- HART, CAPPS, C. COUGHLIN & A. SMITH START 75TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON WITH PROVISIONAL NO. 1 SPOTS AT GAINESVILLE
- Travis Harvey Storms to Provisional No. 1 in Pro Mod at Season-Opening Gatornationals
- Cody Coughlin Edges out Hartford for the Pprovisional No. 1 spot During Round 2 of Pro Stock
- Capps Tops Funny Car Qualifying after Round 2 at the Gator Nationals
- Josh Hart Provisional #1 in Top Fuel Qualifying after Round 2 at the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
- XTREME RACEWAY PARK JOINS NHRA MEMBER TRACK NETWORK IN DIVISION 4
- Monster Energy Joins Maddi Gordon, Ron Capps Motorsports for Multi-Year NHRA Partnership
AFTER CHANGES, THE GOAL REMAINS THE SAME FOR FUNNY CAR’S AUSTIN PROCK HEADING TO GAINESVILLE
GAINESVILLE, FL – There’s a new car and a new team, but the end goal remains the same for Funny Car standout Austin Prock, who enters 
the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season as the back-to-back world champion.
But there’s been plenty of change for Prock heading into this weekend’s Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway to kick off NHRA’s 75th anniversary. After winning consecutive championships, Prock and his team are now with Bob Tasca’s Funny Car team and Ford Racing, serving as one of the off-season’s biggest bombshells.
The team has been hard at work to get ready for Gainesville in their 12,000-horsepower PPG Mustang Dark Horse, but the objective hasn’t changed. After winning 17 times the past two years, Prock and his team have no other plans but to keep their hot streak going.
“It’s been a lot of work and a lot of long hours, seven days a week, for most of the off-season and still right now,” Prock said. “We bit off a huge chunk and we’re just sorting through it. We’ve had a little bit of success in testing, but we’ll keep working and we’ll be ready. All we have to do is qualify and be ready by Sunday. We’ve got a few more days to sort through this and I’ve got the best people in the business working with me. Continue reading
AN OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME FOR VANDERGRIFF
GAINESILLE, FL – Jordan Vandergriff heads into this weekend’s AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway as a 
rookie in the already talent-stacked Funny Car ranks but that doesn’t mean the driver of John Force Racing’s Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet doesn’t have a large target on his back at the same time.
The California native and Atlanta-area resident has taken over the reins of the Cornwell Tools program which has won the previous two NHRA Funny Car championships for John Force Racing. That’s a tall order for any driver, let alone one with just 13 Top Fuel starts, but the confidence Vandergriff exudes during his on-the-job Funny Car training leaves little doubt he’ll be up to the task in front of him.
The third-generation drag racer has spent the time since his hiring was announced last December solely focused on being as prepared as possible for the Gatornationals. He attended Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School at Gainesville Raceway, learning the specifics of driving a Funny Car as opposed to the dragster, and spent six days testing at the central Florida facility getting into a rhythm with his new crew lead by Chris Cunningham and Jason Bunker. Continue reading
DEJORIA READY FOR DREAM COME TRUE
GAINESVILLE, FL – Gainesville Raceway holds a very special space in Alexis DeJoria’s nitro Funny Car career which will only expand as she 
prepares to make her John Force Racing debut in the Bandero Premium Tequila Chevrolet SS Funny Car at the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals.
It was her new car owner, 16-time NHRA Funny Car Champion John Force, who signed off on her Funny Car license prior to her 2011 rookie season. And it was the same John Force whom she lined up against at the 2012 Gatornationals, beating her hero to the finish to earn her first Funny Car round win.
The six-time Funny Car race winner and six-time No. 1 Qualifier now has the opportunity to compete for her legendary racing hero and she’s made the best of it in pre-season testing, already eclipsing her personal career record speed with a lap of 337.24 mph two weeks ago. DeJoria has every reason to believe her 13th season of NHRA Funny Car competition will be her best ever and just the beginning of a successful new chapter of her career. Continue reading
FROM SIDELINES TO SENIORITY JUST FINE WITH BECKMAN
GAINESVILLE, FL – One year ago, Jack Beckman was looking forward to beginning his first full season as the driver of the PEAK Chevrolet 
SS but 2026 finds the 2012 NHRA Funny Car Champion as John Force Racing’s most tenured driver and just as motivated, if not more so, to earn victory in this weekend’s AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
Beckman finished third in the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing point standings on the strength of two victories. It was his first full season of competition since taking over for the injured John Force midway through 2024 and not racing at all the previous three seasons.
The California native and drag racing historian knows how to get it done at the Gatornationals, winning the 2018 Funny Car title and earning No. 1 Qualifier spots in 2016, 2018 and last season. But this season’s Funny Car field is as strong as ever, including John Force Racing newcomers Alexis DeJoria and Jordan Vandergriff. Continue reading
HART SLOWS DOWN TO SPEED UP NHRA CAREER
GAINESVILLE, FL – For a man driven to stay busy and achieve success in every aspect of his life, Josh Hart couldn’t be happier to be just the 
driver for John Force Racing’s Burnyzz Speed Shop / Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster team headed into the season-opening AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
Hart was an owner-driver the first five seasons of his Top Fuel career but sold his racing operation at the end of last season when the opportunity arose to drive for Force’s 24-time championship organization after two-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion Brittany Force put her racing career on hold to start a family.
He found success early with his own team, winning the Gatornationals in his class debut in 2021 and once more his rookie season but, with the growth of his Burnyzz Speed Shop and the addition of two children to his family, Hart realized he couldn’t devote enough time and energy as a team owner to make it the success he strove for. Continue reading
IHRA Promotes Doug Foley Jr. to Chief Operating Officer of Drag Racing
FAIRFIELD, OH – The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has promoted Doug Foley Jr. to Chief Operating Officer of Drag Racing, 
expanding his leadership role within the organization as IHRA continues to grow its national racing programs and strengthen relationships with racers and tracks across the country.
Doug Foley Jr., who has already been actively involved in IHRA operations, brings a deep understanding of the organization and the sport to the position. A second-generation drag racer with lifelong roots in the racing community, he has been immersed in drag racing through competition, team operations, and the business side of the sport.
Doug Foley Jr. is a multi-time six-figure winner in big-money bracket racing, highlighted by victories at the $300,000 St. Patrick’s Day $300K and the $130,000 Firecracker Bracket Nationals. His accomplishments on the track reflect the experience he brings to his expanded role within the International Hot Rod Association
In his new role, Doug Foley Jr. will oversee the operational execution of IHRA’s drag racing programs, working closely with tracks, racers, and event teams to ensure successful national events while continuing to build and grow IHRA’s drag racing platform. Continue reading
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. Continue reading
Jasmine Salinas and the Valley Services/Scrappers Racing Top Fuel Dragster Headed to the Gators
Gainesville, FL – Salinas returns to the seat of the Valley Services/Scrappers Racing Top Fuel dragster for the first time this weekend after a 
nearly five-month hiatus. She most recently took her 12,000-horsepower machine down the track at the Texas FallNationals last October
The last time Salinas sat out for more than 100 days (sidelined after Las Vegas 1 2025), she returned strong with a semifinal showing at the U.S. Nationals.
The Gatornationals marks the first event with new Scrappers Racing crew chief Todd Okuhara at the helm.
Salinas earned her first national event Wally trophy at the Gatornationals in 2022 when she defeated Julie Nataas in the final round of Top Alcohol Dragster eliminations. Just one year prior to her win, Salinas experienced a dramatic blowover crash at the same event. Continue reading
Maddi Gordon and the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel Dragster Team Make Debut Event at the Gator Nationals
Gainesville, FL – Maddi Gordon will make her professional debut aboard the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster at the NHRA Gatornationals. 
This marks the third-generation racer’s first time competing at Gainesville Raceway.
Maddi talks about Gainesville and the thrill of driving a top fuel car. “Getting back in my Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster yesterday after that first week of testing felt really good. I’m feeling more and more comfortable in the car each time I strap in, and every pass I make down the track, I learn something new and take something back with me.
The last test session was all about getting comfortable, doing my procedures, and overall, just getting acclimated and used to driving a Top Fuel car. This week, I’m more focused on cutting lights. I was .81 yesterday the first time I tried to cut a light, and I was happy with that. Obviously, I’m going to be working to improve but felt for my first time, that was pretty solid. The second pass I was late, and I knew it, and then on the third pass, I ran an .85. Continue reading
Capps and NAPA Auto Care Funny Car Team Head to the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Gainesville, FL – Ron Capps Motorsports will debut the 2026 NHRA season as a two-car team for the first time with former Top Alcohol 
Funny Car standout Maddi Gordon piloting the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster.
2026 marks Capps’ fifth year as an NHRA team owner (and 32nd season competing in the nitro ranks). Capps is seeking his second Funny Car title as an owner and fourth overall after winning the 2022 championship during Ron Capps Motorsports’ rookie season. Ron is looking to tie former boss Don Prudhomme’s five Gainesville Funny Car wins, which would make him tied for the second-winningest Funny Car driver in the track’s history. Capps returns as the event runner-up after powering to his first of five final round appearances in 2025.
“On a scale of one to 10, pretty much everything around us seems like it’s been at an 11. And usually, I love 11, but you go into the offseason and with everything we had to do as an organization with adding the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel team and putting that group of guys together in such a short amount of time, it’s just been hectic, but its finally here and we’re excited to run as a two-car team.’ explained Capps. Continue reading
