| National Hot Rod Association | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Gainesville Raceway |
| Location | Gainesville, Florida, U.S. 29°45′29.00″N82°16′29.00″W / 29.7580556°N 82.2747222°W |
| Corporate sponsor | Amalie Oil Company |
| First race | 1970 |
| Circuit information | |
| Length | 1⁄4 mi (0.40 km) |
The Gatornationals is a drag racing event in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series that has been held annually each March at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida since 1970. [1]
The event is one of the sport's most revered with a rich tradition of history-making performances. The Gatornationals have the title of being the drag race to see the first 260-mph Top Fuel and Funny Car runs in 1984 by Joe Amato and Kenny Bernstein respectively, and the first 270-mph and 300-mph Top Fuel passes by Don Garlits and Kenny Bernstein in 1986 and 1992, respectively. Its 675-foot concrete launchpad is one of the longest on the tour.
In 2014 the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals entered its 45th annual national event which makes it the fourth oldest active event on the NHRA Professional tour, behind the Winternationals, U.S. Nationals, and the NHRA Finals. The event was sponsored by Amalie Oil Company, the current sponsor of the race. Previous sponsors of this event include Ford Motor Company and Stanley Black & Decker.
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused some sportsman races to be held behind closed doors. However, the national event and top sportsman classes were postponed to September with spectators. In 2021 the race was moved to the season opener for all classes, also due to the pandemic. The Gatornationals has remained as the season opening since the 2023 season because of logistics relating to the NFL season moving later into the year causing the Winternationals to move even later in the year.
| Year | Top Fuel | Funny Car | Pro Stock | Pro Stock Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Dave Chenevert | Leonard Hughes | Bill Jenkins | |
| 1971 | Jimmy King | Leroy Goldstein | Ronnie Sox | |
| 1972 | Don Garlits | Ed McCulloch | Don Carlton | |
| 1973 | Herm Petersen | Pat Foster | Don Nicholson | |
| 1974 | Dave Settles | Don Prudhomme | Wally Booth | |
| 1975 | Dale Funk | Don Prudhomme | Bob Glidden | |
| 1976 | James Warren | Don Prudhomme | Larry Lombardo | |
| 1977 | Don Garlits | Gordie Bonin | Don Nicholson | |
| 1978 | Don Garlits | Dale Pulde | Frank Iaconio | |
| 1979 | Kelly Brown | Gordie Bonin | Bob Glidden | |
| 1980 | Gary Beck | Don Prudhomme | Lee Shepherd | |
| 1981 | Shirley Muldowney | Gordie Bonin | Frank Iaconio | |
| 1982 | Shirley Muldowney | Frank Hawley | Lee Shepherd | |
| 1983 | Gary Beck | Frank Hawley | Lee Shepherd | |
| 1984 | Joe Amato | Kenny Bernstein | Warren Johnson | |
| 1985 | Dick Lahaie | Kenny Bernstein | Warren Johnson | |
| 1986 | Don Garlits | Ed McCulloch | Don Campanello | |
| 1987 | Joe Amato | Don Prudhomme | Butch Leal | |
| 1988 | Eddie Hill | Kenny Bernstein | Bruce Allen | |
| 1989 | Darrell Gwynn | Ed McCulloch | Darrell Alderman | |
| 1990 | Darrell Gwynn | Ed McCulloch | Kenny Delco | John Myers |
| 1991 | Joe Amato | Mark Oswald | Warren Johnson | Dave Schultz |
| 1992 | Eddie Hill | John Force | Warren Johnson | Jim Bernard |
| 1993 | Eddie Hill | John Force | Warren Johnson | John Smith |
| 1994 | Connie Kalitta | John Force | Warren Johnson | John Myers |
| 1995 | Larry Dixon | John Force | Darrell Alderman | John Myers |
| 1996 | Blaine Johnson | John Force | Jim Yates | Dave Schultz |
| 1997 | Joe Amato | Al Hoffman | Jim Yates | Dave Schultz |
| 1998 | Kenny Bernstein | Cruz Pedregon | Warren Johnson | Matt Hines |
| 1999 | Mike Dunn | John Force | Warren Johnson | Angelle Sampey |
| 2000 | Doug Kalitta | Jerry Toliver | Warren Johnson | Dave Schultz |
| 2001 | Larry Dixon | John Force | Jeg Coughlin | Matt Hines |
| 2002 | Larry Dixon | Tony Pedregon | Darrell Alderman | Craig Treble |
| 2003 | Brandon Bernstein | Gary Densham | Kurt Johnson | Angelle Sampey |
| 2004 | Tony Schumacher | Del Worsham | Greg Anderson | Andrew Hines |
| 2005 | Doug Kalitta | Whit Bazemore | Jason Line | Steve Johnson |
| 2006 | David Grubnic | Ron Capps | Tom Martino | Angelle Sampey |
| 2007 | Tony Schumacher | Ron Capps | Greg Anderson | Karen Stoffer |
| 2008 | Tony Schumacher [2] | Tony Pedregon | Jeg Coughlin | Matt Guidera |
| 2009 | Larry Dixon | Bob Tasca III | Jason Line | Hector Arana Sr |
| 2010 | Tony Schumacher | Tim Wilkerson | Jason Line | Eddie Krawiec |
| 2011 | Del Worsham | Mike Neff | Jason Line | Eddie Krawiec |
| 2012 | Morgan Lucas | Robert Hight | Mike Edwards | Eddie Krawiec |
| 2013 | Antron Brown | Johnny Gray | Allen Johnson | Hector Arana Jr |
| 2014 | Doug Kalitta | Robert Hight | Allen Johnson | Steve Johnson |
| 2015 | Spencer Massey | Ron Capps | Greg Anderson | Karen Stoffner |
| 2016 | Brittany Force | Tim Wilkerson | Jason Line | Eddie Krawiec |
| 2017 | Tony Schumacher | John Force | Shane Gray | Eddie Krawiec |
| 2018 | Richie Crampton | Jack Beckman | Tanner Gray | Eddie Krawiec |
| 2019 | Richie Crampton | Robert Hight | Bo Butner | Andrew Hines |
| 2020 | Steve Torrence | Ron Capps | Alex Laughlin | Matt Smith |
| 2021 | Josh Hart | J.R. Todd | Greg Anderson | Matt Smith |
| 2022 | Tripp Tatum | Matt Hagan | Dallas Glenn | Karen Stoffer |
| 2023 | Mike Salinas | Matt Hagan | Troy Coughlin Jr. | Gaige Herrera |
| 2024 | Shawn Langdon | J.R. Todd | Erica Enders | Gaige Herrera |
| 2025 | Antron Brown | Chad Green | Dallas Glenn | Gaige Herrera |