With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season nearly over, our New Year’s resolutions about a week away from being forgotten, and the racing season anywhere from a few weeks to a few months away – depending on your location – this is when the reality of winter really sets in and seems to stretch on for an eternity. It’s also when the snow turns to an oasis of sand and palm trees, perhaps from the cold taking hold of our brains. What, that’s never happened to you?
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Just to warm things up a little bit on this chilly New Year’s Eve Eve, we’re heading to sunny Gainesville, Florida on this Flashback Friday to view the 1977 running of the classic Gatornationals. Richard Tharp, Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, and Larry Lombardo were all fresh off their 1977 NHRA Winston championship seasons the year prior and were looking for solid starts to the new season in gator country. While Shirley Muldowney would go on to claim her first of three Top Fuel championships this season, her Gatornationals outing was one to forget, with a red light start to Clayton Harris in the second round.
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The Gainesville facility has undergone numerous changes from the late 70’s, first with the construction of a modern timing tower on the left lane side of the dragstrip that was later expanded behind the starting line. Prior to the 1988 season, a massive four-story grandstand was built, and in the mid 2000’s, the still virtually new tower was torn down to make room for a fancy new glass faced tower that we see today.
Rather than ruin the enjoyment for those that don’t recall this race, we’ll remain mum on the rest of the action so you can kick back and enjoy this Flashback Friday treat.
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