What: AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
When: March 12-14
Where: Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Fla.
TV:
FS1 – Saturday Qualifying, 3/13 – 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
FS1 – Sunday Qualifying, 3/14 – 11:00 a.m. – 12 Noon
FOX –Eliminations, 3/14 – 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. LIVE (all times EDT)
Toyota Set To Enter 20th Year of NHRA Competition…Toyota will begin its 20th season in the NHRA at this weekend’s Gatornationals. The program debuted at the Winternationals in 2002 with Gary Scelzi behind the wheel of an Alan Johnson-prepared Celica Funny Car. Two years later, Toyota would secure its first Funny Car win with Jerry Tolliver at the 2004 Winternationals. Since then, Toyota drivers have gone on to secure 170 wins and nine NHRA world championships, six in Top Fuel (Antron Brown with three, Larry Dixon, Del Worsham and Shawn Langdon) and three in Funny Car (Cruz Pedregon, Worsham and J.R. Todd).
Kalitta Eyes Fourth Straight Season-Opening Win… Doug Kalitta will attempt to earn his fourth consecutive season-opening win this weekend after opening the 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons with victories at the Winternationals in Pomona. A win this weekend would be Kalitta’s fourth Gatornationals title and make him just the fifth driver in NHRA history to score 50 Top Fuel wins.
Brown Looks To Make It Two In a Row… Antron Brown enters the 2021 season looking for his second consecutive Top Fuel victory after registering a win at the 2020 season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A victory would mark Brown’s 52nd in Top Fuel competition, tying him for third all-time with Joe Amato.
DeJoria Set To Extend Roll… After a two-year retirement, Alexis DeJoria returned to the seat of her Camry Funny Car in 2020 with her new DC Motorsports team only to be parked again by the pandemic after just two races. After going through some expected growing pains in the series return in Indianapolis, DeJoria closed out the last half of the season by advancing to three semifinals in her last four races and was the only Funny Car driver to qualify in the top-five in each of the season’s last five events. The ROKiT Phones Toyota driver, who was fourth in points over the last half of the season, heads to Gainesville looking to record her sixth career NHRA Funny Car win.
Grand Slams on the way?…Kalitta Motorsports drivers J.R. Todd and Shawn Langdon each enter this weekend’s event looking to close out the NHRA Grand Slam in winning the four biggest races of the sport. Each has already been victorious at the Winternationals, the U.S. Nationals and the NHRA Finals. Both Toyota drivers also have won NHRA world championships with Todd winning the 2018 Funny Car crown and Langdon taking top honors in Top Fuel in 2013.
Toyota-Sponsored Cars at AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
| Top Fuel | Car |
| Antron Brown | Matco Tools Toyota Dragster |
| Doug Kalitta | Mac Tools Toyota Dragster |
| Shawn Langdon | DHL Toyota Dragster |
| Funny Car | Car |
| Alexis DeJoria | ROKiT Phones Toyota Camry Funny Car |
| J.R. Todd | DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car |
Toyota Racing PR
