Alexis DeJoria qualified second in her ROKiT Toyota Camry Funny Car to lead Toyota in qualifying for Sunday’s 52nd annual AMALIE OIL NHRA Gatornationals at the Gainesville Raceway.
DeJoria was second-quick in Friday’s opening session with a 3.914-second pass at 324.28 mph, earning two bonus points. She also ran the third-quickest time in Saturday’s final session at 3.948. She has now qualified in the top-five in each of the last six Funny Car races – the only driver in the series to do so.
“I have a brand-new chassis and we’re still getting the hang of it,” said DeJoria, who will open eliminations up against John Smith. “Our ROKiT Toyota drives a little differently, but we’re adapting. I definitely have confidence going into tomorrow. We’re going to get a win here soon. It really feels like everything is back to normal again at the racetrack with the fans out here. It was a great move by NHRA to make the Gatornationals our first race.”
J.R. Todd drove his DHL Toyota to the sixth position in Funny Car with a 3.955 at 325.61 mph. He faces Blake Alexander in the opening round.
Doug Kalitta was the highest qualifying Toyota driver in Top Fuel, placing fourth with 3.746 at 307.37 mph. In the three qualifying sessions, Kalitta placed second, second and fourth, earning four bonus points. He matches up with Arthur Allen in round one on Sunday. Kalitta will be looking for his fourth consecutive season-opening win.
Shawn Langdon earned the number six seed for Sunday eliminations where he will race Doug Foley in round one. Antron Brown placed tenth and will square off against Mike Salinas to round out the Toyota Top Fuel contingent.
Today’s NHRA qualifying can be seen Sunday morning on FS1 at 11 a.m., with Camping World Drag Racing Series eliminations to be televised immediately afterward on FOX beginning at noon (ET).
Toyota Gatornationals Qualifying
| Top Fuel | Qual. | Rd 1 Opp. | Q1 Time/Speed | Q2 Time/Speed | Q3 Time/Speed |
| Doug Kalitta | 4th | Allen | 3.746/307.37 (2) | 3.811 (315.19) (2) | 3.749/320.97 |
| Shawn Langdon | 6th | Foley | 3.749/323.89 | 3.955/296.96 | 3.851/274.44 |
| Antron Brown | 10th | Salinas | 4.308/187.18 | 10.537/57.59 | 3.809/316.75 |
| Funny Car | |||||
| Alexis DeJoria | 2nd | Smith | 3.914/324.28 (2) | 4.611/156.25 | 3.948/316.90 (1) |
| J.R. Todd | 6th | Alexander | 3.955/325.61 | 4.039/319.29 | 5.427/134.31 |
| Mike McIntire | DNQ | DNQ | 4.587/188.94 | 10.624/79.23 | 4.713/179.97 |
* (Qualifying Points Earned in Session)
Toyota Racing PR
