Leah Pruett at Gainesville Raceway – Tony Stewart Racing Photo
NHRA Gatornationals March 6-8
NHRA GATORNATIONALS RACE RECAP
Gainesville Raceway, March 6-8, 2026
LEAH PRUETT
Dodge Top Fuel Dragster
Unofficial Points Standing:
5th, 57
* 12-time NHRA National Event Winner
* Making her return to the seat after taking two years off to start a
family
* Finished 2023 runner-up in championship points
QUALIFYING
No. 3; 3.69 seconds at 329.10 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: 1
Q1: 3.818 at 318.99
Q2: 3.690 at 329.10
Q3: 14.959 at 42.79
Q4: 4.293 at 198.17
Race Results
E1: 3.713 at 333.41 def. Jasmine Salinas 8.765 at 77.77
E2: 3.871 at 318.47 lost to Doug Kalitta 3.764 at 332.34
“There were a lot of elements to the weekend. Reflecting on what I would
consider the Florida marathon, and then the Gatornationals Gazoo, it was
a hell of an effort by this Dodge team. Lack of effort was definitely
not in the equation this weekend. The performance in qualifying, when it
counted in Q2, definitely showed and it seated us third. We have the
exact same variables as everyone else, with track weather conditions and
how we navigated that, we had some learning moments. Yes, I may have
tested a bunch, and I thought I had a plan coming into the season. When
it came to reaction times, from a physical standpoint, I didn’t know
that in two years off, no matter how much I practiced, I have developed
an unideal pedal down movement. Moving forward, I’ve got a lot of work
to do in the next two weeks, getting ready for Phoenix, which I’m
excited about. Excited about the work, because I know something
objectively that I need to do different, not just, be more excited, more
pumped up, or look at the light better. No, there’s some physical
differences that I get to crew chief myself on, and I’ll be putting in
that work.”
“Overall, I am really happy with where this team is at. Zero mistakes
were made. We had a strategy for race day that started with qualifying
well. We knew track conditions were going to become marginal, and we
wanted to be at the front of the pack. Being one of the very few cars to
make a full pull first round shows, the vastness of our tune up, and
what we can accomplish. So, no, we don’t have that high mile an hour,
but we got the meat and potatoes, not necessarily the dessert. When it
comes to those track times, but we’re working on all fronts at the same
time. So, our heads are held high. We’re going to keep digging for
where to improve upon certain areas, but, you know, Doug [Kalitta] had a
hell of a run. They did a fantastic job in the second round, running a
3.76 in those conditions. That’s the type of competition that people are
going to see all year long. I feel like I’ve been shooting in the dark
for the past two years of preparing for this event. Now that I’ve got a
report card. I know how to move forward. And on a personal side of
things, I’ve seen my son minutes at a time during a day. So that’s
something to adjust to, which is fine. We’re completing this event
with a lot of momentum. The team has a lot of momentum, I personally do.
I’m in a better spot than I thought I was going to be starting the 2026
season and that I’m excited about.”
MATT HAGAN
Dodge//SRT Hellcat
Funny Car
Unofficial Points Standing:
5th, 59
* Four-time world champion (2023, 2020, 2014, 2011)
* Finished 2025 season runner-up in the championship points standings
* Two previous wins at the Gatornationals in 2022 (the first NHRA
professional win for TSR) and 2023
* Two previous No. 1s (2010, 2011)
Qualifying:
No. 5; 3.931 seconds at 331.36 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: 5
Q1: 4.031 at 323.35
Q2: 3.931 at 331.36
Q3: 4.032 at 321.58
Q4: 5.961 at 117.85
Race Results:
E1: 3.976 at 326.63 def. Julie Nataas 5.059 at 155.58
E2: .067 reaction time, 3.967 at 328.14 holeshot loss to eventual race
winner Chad Green, .060 reaction time, 3.975 at 326.63
“Obviously, that loss fell on the driver. The team gave me a great race
car and we qualified in the top half (of the field). The Dodge Hellcat
has been running very well. Mike Knudsen, Phil Shuler and Alex Conaway
have been making some great calls with this new chassis. We ran 3.97 and
3.96 in eliminations. That’s low ET of eliminations. My 0.076 (second)
light isn’t bad, but Chad (Green) ran a 0.060 against me. So, we got
beat by eight inches at the finish line. That’s drag racing. I need to
go home and work on my craft for Phoenix in a couple weeks. Everything
felt good off the line, and I never saw Chad since we were so close at
the lights. He was up for me more than I was for him.”
“My crew have been great all week, and they have done a great job with
the car. So that is a tough one to swallow. That’s just one race and
we have 19 more to go. The car drove well all three days, and the crowd
here at the Gatornatonals was amazing. It’s not the outcome we wanted
and that falls on my shoulders. But I’ve been doing this (Funny Car
racing) a long time, and I can take it. I think I can make it up to the
team with a few holeshots myself. I have a lot of confidence with this
car and team after this race. We showed it at the end of last year with
several wins. I think we had one of the most consistent cars here this
weekend, and we see a lot of potential with the Dodge//SRT Hellcat.”
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