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: .076 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.”