| National Hot Rod Association | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Gainesville Raceway |
| Location | Gainesville, Florida, U.S. 29°45′29.00″N 82°16′29.00″W / 29.7580556°N 82.2747222°W |
| Corporate sponsor | Amalie Oil Company |
| First race | 1970 |
| Circuit information | |
| Length | 1⁄4 mi (0.40 km) |
The Gatornationals is an annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) national drag racing event held each March at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida. The event was held for the first time in 1970.[1]
The event is one of the sport's most revered with a rich tradition of history-making performances. The Gatornationals have the title of being the drag race to see the first 260-mph Top Fuel and Funny Car runs in 1984 by Joe Amato and Kenny Bernstein respectively, and the first 270-mph and 300-mph Top Fuel passes by Don Garlits and Kenny Bernstein in 1986 and 1992, respectively. Its 675-foot concrete launchpad is one of the longest on the tour.
In 2014 the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals entered its 45th annual national event which makes it the fourth oldest active event on the NHRA Professional tour, behind the Winternationals, U.S. Nationals, and the NHRA Finals. The event was sponsored by Amalie Oil Company, the current sponsor of the race. Previous sponsors of this event include MAC tools.
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused some sportsman races to be held behind closed doors. However, the national event and top sportsman classes were postponed to September with spectators. In 2021 the race was moved to the season opener for all classes, also due to the pandemic. The Gatornationals has remained as the season opening race since this change.