After the pandemic threw the 2020 schedule into chaos last year, it’s nice to say that the 2021 NHRA race season is now officially underway. And this year is particularly special, because the NHRA is celebrating it’s 70th anniversary all season long.
The Winternationals in Pomona, CA usually signal the start of the NHRA season, but the event is postponed until April 9, 2021. So this year, NHRA racing kicked off in Gainesville, FL with the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals.
So let’s get to it.
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2021 NHRA Gatornationals Pro Stock Results
2021 NHRA Pro Stock racing began with a surprise, as Fernando Cuadra Jr. knocked out reigning Pro Stock champ Erica Enders in the first round, only to be bested by Troy Coughlin Jr. in the next round.
But it’s veteran Pro Stock racer Greg Anderson who lifted the Wally, giving himself a nice birthday present in the process. Anderson won against Coughlin with a 6.602 second ET at 209.33 mph. It was Anderson’s 95th Pro Stock victory and his first since 2019.
In case you were wondering how Dallas Glenn fared in his Pro Stock debut, he was eliminated by teammate Kyle Koretsky in the first round (Koretsky’s 6.550 second/210.08 mph to Glenn’s 6.558 second/209.75 mph).
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2021 NHRA Gatornationals Top Fuel Results
Top Fuel fans, meet Josh Hart. In his Top Fuel debut, Hart secured the Wally with a 3.826 second/323.66 mph pass to best Shawn Langdon. That’s the first time a rookie has won their Top Fuel debut in twenty years. What’s even better is Hart, a native Floridian, accomplished the feat in his home state.
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2021 NHRA Gatornationals Funny Car Results
The drought is over for J.R. Todd after securing his first win in about two years. His 5.184 second/286.3 mph pass beat Robert Hight in the finals. Despite both cars smoking the tires early, Todd recovered to take the victory.
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2021 NHRA Gatornationals Pro Stock Motorcycle Results
Matt Smith recorded his fastest run of the weekend in the final round, notching a 6.785 second/200.65 mph pass to take out Ryan Oehler. Smith must like racing in Gainesville, as he won last year at the Gatornationals as well.
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2021 NHRA Championship Points Standings Through Race 1
Pro Stock
- Greg Anderson, 123
- Troy Coughlin Jr., 93
- Deric Kramer, 77
- Mason McGaha, 72
- Matt Hartford, 59
- Kyle Koretsky, 55
- Alex Laughlin, 52
- Fernando Cuadra Jr., 51
- Erica Enders, 44
- Kenny Delco, 34
- Chris McGaha, 33
- Dallas Glenn, 32
— Aaron Stanfield, 32 - Bob Benza, 31
— Cristian Cuadra, 31
— Val Smeland, 31
Top Fuel
- Josh Hart, 113
- Shawn Langdon, 94
- Justin Ashley, 72
— Antron Brown, 72 - Steve Torrence, 64
- Billy Torrence, 62
- Doug Kalitta, 54
- Leah Pruett, 52
- Brittany Force, 35
- Mike Salinas, 34
- Doug Foley, 32
— Clay Millican, 32 - Arthur Allen, 31
— Mike Bucher, 31
— Scott Palmer, 31 - Joe Morrison, 26
- Krista Baldwin, 10
— Todd Paton, 10
Funny Car
- J.R. Todd, 114
- Robert Hight, 95
- Cruz Pedregon, 73
- Bob Tasca III, 72
- Ron Capps, 64
- Alexis DeJoria, 60
- Tim Wilkerson, 57
- John Force, 56
- Matt Hagan, 34
- Blake Alexander, 32
- Chad Green, 32
- Paul Lee, 32
- Bobby Bode, 31
- Jim Campbell, 31
- Dave Richards, 31
- John Smith, 31
Pro Stock Motorcycle
- Matt Smith, 119
- Ryan Oehler, 96
- Steve Johnson, 74
- Scotty Pollacheck, 73
- Angelle Sampey, 67
- Karen Stoffer, 55
- Hector Arana Jr., 54
- Chris Bostick, 51
- Joey Gladstone, 40
- Kelly Clontz, 32
— John Hall, 32
— Cory Reed, 32
— Angie Smith, 32 - Michael Phillips, 31
— Jerry Savoie, 31
— Jim Underdahl, 31
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