DEFENDING NHRA GATORNATIONALS FUNNY CAR CHAMPION CHAD GREEN RETURNS TO GAINESVILLE THIS WEEKEND WITH SON HUNTER IN TWO-CAR EFFORT
Father-Son Duo Looking to Put Bond-Coat Funny Car in Winner’s Circle Again This Weekend
GAINESVILLE, FL – Chad Green makes his return to Gainesville Raceway as the defending Funny Car champion when he brings his 
12,000-horsepower CGM Bond-Coat Ford Mustang to the 56th annual Amalie NHRA Gatornationals this weekend (March 6-8) in the 2026 NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series opener.
Green, the Midland, Tex., businessman when he isn’t driving his nitro-burning Funny Car, was an upset winner last March in the Gatornationals with a stellar performance in eliminations with round wins over Paul Lee, Buddy Hull, four-time World Champion Matt Hagan and three-time World titleholder Ron Capps in the final.
This weekend, Green brings in his son, Hunter, for a strong two-car CGM effort that could pull off another repeat title at Gainesville Raceway. Led by crew chiefs Joe Serena and Dean Marinis, the Green team comes to Gainesville after a solid testing program a few weeks ago in preparation for the season opener. Gatornationals qualifying begins Friday (March 6) at 2:30 p.m. EST.
“We are very excited to return to the Gatornationals as the defending champions,” said Chad, the veteran racer who placed seventh last year’s final NHRA Mission Funny Car points. “Our recent testing runs at Gainesville went well and I think both my car and Hunter’s car will be strong this weekend. It’s always fun to start the season and the Gainesville crowd is so enthusiastic after no racing during the winter. Our teams have everything prepared now.”
Hunter Green will share the CGM Funny Car ride this year again with veteran Blake Alexander who pilots the popular Pronto Auto Series Dodge. Both Green and Alexander will drive ten races in the 20-event NHRA Mission Drag Racing national tour.
The younger Green proved to be a solid competitor in his “rookie” Funny Car season last year in the CGM Dodge Hellcat and scored several impressive round wins against former World Champions. Now, Hunter, a former U.S. Nationals Top Alcohol Dragster winner, is ready for his sophomore season in the potent Funny Car category.
“I had a big learning curve last year with the nitro Funny Car, but we still had some good runs,” said Hunter Green. “I learned quite a bit as a rookie and now, I’m ready to get started at Gainesville. Our recent testing runs were good with new parts and a new Dodge Hellcat body. I’ll be splitting the season with Blake again this year and he was a big help to me in the car last year. It is a big jump from an alcohol dragster to a nitro Funny Car. But last year prepared me for a strong 2026 season. I think my dad and I can be contenders for wins again this year.”
The two Chad Green Motorsports Funny Car racers are scheduled to be in action at the NHRA Amalie Oil Gatornationals on Friday, March 6, with qualifying rounds at 3:30 and 5 p.m. EST. Saturday’s (March 7) qualifying will take place at 12:35 p.m. and 3:35 p.m. EST, with final eliminations on Sunday, March 8, at 10 a.m. EST. Fox Sports 1 will telecast Sunday’s eliminations at 10 a.m. EST.
