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TOP FUEL CHAMP ANTRON BROWN HAS CHANCE TO START 2025 IN STYLE AT AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 3, 2025) – 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.
To purchase tickets to the 2025 Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals,
visit www.NHRA.com/tickets [1]. Children 12 and under are free in
general admission areas with the purchase of an adult ticket. General
parking is free and limited preferred parking is available for purchase.
Get your tickets [2] now for the Top Eliminator Club because these will
sell out. For more info on NHRA, including the full weekend schedule in
Gainesville, please visit www.NHRA.com [3].