Strickland, Laris kick off NHRA season with wins at the Gatornationals

Jeff Strickland and Holden Laris visited the winner’s circle at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals to led the leaderboard at Gainesville Raceway.

GAINESVILLE, FL – Jeff Strickland and Holden Laris led the winners at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, picking up the Wally’s in Stock Eliminator and Super Comp. This is the third season in a row Strickland has gone home with the Stock Eliminator trophy at the Gators.

Joining them in the winner’s circle was David Billingsley (Comp), Kenneth Horne (SS), Christopher Williams (SG), Blake Peavler (TD), and James Hinkle (TS).

Read the race recap below to learn more about the winners!

2024 Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals

Competition Eliminator

David Billingsley won the NHRA National event Wally after defeating Robert Bailey in the final round. Bailey had the starting line advantage, .012 to .024, but Billingsley got to the stripe first to run a 8.068 at 161 mph, .57 under his index.

Semi-finalist was John French.

Super Stock

Kenneth Horne took home his 3rd NHRA National event Wally after defeating Monty Bogan in the final round. The driver’s were just a coin flip apart on the tree, .008 to .009, but Bogan slowed at the top end to give the win over to Horne. Horne ran a 9.854 at 122 mph on his 9.83 dial-in.

Todd Frantz was the semi-finalist.

Stock Eliminator

Jeff Strickland took home the NHRA National event Wally, his third in a row from the Gatornationals, after defeating Jay Storey in a heads-up final round. Storey turned on the red bulb by -.003, to hand the automatic win over to Strickland. Strickland was .031 up front and costed across the stripe.

Steve Foley was the semi-finalist.

Super Comp

Holden Laris picked up the NHRA National event Wally after defeating Brad Plourd in the final round. Laris had the starting line advantage, .009 to .040, and ran an 8.921 at 176 mph on the 8.90 index to take home the trophy.

Jason Kenny was the semi-finalist.

Super Gas

Christopher Williams visited the winners circle after defeating Rick Swank in the final round. Swank turned on the red bulb by -.008, handing the easy win over to Williams. He was .010 up front and ran a 9.915 at 175 mph.

Jason Kenny was the semi-finalist.

Top Dragster

Blake Peavler defeated Robert Tehle in the final round to take home his fourth NHRA National event Wally. Tehle turned on the red bulb by -.147, handing the easy win over to Peavler. He was .008 up front and coasted to a 6.564 at 158 mph.

Steve Furr and Scott Luken were the semi-finalists.

Top Sportsman

James Hinkle defeated Darian Boesch in the final round to take home his first career NHRA National event Wally. Hinkle had the starting line advantage, .006 to .051, and turned it into a win light running a 7.197 at 190 mph on his 7.17 dial-in.

Curt Fredrich and Sandy Wilkins were the semi-finalists.

An avid racer herself, Megan Strassweg, 28, sees her two worlds collide with DragChamp – journalism and drag racing. Megan resides in Evansville, IN, and she pilots a 2015 American Dragster in the NHRA North Central Division 3 Super Comp series, along with some local bracket racing on the side. Her passion for racing began early, having grown up at the racetrack, and she remains committed to the sport.

You can reach Megan on Facebook or email at megan@dragchamp.com