If you were to make a short list of the most prestigious and historic drag racing events around the globe, the NHRA Gatornationals at the famed Gainesville Raceway – now sold out and referred to affectionately as the Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville – would certainly be among the top two or three.
As the Gators heads into its 43rd running next weekend, there’s certainly more historic – even timeless – moments to look back upon than one could event count. Among those many moments, there was the 1986 running of the annual East Coast opener, when home grown boy ” Big Daddy” Don Garlits blasted his way into the record books in a semifinal defeat of former baseball playher Dan Pastorini with a 272 MPH charge to become the first Top Fuel pilot ever to surpass the 270 MPH barrier.
Garlits accomplished the feat driving the revolutionary Swamp Rat XXX concoction that he and Herb Parks built in his Ocala, Fla. shop, featuring an aerodynamic “wedge” nose and small innovative aluminum disc wheels.
In addition to Garlits’ record-setting blast, you’ll see the likes of Muldowney, Beck, Amato, McEwen, Butch Leal, and others.
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