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QUALIFYING ROUND RECAPS

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE Q3 (12:15 p.m.): Harley-Davidson teammates Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec made the quickest passes of Q3 with runs of 6.773 and 6.796 on their Street Rod V-twins. Hines has now slipped past Krawiec for the top spot with one session remaining. Hector Arana Jr. who shocked the sport yesterday with the class’ first 200-mph pass, made a solid back-up run with a 199.97-mph speed on a 6.809-second pass that was also good for a bonus point. There was a lot of additional shuffling among the 16 qualifiers with Matt Smith currently on the bump spot at 6.960.

PRO STOCK Q3 (12:34 p.m.): Saturday’s warmer temperatures had the expected effect on the performance of Pro Stock cars and as a result, Greg Anderson’s 6.522-second run from yesterday went unchallenged. Anderson set the pace with a 6.540 with Vincent Nobile and Chris McGaha nipping at his heels with runs of 6.541 and 6.542, respectively. Several of the contenders had to abort their runs due to severe tire shake including Jeg Coughlin Jr., Alex Laughlin, and Deric Kramer. With one session remaining, the top half of the field is extremely tight with only .022-second separating the top eight qualifiers. 

TOP FUEL Q3 (1:09 p.m.): Just as everyone predicted, Pat Dakin snatched three bonus points in the third qualifying session with a 3.81-second burst that nearly took him across the centerline. He managed to keep his Top Fuel dragster on the right (er, left) side of the line and move up to the quick half of the field. Meanwhile, Doug Kalitta (3.832) and Terry McMillen (3.915) earned the remaining bonus points in the penultimate session. McMillen’s run kept him in the quick half of the field, while Shawn Reed is still holding down the No. 16 spot on the back of his 7.531 from the first session.

FUNNY CAR Q3 (1:38 p.m.): Ron Capps took another step forward in the third qualifying session and took three bonus points in the process with a 3.944-second pass. That moved him up a qualifying spot, right behind teammate Matt Hagan. Bob Tasca (3.989) and Del Worsham (4.001) earned the other bonus points; their times are indicative of the kind of session it was. Even teams that got down the track did so slowly, and many failed to get all the way to the 1,000-foot mark under power. Jonnie Lindberg is finding life difficult in his new Landmeco Ford Mustang; the Swede is still on the outside looking in after three sessions.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE Q4 (3:52 p.m.): Not much changed in the final qualifying session for Pro Stock Motorcycle except the speed record, which was nudged by Hector Arana Jr. to an impressive 201.01 mph. Yesterday, Arana Jr. became the inaugural member of the Denso 200-mph Club. Harley-Davidson teammates Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec remained lodged in the top two spots and they also turned in two of the three best elapsed times of the round with Hines posting a 6.824, 198.83 and Krawiec close behind with a 6.854, 195.42. The second bonus point went to Arana Jr. after his 6.838 run on his Lucas Oil EBR. The big news from the session came when Mark Paquette bumped two-time champ Matt Smith from the field. Paquette is riding a V-twin leased from Smith’s team.

First-round pairings (lane choice first): Andrew Hines vs. Mark Paquette; Eddie Krawiec vs. LE Tonglet; Joey Gladstone vs. Hector Arana Sr.; Hector Arana Jr. vs. Cory Reed; Scotty Pollacheck vs. Jimmy Underdahl; Jerry Savoie vs. Karen Stoffer; Steve Johnson vs. Angie Smith; Angelle Sampey vs. Ryan Oehler.

PRO STOCK Q4 (4:19 p.m.): Phoenix champ Chris McGaha continued his recent string of impressive runs with a 6.545, 211.83 that was easily the best run of the final session. He has now scored five qualifying bonus points this weekend. McGaha was followed by Deric Kramer, who wheeled his KB-powered American Ethanol Camaro to a 6.554, 211.53 to garner two bonus points and reigning champ Bo Butner picked up the third point following a 6.558, 211.83 effort from his Butner Auto Sales entry. There was not much movement during the final session but five-time champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. did improve to a 6.581, 209.75 and will no longer have to race Elite Motorsports teammate Alex Laughlin in round one. Instead, Coughlin will square off against Butner.

First-round pairings (lane choice first): Greg Anderson vs. Wally Stroupe; Alex Laughlin vs. Val Smeland; Chris McGaha vs. John Gaydosh; Jason Line vs. Alan Prusiensky; Bo Butner vs. Jeg Coughlin Jr.; Deric Kramer vs. Tanner Gray; Vincent Nobile vs. Kenny Delco; Drew Skillman vs. Erica Enders. 

TOP FUEL Q4 (4:50 p.m.): Clay Millican is the No. 1 qualifier for the second time this season. He’s one of only two Top Fuel racers who got down the track twice quicker than four seconds. Millican and his Dr. Seuss racemate, Terry McMillen, at least partially solved the tricky racing surface at Gainesville Raceway and were rewarded for their efforts. McMillen picked up a bonus point in the final session and stayed in the top of the field. Audrey Worm made her second run of the weekend and moved up to 14^th as a result.

First-round pairings (lane choice first): Clay Millican vs. Terry Totten; Steve Torrence vs. Mike Salinas; Antron Brown vs. Audrey Worm; Tony Schumacher vs. Brittany Force; Pat Dakin vs. Shawn Reed; Leah Pritchett vs. Terry Haddock; Doug Kalitta vs. Richie Crampton; Terry McMillen vs. Scott Palmer.

FUNNY CAR Q4 (5:15 p.m.): A handful of racers improved at the bottom of the table, including Ron Capps who made the only 3-second run of the session and earned three bonus points as a result. But it was teammate Jack Beckman who secured pole position and looks to be in a great spot entering the third day of eliminations of the season after a 4.007-second pass in the fourth session. That looked positively speedy given the rest of the passes; Beckman earned a bonus point, while Bob Tasca III earned a pair of points and ended up qualified in the bottom half of the field.

First-round pairings (lane choice listed first): Jack Beckman vs. Jim Campbell; Courtney Force vs. John Force; Robert Hight vs. Dave Richards; Shawn Langdon vs. Gary Densham; Tommy Johnson Jr. vs. Cruz Pedregon; Matt Hagan vs. Tim Wilkerson; Ron Capps vs. Bob Tasca III; J.R. Todd vs. Del Worsham.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE LOW QUALIFIER ANDREW HINES:
"Late in the season last year we figured out how to get our Street Rods off the starting line more consistently. So, coming here, it was just a progression of taking our notes from last year and making sure we were making the proper calls at the right time to improve our sixty-foots. By doing that, it improved our 330 [foot times]. Our motorcycles run pretty good in that area already so with us picking up just that hundredth-and-a-half or two-hundredths in sixty-foot times it just parlays into really big numbers at the finish line. Anytime our Harley-Davidsons can get to the sixty-foot clocks in the same time as the other guys typically we can end up with the green [low qualifier] hat. Thankfully, I did it on St. Patrick’s Day.

"We came into today not trying to run 200 [mph]. We had gearing on the bike yesterday to try and run 200 and today we kind of put our race day tune-up in it knowing that conditions would be hotter. We sacrificed some speed to try and run the ET and it worked out and we [teammate Eddie Krawiec] are the one and two qualifiers. As soon as I saw Hector Jr. run 200 yesterday I forgot all about 200 mph."

PRO STOCK LOW QUALIFIER GREG ANDERSON:
"It was a little bit tougher today. A little bit warmer. A little but more humidity today so we knew it was going to be a little bit tougher. We thought we could run close to yesterday and this morning we ran 6.54 which was close to yesterday. Still, a great tune-up for tomorrow. We think the weather is going to be exactly like this tomorrow. We made four nice runs with our Summit Chevy. It’s probably the happiest its been all year and it needed to be because I’ve gotten out of the blocks a little bit slow this year. I just feel great. It’s St. Patrick’s Day and I’ve got the right green [hat] on.

"Anyone who qualifies can win. Out of the 16 cars you’ve got at least 12 that can run the same number. They can all run for the pole. There’s not going to be any easy rounds anymore those days are long gone. It’s all good. I’m certainly not complaining. That should keep the ten cars that qualify for the Countdown were any one of them can win the championship. I think the teams are so competitive in every class that’s pulling in fans. It’s great to be a fan right now. Drag racing has the best product. I’ve always said that."

TOP FUEL LOW QUALIFIER CLAY MILLICAN:
"If you look at how many times we went down the racetrack it wasn’t what we were looking for. Tomorrow, we have to do better than we did today. We’re still not on the consistency trail. Grubby [crew chief Dave Grubnic] keeps saying he’s over being a one-hit wonder. We want to have that car the people say no matter what the conditions are its’ going to go down the race track. It’ is a quick car but that one-hit wonder does not win races. Grubby will figure it out. He’s a smart guy.

"Being hot tomorrow will be interesting. If it was going to be 65 degrees I’d be like ‘game on. We’re in Gainesville’ it if was going to be cool, but it’s not. This might be a day for someone who likes to work the loud pedal. Whatever it takes I’m ready. I’ve had a lot of practice over the years. IT takes a lot finesse anymore and you’ve only got so much throttle pedal travel. I hope I don’t have to do it at all but either way I’m confident. I’ve never been more confident than I am right now."

FUNNY CAR LOW QUALIFIER JACK BECKMAN:
"We didn’t have the best car on Saturday. I think the NAPA car [Ron Capps] had the best car today. We really thought the air was going to come to our tune-up but it didn’t. We went back and spent more time with the crew chiefs. We’re much slower than all of us thought we should be. We just didn’t give credit to the sunshine out there. This track has more temperature than we’re been used to seeing.

"Round one tomorrow starts at 11 for the dragsters and we run after that. I think we will tune after that. I think our 4.00 in the last session was okay. At least we didn’t smoke the tires at the hit. If you go 400 feet, you can fix what ails you with a couple of lock-up levers or fuel system changes. If you smoke the tires at the hit, you learn nothing. If sounds so easy. You just have to beat four people. It sounds easy but sometimes, it’s damn near impossible. I think by and large, you make your own luck."

Saturday recap: Beckman earns first No. 1 of the season; Millican, Anderson, Hines grab Gatornationals poles.

FEATURES

Scott Palmer made it to the first final round of his career in the NHRA Arizona Nationals after reaching the semifinals for the first time in more than a decade. He took on his pseudo teammate and good friend Steve Torrence and came up short. You’d hardly know it based on the massive celebration that happened at the Palmer pits following the race.

“It was just a lot of phone calls, you know, and I’m no good at getting to phone calls,” said Palmer. “It’s weird because back home unless you have a tractor puller, you’re not that big of a deal. Owning a dragster is not that cool. But when I got back, everybody wanted to see it. I don’t know if they saw the race on Facebook or TV or wherever, but they knew something cool had happened.”

This wasn’t just a big deal in Palmer’s hometown back in Missouri. It was a big deal for Palmer’s CatSpot Kitty Litter team, too, because of how it reflected on all the hard work put in over the last year. 2017 was his first full season on tour and Palmer made the Countdown to the Championship for the first time. Now, he wants to step up.

“Going to the final round was awesome, but I didn’t have time to enjoy it until after the race because it was so intense and so hectic,” said Palmer. “The crew was unbelievable, we didn’t have any problems. I think 46 minutes was our slowest changeover time; so, we didn’t have any problems making it up there in time. Nobody crumpled under the pressure.”

That pressure ramped up as the day went along and reached a head in the semifinals, according to Palmer. That’s right, not the final round.

“We were racing our buddy Greg Carrillo in the semi’s, and that was a big deal for him, too,” said Palmer. “That was our biggest pressure round, because, no offense to either of us, but as two of the little guys out here, that’s a round we really have a shot at winning. Because racing Leah or someone like that? That’s a race we have no shame in losing. But against Greg, we don’t get rounds like that.”

Every round Palmer runs offers a learning experience of some kind or another, but a mistake made in the final gave a specific lesson to the racer.

“We messed up in the final, and that was my fault,” he said. “I got scared up there at the starting line and took some power out of it, but the track was so good that it shook the tires. Bobby Lagana was upset with, and the whole situation really. We have the exact Steve Torrence tune-up, not just a version of it, and we gotta stick to it. So, we learned a lot from the whole experience.”

Clay Millican holds the record for the quickest pass in Top Fuel history. Heck, he also has the second quickest pass in Top Fuel history. That’s great, but that record isn’t what Millican and crew chief David Grubnic are chasing. Millican earned his first Top Fuel win in Bristol in 2017 and he and Grubby desperately want to make that a more consistent occurrence.

“He’s trying to slow the car down and he’s trying to go down the race track 75 percent of the time,” said Millican. “That’s what his goal is. He said that he’s over these world record things and that he doesn’t care. He wants wins. He said, ‘we can say we’ve had the world record, and if we lose it this weekend we lose it.’ Unfortunately, if we have to back the car up and then move it back towards the numbers we had been putting up, that’s what we gotta do.”

That consistency is really a point of contention for Millican. He noted how quick his Great Clips/Parts Plus dragster is capable of running, but that lack of consistency has cost him in both Pomona and Phoenix. Millican has made only one pass quicker than 3.9 seconds during eliminations – that was his first eliminations pass of the season against Steve Chrisman in Pomona.

“If we go down the race track 75 percent of the time, that should turn into a lot of win lights,” said Millican. “I don’t anticipate (Grubnic) backing this thing down into the 3.80s, you know what I mean? His way of putting it is that he’s gotta get on the other side of it. We’re obviously on the quick side of things, and we’re on the edge all of the time. The car is very touchy.”

Right now, Millican is getting down the track 25 percent of the time during eliminations. If you don’t count his bye run in Pomona, that rises to 33 percent; it’s worth noting the small sample size, of course, but it’s not a great track record. That’s why it’s imperative these kinks get ironed out if Millican wants to establish himself as a championship contender.

“The goal in qualifying is getting into the top five, but it’s really about getting on the other side, which means on the slower side of the edge,” said Millican. “The way he always talks about it is, he uses his hands, it’s like a triangle. Right now if you think of a triangle at the point of it, we’re sitting at the tip of it. He wants to open that tip up so that it’s a little more user friendly. It’s an incredibly quick car right now, but if we have to back it up to go forwards, so be it.”

Audrey Worm made the first run of her 2018 season on Friday night and plans to make her second during the final qualifying session of the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. The Pennsylvania native is competing in what will go down as her rookie season (she made her debut last season but contested in only one event) and has eight events in her sight.

“I helped my husband and my dad wrap the car and put heads and pistons and racks and stuff together and then the car came down Wednesday and we flew out Thursday,” said Worm. “We had some blower issues, but we got ‘em fixed and then we went out yesterday for Q2 with an early shutoff planned at 330 feet and ran a 5.37. So, we’re 14^th now and will try to get in the top half of the field today.”

She hopes to get the dragster into the 3.80s, which will get her into the top half of the field relatively comfortable as things stand after three sessions of action. That might be easier said than done given the way things have gone so far. Crew chiefs with a lot of experience have experienced shake, smoke and everything in between through three sessions, but Worm felt great after her first run in a while.

“It felt good, it pulled hard and it did everything we wanted it to, so we’re happy,” said Worm. “I tell the guys, whenever I feel nervous or uncomfortable or get butterflies, I just get in the car in the pit and breathe a couple of times. Once I do the burnout, all the nerves go away. It’s just my happy spot, I’m not nervous at all. I fit in the car perfect, all the pedals and all the levers are perfect – it’s just my place to be.”

Whenever Worm races this season, she’ll be doing it for a special cause. It’s best for her to explain it herself.

“We partner with the Michael J. Fox foundation,” she explained. “My grandfather passed away in 2010 from Parkinson’s and my dad was diagnosed at age 40 with early onset, so we wanted to partner with them to bring awareness to the foundation. So, when people go to www.audreyworm.com, they can donate to the foundation. Our plan is to raise $1 million for them throughout this race season.”

That’s a goal that surpasses just running for round wins and Wallys, though you can bet the racer hopes to collect a fair number of those, as well.  

Shawn Langdon got his first pair of round wins in a Funny Car at the NHRA Arizona Nationals by beating a couple of world champions. First, he dispatched Cruz Pedregon and then went on to defeat Ron Capps before falling to Tommy Johnson Jr. in the semi’s. Now the driver of the Global Electronic Technology Toyota can shift his focus to the next goal: winning his first race in a flopper.

The driver has wins (and championships) in Super Comp and Top Fuel but hasn’t had much success at Gainesville Raceway. So, the 49th running of the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals would be a great time to kill two birds with one stone.

“Gainesville has been one of the tracks that I love going to, but I cannot seem to find any success there,” said Langdon. “I have made good runs in the past, but it is definitely one of those races I want to check off and I will have a prime opportunity this weekend.”

Langdon ran consistently in Phoenix and qualified 10th, so getting quicker remains on the team’s radar heading into the Gatornationals. Still, all three of Langdon’s passes were in the 3.90s, which is a solid baseline as he tries to get his feet under him in a new class. His reaction times have been strong, too. At .0765 he ranks seventh in the class.  

If the Global Electronic Technology team remains consistent and picks up a little bit of time in Gainesville, that first win could come as soon as this weekend. Langdon is quick enough on the tree to steal a win for his crew chiefs, so half the battle is getting down the race track — so far, that hasn’t been a problem for the Kalitta Motorsports team.  

Tim Wilkerson went through an odd mishap during the second qualifying session Friday. A bit of smoke and fire was visible underneath his Levi, Ray & Shoup Funny Car nearing the finish line, but things got wild as the Ford Mustang crossed it. First, the explosion. Then, the Funny Car pulled a nearly perfect 180-degree spin, which culminated in the race car coming to a complete stop.

That was the result of the Funny Car throwing the rods through the block, said Wilkerson.

“I broke a piston,” said Wilkerson. “I just stuck a piston in it and that wounded it. The fuel tank caught a big gulp of fuel and it coughed and that blew the whole thing. Not good.”

That destroyed the body that Wilkerson was running on his chassis yesterday, so he’ll be running a spare today.

Gary Densham was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame on Thursday night, something that baffled the always modest racer. That induction began with a call from Don Garlits, so we’ll start our story there.

“So, Don Garlits calls, and says, ‘Gary, this is Don Garlits’ and obviously my first response is, ‘okay, so who is this really?’ And after I got convinced that it really was Don Garlits, I had another beer and I thought, I don’t really deserve it, but if it’s really gonna happen, it’s only gonna happen because of all these guys,” said Densham, referring to his crew.

“Once I decided I was gonna take these guys, I figured there’s no point taking all these guys and making them listen to a bunch of old farts tell stories and not run the race car,” he continued. “Anyway, that was all a really good idea until the credit card bill showed up on Thursday.”

That’s how Densham ended up running his Funny Car in the Gatornationals for the first time since 2008.  

“The last time I raced here we lost in the final by about that much, said Densham while holding his fingers about two inches apart. “That’s probably the most disappointing race I ever lost. We had low e.t. every round of the race until we lost. Tony Pedregon had not run well, and we had the better lane, but we just got beat.”

Densham has been in two final rounds since that race, once more in 2008 and another in 2014, and lost both. He doesn’t necessarily have his sights set that high this weekend, but the veteran is always looking to upset some big-budget teams when he shows up to the drags.

For Vincent Nobile, there are two ways to look at his current qualifying position in Gainesville. On a positive note, his 6.545-second run from Friday is just .023-second off the pace set by provisional low qualifier Greg Anderson. On the flip side, Nobile heads into Saturday’s runs as the No. 8 seed driver in the tight field. Regardless of where he ends up in the field, recent events have left the Mountain View Tire & Auto Service team with a feeling of optimism they haven’t felt in quite some time.

“We were just a little off in Phoenix, we didn’t make very good runs and then we had a parts malfunction,” said Nobile. “We basically had no luck. But then we went testing in Bradenton and we learned a whole bunch of stuff and that’s going to correlate for the rest of the year, I think we figured out something pretty major. I know we have the goods, the parts and the team as we showed in Pomona. Now I just need a little bit of luck.”

Nobile has won ten Pro Stock races since his debut in 2011and he’s appeared in another 11 final rounds but has never been to a final in Gainesville. That’s something he’d like to correct this weekend. Nobile has also been to at least one final round for the last seven years.

“I personally have always wanted to win the Gatornationals,” Nobile said. “I don’t know why, I guess I’ve just always grown up coming here and watching my dad race. I personally haven’t had much luck racing here, but hopefully my bad luck last race in Phoenix got all of that out of the way and I can get a little good luck here.”

Drew Skillman didn’t win either of the first two races in Pomona or Phoenix but with a little bit of luck, he believes he could have. Skillman qualified No. 2 in Pomona and No. 9 in Phoenix and reached the quarterfinals in both events.

“I drove like an idiot and red-lighted in Pomona and I lost a close race in Phoenix but if things had worked out a little differently, I think we could have won at least one of them but that’s Pro Stock for you. This class is frustrating even on it’s best days. The important thing is that we have a good car. When we make an adjustment, it generally responds very well to the change and that’s the key. Even when things down work out, as long as the car does what you wanted it do, you can learn something from it.”

Skillman’s point was illustrated during Friday’s second session when the team went to the starting line with a very aggressive tune-up. Even though the car shook the tires immediately the team was able to gather usable data.

“Yeah, we know what doesn’t work now,” Skillman laughed. “Honestly, we were very aggressive. We went up there and tried to rotate the Earth. Before I even got in it was 50/50 that the car would make it past the Christmas Tree and it didn’t. We just figured with that session we didn’t have a lot to lose. We’d already made a good run in Q1 and probably weren’t going to improve so we tried something. Lesson learned.”

In addition to his Pro Stock car, Skillman has also spent much of this weekend helping his father, Bill, who is racing in the highly competitive School of Automotive Machinists and Technology NHRA Factory Stock Showdown. The Skillmans’ have a new Cobra Jet Mustang for the class and Bill just missed the 8.188 bump spot with an 8.219 second best.

“That [Factory Stock] class has already gotten out of hand,” said Skillman. “There are 30 cars here and they’re all competitive. We didn’t get much of a chance to test our car so we’re a little behind but we’ll get it figured out. I’d like to jump into that class one day but not until I’m done with Pro Stock. I’ve still got some work to do here.”

Qualifying in the No. 2 spot on Friday gave Alex Laughlin and his Gas Monkey/Hot Wheels Car Care crew the luxury of testing during Saturday’s third run.

“We took a crazy shot and it and it didn’t work out,” said Laughlin. “We tried something in our set-up and we figured if it worked, we had a shot to go to the pol and if it didn’t, at least we’d know. I am also set to run [Elite Motorsports teammate] Jeg Coughlin in the first round so we’d like to shuffle the order a little bit. Other than that, we’re doing well. We tested last week in Tulsa and the car ran really well so we were pretty optimistic coming into this weekend. It’s funny, because our car was built in 2012 and it still works really well. We had considered getting a new one but we asked ourselves it we really needed it. We like to think that if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

The 2018 season in barely a month old but Laughlin has already been a busy guy. In addition to his Pro Stock car, he’s been driving a Pro Mod-style Challenger that has been featured on the Street Outlaws program and he’s got a drag radial Corvette that was one of the stars of the recent Lights Out small tire race in Georgia.

“You know, last year when I was racing in Top Alcohol Dragster everyone aske me what it was like to go from car to car,” said Laughlin. “It wasn’t that bad because the cars were so different. One was a dragster and the other was a Pro Stock car. Now, I’m a lot more confused because all three cars are similar. The difference is that one car doesn’t have to be shifted. Another has a three-speed Lenco and the Pro Stock car has a five-speed Liberty [transmission]. I’ve also got the Line-lock and trans brake buttons in different places and the view from each car is really different. It’s a lot harder to go from car to car but that also forces you to pay attention and focus more. When you get in each car, you have to look around and familiarize yourself with your surroundings. I actually like that.”

For the most part, Jerry Savoie is a quiet, reserved individual and that stands in stark contrast to new teammate Steve Johnson, who often defines perpetual motion and does not subscribe to the theory of silence is golden. Regardless of their personality traits, Savoie sees the move as a positive for the overall wellbeing of the White Alligator team.

“First off, I think the world of [former teammate] LE Tonglet and we did a lot of great things together last year,” said Savoie. “I’m disappointed that it didn’t work out but from a business standpoint, we had to make a change and I’m happy to have Steve racing with me this year. We are very different, but I think that can work in our favor.  Steve can still be Steve and believe it or not, he has a lot of fans out here. He’s a very popular guy. He’s also done a lot for this class over the years and if we can give him a chance to win some races, then it’s all good.”

On Friday, Savoie got behind the eight-ball after he was forced to miss the opening qualifying session. The culprit turned out to be a malfunction in the clutch bearing. Once fixed, Savoie rode to a competitive 6.841, 195.03 on Friday afternoon and returned with an improved 6.821, 195.51. With one round remaining, Savoie is sixth in the field while Johnson is seventh after a 6.855 best.

“I like what we’re doing,” he said. “We’ve got both bikes in the top half of the field and I think we can both move up a couple of spots if conditions are there. I trust Tim [Kulungian] completely. Whatever decision he makes with it comes to the bike or the tune-up. I’m fine with it. We also brought in Dean Underwood from Allen Johnson’s Pro Stock team to help out this year.”

The Liberty Racing team featuring riders Cory Reed and Angelle Sampey underwent a major offseason overhaul that included the addition of veteran Pro Stock racer Larry Morgan as their engine builder. Now, they’ve added a second Pro Stock veteran to their roster, two-time world champ Jim Yates, who has been brought on to assist crew chief’s Ken Johnson and Derrell Mullis.

“Things happen fast around here,” said Sampey. “I didn’t even know Jim Yates was with us until I got here [to Gainesville]. He obviously has a lot of experience and I know he’s going to add to our program. We struggled a bit this off-season but when we tested last week in Orlando, good things happened. We both made some good runs and we felt good coming into this race.”

After three of four qualifying runs, Sampey is ranked No. 8 with a 6.856 while Reed is 13th after a 6.910 best. More importantly, the team’s V-twin engines are intact.

“Larry Morgan did a great job on our engines and he’s just getting started,” said Sampey. “We’re still testing things and I short-shifted second-gear on my best run so that cost us a little bit but overall, we’re good. I hate to even say this but we’ve had no broken parts and that means we can tune on our bikes instead of replacing parts and pieces. We can race now.”

Yates, who spent most of last season working with the Arana team, maintains that he’s still a newcomer to the Pro Stock Motorcycle world, but he does understand clutch management on a doctorate level, which translates to almost any vehicle in racing.

“I certainly don’t have all the answers especially when it comes to these [Pro Stock Motorcycles] but I’m learning,” said Yates. “And that’s just fine with me. All I want to do it learn. I’m 64 and I still enjoy learning. I’m also trying to teach Cory and Angelle a bit about the bike and how some of the parts work and I’m trying to explain a few things that might not be so obvious. Ken and Derrell are smart people. They don’t need me to succeed, but if I can play a small part in helping them, I’m happy to do it.”

It’s entirely possible that Scott Palmer, Jonnie Lindberg, Deric Kramer, or Scotty Pollacheck might be NHRA’s next first-time Pro winner but there is also a good chance that Joey Gladstone will beat all of them to the winner’s circle. Gladstone’s odds of a win appear to have improved significantly after he joined the multi-bike Stoffer/Underdahl team this off-season. Riding the old Poison Dart Suzuki previously campaigned by Joe DeSantis, Gladstone matched his career-best in Gainesville with a 6.793, that is currently good for the No. 3 spot behind the factory Harley-Davidson team.

“Last season, I talked to Gary Stoffer and Greg Underdahl about the possibility of them adding another bike to their team,” said Gladstone, who raced with Joe Riccardi’s San Marino Paving team last season and was a contender for the Auto Club Road to the Future award. “We agreed to a deal and they bought Joey D’s Suzuki and he we are. We’ve got an updated engine from Vance & Hines and so far, it’s all been good.”

The final piece to the puzzle for Gladstone and his father, Skip, was financing and that issue was resolved thanks to their association with the Japan-based Yellow Corn motorcycle accessory and apparel company.

“We presented them with a deal and they like what they’ve seen so far,” said Gladstone. “I’m proud to represent them. As for the bike, it’s a cream puff. It ride so smoothly. I’ve ridden a lot of different bikes and when they are set-up correctly, they are a joy to ride. When they’re not right, I hate to even dump the clutch. When you have confidence in the bike, you can work on everyting else from your riding style to your lights and that’s what’s going to win races. This is just one piece of the puzzle.

“As for a first win, I’d love to be the next one. Actually, I think it would be great if [teammate] Scotty and I were in the final round together. That would be just about perfect.

PHOTOS

NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart and Amalie Motor Oil Top Fueler crew chief Rob Wendland hosted NHRA Nitro School.


NHRA Legend "Big Daddy" Don Garlits signed autographs for fans.


(From right): Eddie Krawiec, Steve Torrence and Scott Palmer signed  autographs in the Mello Yello powerhouse. 


NHRA announcer Joe Castello hosted a tour through the pits and midway for new fans at the Gatornationals.


Thanks to the fans who helped make the 49th Gatornationals a sellout!


Papa John's founder John Schnatter defeated Leah Pritchett, driver of the Papa John's dragster, in a charity match race. 

PREVIEW

The first day of qualifying at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals brought history and yet another fireball. Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Hector Arana Jr. broke the 200-mph barrier with a 200.36 blast. That put him in the Denso Spark Plugs 200-mph Club – after the first two sessions he is the only rider to get into that exclusive club. The not so exclusive club John Force would like to get out of is the one that involves blowing bodies off Funny Cars. For the third-straight race Force detonated his Peak Chevy Camaro flopper; though this one was not near as bad as the Pomona or Phoenix explosions.

Clay Millican earned the provisional No. 1 qualifier and is looking for his second No. 1 of the young season. He has 11 No. 1s in his career. That’s not the goal Millican nor crew chief David Grubnic are after, of course. They want the second win of Millican’s long career; something that has proved elusive due to a lack of consistency during eliminations. The duo is out to dial things in this weekend, even if that means backing the car down a little. Getting to pole for the 12^th time would be great; but getting a yellow hat on Sunday would be even better.

Consistency has been no stranger to Jack Beckman, whose Infinite Hero team looks incredibly strong to start the season. Beckman is still hunting his first win of the season after parts failure in back-to-back elimination rounds, but his car has been unbelievably consistent outside of those two runs. That’s staked him to sixth place two races into the season with an average elapsed time of 3.896 on all runs quicker than 4 seconds. Only Courtney Force (3.893) and Robert Hight (3.894) are quicker than “Fast Jack,” and neither have been as consistent.

Let’s keep pulling on that thread: How about Greg Anderson? While all the talk of “unfinished business” has been about Steve Torrence (and perhaps rightfully so), the driver of the red Summit Chevy has some of his own to take care of. He’s doing it by getting down the track quicker than 6.7 seconds 100 percent of the time this season. Anderson is the only Pro Stock racer to do that in 2018. It hasn’t gotten him into the winner’s circle yet, but if he keeps up this type of consistency, you have to think it’s only a matter of time.

Arana might have the first 200 mph blast but defending world champ Eddie Krawiec is the current No. 1 qualifier. Rest assured, Krawiec would very much like to have both of those things, but so far it looks like Krawiec and Hines have picked up right where they left off. Krawiec is at the top of the field with a 6.785-second pull, while Hines is in third with a 6.805 hit. Perhaps the biggest surprise is Joey Gladstone, now riding with the Stoffer-Underdahl team, in second at 6.793. With new power, the second-year rider looks like a threat.