributions of Mike Valeria and David Barton.
“I am driving better than I have in a few years… I’m very happy,” he remarked, expressing gratitude for the support of sponsors like Flexjet, Ohio CAT, and Summit.
The path to the final round saw a dramatic incident involving David Janac’s Ford Cobra Jet, which made contact with the guard wall, leading to Janac’s exit from the race. This turn of events granted Pawuk a bye to the final, where he faced off against Stephen Bell for the title. Pawuk’s quick start and Bell’s tire spin allowed him to secure a decisive lead and ultimately claim victory at the Gatornationals.
WANT TO SEE “THE TEN” FROM QUALIFYING? – CLICK HERE
9 – FATHER VS. SON CALAMITY-FEST – If there’s one thing proven when it comes to the Torrence Family dragsters racing one another. Neither will give the other a win without them earning it.
In their Top Fuel semifinals, Steve Torrence left first only to strike the tires. And as Billy started to pull away, his car popped the supercharger and coasted through the finish line. Billy won with a 4.54, 165.
“We know each other well,” Torrence said. “There won’t be any dumping [hitting the brakes to avoid breakout] one another at the stripe. We gotta go all the way this time. Everybody has worked hard to make me look good.”
10 – TALKING – “Sounds like a Super Comp final.” Top Fuel racer Shawn Langdon on his final round match against Billy Torrence.
“It’s a good team, and they have a mediocre driver in me.” – Billy Torrence ahead of the Top Fuel finals.
“Usually, a driver gets a lucky round and I’ve had three… hope it’s four.” – J.R. Todd, following his semi-final win over Bob Tasca III. By this point, he hadn’t run in the three-second zone or topped 300 entering the final round.
“There’s seven championships on the line between the two of them, and Matt Smith has six of them.” – Color commentator and Pro Stock Bike Legend Terry Vance regarding the match between Matt Smith and LE Tonglet.
“I’m cheering for him, but I’m still going to try.” — Erica Enders on her opponent Cristian Cuadra headed into their Pro Stock final round.
“They have guys who show up for work on Monday with bruised ribs, and they don’t care.” – NHRA Announcer Alan Reinhart following back-to-back starting line Kalitta Mosh Pits.
