After ending his season with a fourth career world championship a year ago, Top Fuel star Antron Brown has a chance to make a resounding statement right off the bat to open the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
The year kicks off with this weekend’s 56th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, starting the season with one of the most legendary races on the NHRA circuit.
A win in Gainesville – something Brown has only done once before – is a major accomplishment for any driver, but the champ has a chance for a double-up weekend by competing in the Right Trailers Top Fuel All-Star Callout on Saturday.
Brown won the big-money bonus race a year ago en route to the title, but becoming the first Top Fuel driver to win the Callout twice and adding a Gatornationals win in his 11,000-horsepower Matco Tools dragster would be an impressive start following a championship campaign.
“You just don’t what’s going to happen (in the Callout),” Brown said. “You’re going to race the baddest Top Fuel teams on the planet. It’s eight of the best cars and it’s a feat just to get in there. To win it, you’ve got to be on point. I think we’re ready for that challenge and we’ve just got to get ready in qualifying. It’s big money and the stakes are high.
“It’s the first race of the year and it’s an All-Star race. That’s what makes it more intense and you’re going to see who did their homework in the off-season. It’s going to be hard. We’re going to give it everything we’ve got and I like our chances heading into it.”
In 2024, Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), J.R. Todd (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won the Gatornationals to open the year. It marked the first double-up victory for Kalitta Motorsports, while six-time world champ Enders won the historic race for the first time. This year’s race will again be broadcast on FS1, including eliminations at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 9.
The first round of the Top Fuel All-Star Callout takes place on Saturday at 12:15 p.m. ET and the semifinals at 2:20 p.m. The finals are slated for 3:30 p.m. A special Callout broadcast will air at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday on FS1.
Brown is the fifth seed in the specialty race, meaning there’s likely a good chance he’ll get called out in the first round. Those selections take place at 12 p.m. on Friday and the 80-time event winner is ready to roll after his stellar 2024 season.
He won six times a year ago, but the “drive for five” titles won’t be easy with a class that includes Doug Kalitta, Langdon, Brittany Force, Clay Millican, Steve Torrence, Josh Hart and Tony Stewart. Brown, though, is plenty motivated, especially with a chance to add a regular-season championship this year, a feat that would certainly be helped by a second Gatornationals win.
“You’re getting rewarded for something during a long regular season and I’m a big proponent of it,” Brown said. “It’s going to make it more meaningful and it’s going to make each regular season big. So, you’ve got the regular season and then it goes right into the Countdown (to the Championship), and it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to raise the bar and there’s not going to be any more throwaway races.
“I want to be the regular season champ and I want that ceremony, and it all starts at the Gatornationals. It’s one of our biggest races each year and you’ve got to show out and build that momentum. There’s a lot at stake at all these races and it’s going to bring a whole different mindset, and that all starts in Gainesville.”
Todd earned his second Gatornationals win when he took out Funny Car newcomer Austin Prock in the final round. Prock quickly recovered and picked up eight race wins and ultimately the Funny Car championship. Other stars to watch will be Jack Beckman, who will be racing for John Force in 2025, Matt Hagan, Ron Capps and Bob Tasca III.
Enders, the winningest female in motorsports, earned her first Gatornationals win last season, finishing fourth in points. Taking the top spot and overall championship was Greg Anderson. With six Gainesville wins and six titles to his name, Anderson will look to take on the other stars like Dallas Glenn and Aaron Stanfield in the Pro Stock ranks.
Herrera, the reigning back-to-back champion, has been undeniably dominant in Pro Stock Motorcycle. He raced to his second straight Gatornationals win last season when he defeated six-time champion and rival Matt Smith. Others to watch include Chase Van Sant, Angie Smith, Jianna Evaristo and Richard Gadson.
The Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals will also see the season debut in the highly competitive Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series and the Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown class, as well as a full slate of sportsman classes in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, which features some of the sport’s top drivers.
Before the race, fans will again be invited to a special “Gatornationals Kickoff Party and Fanfest” at Josh Hart’s Burnyzz Speedshop in Ocala. In what’s become an exciting pre-event tradition, the event will take place from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5. The fun-filled kickoff event will include driver appearances and autographs from 7-8 p.m. at the massive facility and much more.
Race fans at Gainesville Raceway can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce and celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk, which benefits the Darrell Gwynn Foundation in Gainesville. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday after racing concludes, where fans are invited to congratulate the event winners of the season-opener.
The Nitro Alley Stage is a huge attraction all weekend and is the main entertainment hub in the pits when the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series competitors are not on the track, hosting Nitro School, NHRA Insider Live, meet and greets and much more. Before the first round of eliminations on Sunday, fans can enjoy a C-17 flyover from the Mississippi Air National Guard’s 172nd Airlift Wing.
As always, fans get a pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. Fans can see their favorite teams in action and servicing their cars, get autographs from their favorite drivers and more. They can also visit NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and vendors create an exciting atmosphere of interactive displays, merchandise, food and fun.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying features two rounds at 2 and 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 7, and the final two qualifying rounds on Saturday, March 8 at 12:30 and 3 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, March 9. Gainesville Raceway will also continue to give fans a memorable experience including free general parking at the state-of-the-art facility.
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