Video: Getting It Done At The Gators – Here’s All The Professional Finals From Gainesville Last Weekend


Video: Getting It Done At The Gators – Here’s All The Professional Finals From Gainesville Last Weekend

It was an awesome, odd, and ultimately memorable running of the 51st NHRA Amalie Oil Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. Awesome for the fact that the fans showed up in numbers we have not seen them in since the race was supposed to be run in March. Odd because the 90-degree heat and 90+% humidity were physically demanding and anathema to running a car fast, and ultimately memorable because of what you’ll watch below along with the performances that preceded these to get the competitors to the final rounds.

In top fuel Steve Torrence wore the Don Garlits Swamp Rat 14 tribute body on their chassis and Big Daddy was there all weekend. It was an all Torrence final and with Garlits watching his own tribute car roar down the track, the team got the job done and payed the greatest drag racer of all time the ultimate compliment.

In funny car Ron Capps had one of the greatest days of his career winning the race over Tim Wilkerson. In the semi-finals against Matt Hagan, Capps’ car exploded in the lights and while blinded by fire, smoke, and oil, he brought the car to a stop spinning it out in dramatic fashion on the track in an attempt to not hit anything or crash into Matt Hagan. The team brought out a backup car and had it prepared in 35 minutes with a huge injection of DSR manpower.

In pro stock Alex Laughlin exorcised the demons of 2019 which forced him to shut a superior car off on the starting line just before the final, leaving him helpless to watch Bo Butner drive down the track to the win. This year it was Laughlin in a strange pro stock final claiming victory over Aaron Stanfield. You’ll see how he got it done below.

Lastly, Matt Smith dominated pro stock motorcycle running measurably faster than all of his fellow competitors all weekend. He dispatched Indy winner Scotty Pollacheck along the way before meeting Andrew Hines int he final and delivering the last hammer blow to claim the Wally.

This weekend the series will be racing in St Louis and three of the four professional categories have new points leaders!

Press play below to see the professional class finals from Gainesville, Florida –


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