Point standings (top 10) following the 54th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, the first of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series - 

There is just something magical about Gainesville Raceway for Top Fuel standout Josh Hart.

Just two years ago, the Ocala, Florida, native won his first race in his very first start in Top Fuel at the historic facility that has been a part of the NHRA professional tour since 1970. On Saturday, that magic continued as Hart won the Pep Boys All-Star Top Fuel Callout over Mike Salinas in his first try at the specialty race.

Now that is how you make a first impression.

Less than two months after being introduced as the newest rider with the Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team, Gaige Herrera immediately established himself as a threat. With a lightning-quick final pass and a track speed record, Herrera took the No. 1 spot in his first NHRA race with his team and heads into race day with a shot to add a Wally at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

“It has been a dream come true,” Herrera said. “It still doesn’t feel real to be at the Gatornationals. Not only that, but being on the top team with the Vance and Hines Mission Suzuki team. When I got that phone call in November from Andrew (Hines), that right there took forever to sink in. To be here and to be on top, I can’t ask for much more. It has been an awesome couple days of qualifying.”

Top Fuel’s Josh Hart picked up the victory in the Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout on Saturday at this weekend’s 54th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, beating Mike Salinas in the final round to win the bonus event in front of a sellout crowd at Gainesville Raceway.

Brittany Force (Top Fuel) Ron Capps (Funny Car), Troy Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all qualified No. 1 at the first of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Brittany Force closed out the 2022 NHRA season at the summit of the drag racing mountain.

The 36-year-old capped a five-win season with multiple track records and 10 pole positions by claiming her second Top Fuel world championship. And she was successful largely because of her prowess for starting races at the head of the field.

On Friday, Force kicked off her 2023 campaign right where she left off as she drove her Monster Energy dragster to the head of the pack on opening day at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

There’s no time like your first time. And for J.R. Gray, there was no time like the season’s first race to score his first career No. 1 position during the second day of the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. 

Gray, driving for Pro Modified legend Mike Janis, overtook Justin Bond atop the Pro Modified leaderboard during abbreviated qualifying with a 5.731 at 250.97 mph; Bond ended up No. 2 in the sixteen-car field with a 5.751, 249.90 pass.

“I’m really stoked,” Gray said. “This is the first No. 1 qualifier of my life in any competition, and I have raced in many classes. The Gatornationals is like my personal Super Bowl because I grew up in Florida and went to this race many times. To be the top qualifier at a track where my dad and Granddad brought me all the time as a kid is just amazing.”

It's a safe bet that nobody is more excited about the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season than Bob Tasca.

After unexpectedly losing much of his team during the 2022 offseason after a three-win, five-final campaign, Tasca wasn’t sure what the year ahead had in store. And then the pieces started to fall into place.

Just a few months removed from that turmoil, Tasca has more excitement than he has had in years. With new crew chiefs Aaron Brooks and Todd Okuhara calling the shots, Tasca is ready to turn the page and start fresh beginning this weekend at Gainesville Raceway.

Top Fuel drag racer Clay Millican figured if the NHRA's Pep Boys Call-Out event was essentially like Street Outlaws on nitro, they might as well go in all the way. Friday's Pep Boys Call-Out ceremony was television-quality entertainment. 

That's why when Millican, as the No. 8 seed, was called out by the top runner Brittany Force, he challenged her to a $1000 side bet. Judging by Force's reaction, the move caught her off-guard. 

Millican, satisfied with that belief, made sure before he threw the side bet out there that he didn't catch his wife Donna by surprise. 

Reigning world champ Brittany Force opened the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season in impressive fashion, racing to the provisional No. 1 qualifier on Friday at the 54th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the first of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. The second qualifying session in Top Fuel and Funny Car on Friday was cancelled due to inclement weather

As J.R. Todd stood there, looking down the Gainesville Drag Strip, the thoughts of a new season, a new challenge, and a chance at a third championship flooded his thoughts.

The thoughts rarely change from one season to the next, but mainly it's about shaking off the rust and getting comfortable in his office. After all, almost 90 days between runs is enough to ensure the first hit of the throttle is a breathtaking experience.

"Winning a championship always preoccupies your mind," Todd admitted. "People will say to me, 'you guys finished in the top ten, so you had a good season."