Gaige Herrera finished off a near-perfect weekend with a dominant performance in NHRA Gatornationals eliminations, going 6.706 at 202.15 on his Vance & Hines/Mission Foods Suzuki to beat Angie Smith in the final and earn his first career NHRA victory.

It was also Herrera’s first career race with Vance & Hines, and the young Pro Street/Grudge racing veteran put together a flawless performance—qualifying No. 1 and setting the track speed record in the process.

Gaige knocked off Ron Tornow, teammate Eddie Krawiec, and Jianna Evaristo to reach the final round, making the quickest pass of each session before finishing the job in the finals.

“This is a dream,” Herrera said. “Vance & Hines is such an awesome team to work with. They help so much and it shows. I’m at a loss for words. I’m just out here having fun and I can’t believe I’m holding this Wally. To make this Vance & Hines team happy, it’s just an unbelievable feeling. To win out here and to do it in front of all these fans, it’s just amazing.”

Smith advanced to her second straight final round in Gainesville, going 6.845 at 181.84 in the championship round. She knocked off John Hall, Joey Gladstone and rookie Chase Van Sant earlier in the day.

Van Sant and the White Alligator Racing team completed a successful engine swap on his Trick-Tools Suzuki before his semifinal match with Angie Smith. “25 minutes from start to water box,” said WAR tuner/manager Tim Kulungian. “I told Harvey (Deane) to start his stopwatch.”

Successful, yes, there might have been something left undone that accounted for the bike under-performing in 5th and 6th gears. And that might have cost Chase a chance at the final, as he put .043 on Angie at the tree and dropped to 189 mph (after qualifying at 200) through the lights. Love ya Angie, but a Van Sant/Herrera final woulda been cool. And kudos to the Smiths for waiting for the WAR team to come hustling around the corner of the staging lanes.

Angie also defeated Van Sant’s teammate John “Johnny Balls” Hall, who went red against her in E1 by a scant -.002.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE results:

ROUND ONE — Eddie Krawiec, Suzuki, 6.763, 200.20 def. Hector Arana Jr, 6.858, 198.17; Angie Smith, 6.793, 202.58 def. John Hall, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light; Jianna Evaristo, Suzuki, 6.828, 196.50 def. Marc Ingwersen, 6.920, 196.33; Ryan Oehler, 6.870, 194.91 def. Chip Ellis, Broke; Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.704, 201.52 def. Ron Tornow, 7.161, 191.51; Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.813, 196.85 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light; Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.809, 198.61 def. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, Broke – No Show; Matt Smith, Suzuki, 6.780, 200.29 def. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.844, 196.30;

QUARTERFINALS — A. Smith, 15.908, 47.59 def. Gladstone, Foul – Red Light; Van Sant, 6.795, 198.58 def. Oehler, 6.915, 195.70; Evaristo, 6.846, 196.22 def. M. Smith, 6.864, 199.49; Herrera, 6.708, 201.73 def. Krawiec, 6.814, 199.94;

SEMIFINALS — A. Smith, 6.882, 199.52 def. Van Sant, 6.962, 189.71; Herrera, 6.742, 200.89 def. Evaristo, 6.883, 193.21;

FINAL — Herrera, 6.706, 202.15 def. A. Smith, 6.845, 181.84.

Pro Stock Motorcycle points

1. Gaige Herrera, 128; 2. Angie Smith, 94; 3. Chase Van Sant, 82; 4. Jianna Evaristo, 74; 5. Matt Smith, 57; 6. (tie) Eddie Krawiec, 52; Ryan Oehler, 52; 8. Joey Gladstone, 51; 9. Steve Johnson, 42; 10. Chip Ellis, 34.

An emotional Justin Bond won the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series opener at Gainesville Raceway, knocking off J.R. Gray in the final round at the 54th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. Bond ran 5.732-seconds at 250.74 mph in his Bahrain 1 Racing Camaro to pick up his fourth career win.

Bond also knocked off Dwayne Wolfe, Doug Winters and defending world champ Kris Thorne to reach the final round, posting reaction times of .016 or better during the first three rounds. Bond followed with a fantastic run in the final round to start his 2023 season off on a high note.

“It’s my mom’s birthday and she’s 82 today,” said Bond. “I’ve missed her last five birthdays while Pro Mod racing. This win is for her.”

Gray beat Paul Daigrepont, Mike Thielen and Mike Castellana in eliminations to reach his fourth career final round.

PRO MODIFIED results:

ROUND ONE — Mike Thielen, Chevy Camaro, 5.806, 243.85 def. Kevin Rivenbark, Camaro, 5.771, 246.71; Doug Winters, Chevy Chevelle, 7.765, 121.52 def. Mason Wright, Camaro, Foul – Centerline; Mike Castellana, Camaro, 9.544, 90.44 def. Billy Banaka, Camaro, Broke; Dmitry Samorukov, Camaro, 5.803, 246.75 def. Khalid alBalooshi, Camaro, 6.585, 146.30; Kris Thorne, Camaro, 5.764, 232.63 def. Manny Buglinga, Camaro, 5.862, 226.28; JR Gray, Camaro, 6.044, 236.30 def. Paul Daigrepont, Camaro, 9.014, 131.47; Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.726, 249.67 def. Dwayne Wolfe, Camaro, 6.909, 139.49; Jerico Balduf, Chevelle, 5.721, 254.71 def. Sidnei Frigo, Chevelle, 5.948, 200.14;

QUARTERFINALS — Gray, 5.818, 246.89 def. Thielen, 5.875, 241.58; Thorne, 5.857, 246.62 def. Samorukov, 9.418, 97.17; Bond, 6.038, 212.59 def. Winters, Foul – Centerline; Castellana, 5.760, 248.16 def. Balduf, 8.112, 113.79;

SEMIFINALS — Gray, 5.769, 249.95 def. Castellana, 9.666, 91.82; Bond, 5.759, 248.89 def. Thorne, 5.981, 192.49;

FINAL — Bond, 5.732, 250.74 def. Gray, 7.070, 144.18.

In Top Fuel, Mike Salinas won for the first time in Gainesville and the eighth time in his career, slipping past Steve Torrence in the final round with a 3.700 at 330.31 in his 11,000-horsepower Valley Services dragster. After winning a career-best four races last year, Salinas was determined to improve upon that in 2023. He impressed throughout eliminations, too, beating Justin Ashley, defending world champ Brittany Force and Leah Pruett to reach the final round, running as quick as 3.669 on raceday.

“I think we’re going to be really good all year long, but we’re fighting with the best in the world,” Salinas said. “The teams out here are no joke. You better bring your ‘A’ game every time, but everyone is beatable. It’s special what we have right now. These guys have taught me how to win and it’s a mindset. You appreciate wins like these because they’re so hard to come by.”

Torrence, the four-time world champ, reached the final round for the 82nd time in his career, knocking off Scott Palmer, Tony Schumacher and Doug Kalitta, who set the track E.T. record with a run of 3.646 earlier in the day.

TOP FUEL results:

ROUND ONE — Tony Schumacher, 3.722, 332.02 def. Josh Hart, 3.693, 335.40; Austin Prock, 3.706, 331.53 def. Clay Millican, 3.705, 325.85; Brittany Force, 3.692, 333.99 def. Keith Murt, 4.100, 227.46; Leah Pruett, 3.686, 334.15 def. Doug Foley, 3.804, 304.12; Doug Kalitta, 3.646, 333.82 def. Spencer Massey, 3.804, 270.70; Steve Torrence, 3.689, 334.32 def. Scott Palmer, 3.871, 310.48; Antron Brown, 3.706, 326.87 def. Shawn Langdon, 3.704, 333.49; Mike Salinas, 3.669, 334.82 def. Justin Ashley, 3.754, 330.88;

QUARTERFINALS — Torrence, 3.741, 328.22 def. Schumacher, 4.348, 216.38; Pruett, 3.731, 325.92 def. Prock, Broke; Salinas, 3.699, 334.32 def. Force, 3.758, 332.75; Kalitta, 3.716, 334.32 def. Brown, 7.799, 78.90;

SEMIFINALS — Torrence, 3.779, 328.14 def. Kalitta, 5.773, 148.33; Salinas, 3.727, 332.67 def. Pruett, 4.379, 218.27;

FINAL — Salinas, 3.700, 330.31 def. Torrence, 3.754, 333.82.

Matt Hagan powered to a run of 3.926-seconds at 329.34 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Dodge Direct Connection Charger SRT Hellcat, winning the Gatornationals for the second straight season. Both Hagan and Todd posted identical reaction times on the starting line, but Todd ran into trouble late in the run and Hagan claimed his 44th career win. He also defeated Tim Wilkerson, Bob Tasca III and Alexis DeJoria, making three straight runs in the 3.80s to reach the final round. After going his entire career without winning in Gainesville, Hagan, a three-time world champ, now has back-to-back wins at the historic race.

“For this team, we were just running strong, and to come out and win the first race of the season, it’s just amazing,” said Hagan, who is fourth all-time in Funny Car wins. “I’m just in awe of our team right now.

“I knew it was going to be a good race and honestly J.R. poked out there in front of me, and then something happened over there to him and we drove around him and turn on the win light. This car is just running strong. It’s just it’s an honor to just even be in that caliber of drivers is incredible. it’s a huge honor for me to be able to be fourth all the time.”
Todd, who won in Gainesville to open the 2021 campaign, also impressed on Sunday, beating Blake Alexander, Robert Hight and Chad Green to reach his 42nd career final round.

FUNNY CAR results:

ROUND ONE — J.R. Todd, Toyota Supra, 3.893, 331.04 def. Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 3.953, 323.04; Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.865, 332.84 def. Alex Laughlin, Dodge Charger, 3.993, 320.51; John Force, Chevy Camaro, 6.527, 99.27 def. Dave Richards, Mustang, Broke; Ron Capps, Supra, 3.855, 334.57 def. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 6.478, 90.28; Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.843, 334.98 def. John Smith, Charger, 4.477, 201.07; Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.879, 335.82 def. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.233, 221.63; Chad Green, Mustang, 3.943, 327.27 def. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.137, 253.95; Alexis DeJoria, Supra, 3.900, 334.32 def. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 8.424, 89.00;

QUARTERFINALS — Hagan, 3.882, 329.67 def. Tasca III, 3.922, 328.14; DeJoria, 3.931, 330.47 def. Capps, 9.617, 74.27; Todd, 3.913, 329.99 def. Hight, 23.626, 59.96; Green, 3.934, 321.19 def. Force, 3.942, 329.91;

SEMIFINALS — Todd, 3.903, 332.43 def. Green, 3.967, 325.69; Hagan, 3.896, 330.39 def. DeJoria, 3.912, 327.19;

FINAL — Hagan, 3.926, 329.34 def. Todd, 4.141, 239.95.

Troy Coughlin Jr.’s magical weekend in Pro Stock ended with his first Gatornationals victory, as he closed out the day with a run of 6.637 at 208.71 in his JEGS.com/White Castle/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro to defeat Mason McGaha in the final round. It’s the third career win for Coughlin, who also qualified No. 1 and beat Larry Morgan, Deric Kramer and Dallas Glenn to set up the matchup with McGaha. Coughlin was excellent on the starting line and cemented his strong start to the 2023 campaign.

“I was a little fired up today,” Coughlin said. “At Elite Motorsports, it’s a little newer than the JEGS so-called legacy. It doesn’t date back to 1960, but it’s the same type of honor to me. You look at Erica (Enders), she’s a five-time world champion and you’re driving for a team that wins championships. They have that same demeanor when they drive through the gates. They expect to win and we’re one big family. That’s the coolest thing about it. When one car is out, we all work together.”

McGaha knocked off Fernando Cuadra, Kyle Koretsky and five-time world champ Greg Anderson to reach his second final round.

PRO STOCK results:

ROUND ONE — Deric Kramer, Chevy Camaro, 6.559, 208.84 def. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.577, 210.44; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.575, 209.10 def. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, Foul – Red Light; Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.553, 209.82 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.578, 210.05; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.529, 210.47 def. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 8.169, 119.79; Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.558, 210.47 def. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.543, 210.90; Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.564, 210.21 def. Fernando Cuadra, Mustang, 6.553, 208.71; Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 8.125, 120.22 def. Erica Enders, Camaro, Broke; Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.560, 211.26 def. Larry Morgan, Camaro, 6.595, 206.80;
QUARTERFINALS — Anderson, 6.625, 208.65 def. J. Tucker, Foul – Red Light; Coughlin Jr., 6.564, 210.41 def. Kramer, 6.571, 209.14; M. McGaha, 6.595, 209.14 def. Koretsky, Foul – Red Light; Glenn, 6.547, 209.92 def. Hartford, 6.550, 210.67;
SEMIFINALS — M. McGaha, 6.607, 209.72 def. Anderson, 6.610, 208.52; Coughlin Jr., 6.586, 209.43 def. Glenn, 6.579, 209.75;
FINAL — Coughlin Jr., 6.637, 208.71 def. M. McGaha, 6.765, 207.94.

Top Alcohol Dragster — Julie Nataas, 5.147, 276.18 def. Cody Krohn, 5.213, 277.77.

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Matt Gill, Chevy Camaro, 5.511, 266.69 def. DJ Cox Jr., Camaro, 7.084, 143.40.

Competition Eliminator — Jim Greenheck, Chevy Camaro, 7.599, 169.51 def. Joseph Arrowsmith, Pontiac GTO, 7.939, 164.79.

Super Stock — Peter D’Agnolo, Chevy Camaro, 9.566, 130.92 def. Kevin Helms, Olds Achieva, 9.332, 143.93.

Stock Eliminator — Jeff Strickland, Chevy Camaro, 9.269, 144.03 def. Brenda Grubbs, Camaro, 9.901, 123.27.

Super Comp — Mike Robilotto, Dragster, 8.880, 178.35 def. Kent Hanley, Dragster, 8.863, 174.44.

Super Gas — John Taylor, Dodge Dakota, 9.923, 162.55 def. Jeffrey Jensen, Chevy Corvette, 9.914, 166.70.

Super Street — Colby Fuller, Chevy Camaro, 10.928, 136.58 def. Dan Fletcher, Chevy Nova, 10.924, 127.53.

Top Sportsman — Doug Crumlich, Chevy Corvette, 6.595, 209.39 def. Mark Buehring, Chevy Cobalt, 6.845, 193.68.

Pro Modified — Justin Bond, Chevy Camaro, 5.732, 250.74 def. JR Gray, Camaro, 7.070, 144.18.

Factory Stock Showdown — Joseph Welch, Dodge Challenger, 7.638, 185.18 def. Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 8.309, 134.70.

The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to action with the NHRA Arizona Finals on March 24-26, which is the final race at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Phoenix.

story by NHRA with additions and edits by Tim Hailey