The 2024 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series is well underway, and this past weekend’s Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals gave NHRA’s dedicated Sportsman racers their first opportunity of the year to shine at the national event level. While stories abound in every camp, here are a few notes on the weekend’s winners.
Kenny Horne, the Super Stock winner in Gainesville, was a finalist there in 1982. Now, at 74 years of age, he finally got his Gatornationals trophy with a final-round triumph over Monty Bogan, who won the event in 2003. The victory was the third at the national level for Horne.
Ulf Leanders (Top Alcohol Funny Car) and Holden Laris (Super Comp) each claimed Gatornationals win No. 2. Leanders, who beat Baby Gators winner Phil Esz in the final, was the winner in 2015. Laris ousted Brad Plourd in this season’s final, replicating his win over Nichole Stephenson in 2019.
Jeff Strickland knows Gainesville. Did you know: the NHRA Gatornationals titlist claimed the Stock win in each of the most recent three seasons…. and it’s four in a row when you factor in his 2021 win in Top Dragster. Even cooler, Strick doubled there in 2016 (Top Dragster and Stock). His first Gainesville final was in 1998, when Scotty Richardson got the nod.
JCM Racing rookie Joe C. Maynard won the Baby Gators in his Top Alcohol Dragster debut, and he complemented the regional win with a national event trophy at the Gainesville main event.
Six-time national event winner David Billingsley (Comp Eliminator) and four-time national event titlist Blake Peavler (Top Dragster) each scored their first Gatornationals victories, while Super Gas racer Christoper Williams raced to his first national event win in his first final round. Top Sportsman competitor James Hinkle earned the very first national event win of his career, as well.
Mark Pawuk finally claimed his first Gainesville win with a final-round defeat of Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown bounty holder Stephen Bell. Pawuk, who wheeled his Dodge Drag Pak with a special scheme in tribute to good friend Don Schumacher, had previously reached one Gatornationals final round – in Pro Stock in 1995, when he was runner-up to Darrell Alderman.
The Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series will pick back up at South Georgia Motorsports Park in two weeks with NHRA’s third Southeast Division event of the season, while the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals will be held that same weekend, March 21-24, at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
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