As Pro Stock racer Alex Laughlin sees it, Gainesville owed him one. And through a twisted sense of reimbursement, fate delivered to him his fourth career NHRA victory at the Amalie Oil Gatornationals. But clearly, Laughlin had to work for it.

Laughlin left on final round opponent and Elite Motorsports associate Aaron Stanfield and won a double tire-shake-plagued battle, winning with an off-pace 7.068 elapsed time at 204.26.

Rickie’s boy finally did it.

Since 2006, Matt Smith, the two-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion and son of iconic doorslammer champion Rickie Smith, finally sealed the deal at the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals. And he did so in impressive fashion, winning from the No. 1 qualifying position and beating Andrew Hines in the final round.

Defending Top Fuel world champion Steve Torrence vaulted into the points lead on Sunday at Gainesville Raceway, powering past his father, Billy, in the final round to win the AMALIE Motor Oil Gatornationals for the first time in his career.

Ron Capps (Funny Car), Alex Laughlin (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won in their respective categories at the seventh race of the 2020 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

On a special weekend that saw him share the winner’s circle with his son, Matt, multi-time world champ Rickie Smith raced to his first win of the 2020 E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series season on Sunday, beating Mike Janis in the final round of the 51st annual AMALIE Motor Oil Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

It was the fourth race of the season in the class and Smith became the fourth different winner in the talent-filled category, going 5.801-seconds at 249.63 mph in his nitrous-powered Camaro to defeat Janis, a former world champ.

Point standings (top 10) following the 51st annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, the seventh of 14 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series -

Final round-by-round results from the 51st annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, the seventh of 11 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:

You can take the Top Fuel racer out of bracket racing, but it's extremely difficult to take the bracket racer out of Top Fuel racing. Regardless, Clay Millican and his talented crew chief Mike Kloeber were channeling the days when the good 'ole boy from Drummonds, Tenn., used to drag race with a bottle of shoe polish in hand.

Millican's dragster dropped cylinders during Saturday's second session at the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals, but that wasn't enough to prevent the Parts Plus team from securing the top spot for the second time in the last four races. Millican ran a 3.821, backing up his earlier 3.842.

When you drive a Dodge Hellcat, the hotter it is outside the better.

Two-time NHRA Funny Car champion Matt Hagan has been consistently turning up the heat on the competition this season. In the last qualifying session at the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals, he was as hot as he could be.

Qualifying No. 1 isn’t new to Pro Stock racer Deric Kramer, but for the Sterling, Co.-based driver of the American Ethanol Camaro, it sure feels that way sometimes.

Kramer picked up his fifth career pole position, driving his way to a 6.602 elapsed time at 208.78 miles per hour during Saturday’s qualifying at the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville, Fla.

NHRA’s new pandemic-inspired two-day format has affected many competitors, and not in a positive way. Two-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith isn’t one of them.

For Smith, the two-day format is a blessing, and the proof is in the pudding as the Denso EBR rider secured this third No. 1 qualifier this season, and 40th of his career, as he rides into race day at the NHRA Gatornationals as the racer to beat. So strong has the second-generation competitor been that he’s qualified no lower than third all season.