Hight sits atop of the Funny Car class with his run of 3.868 at 331.12 in his Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro. He has swept the No. 1 qualifying position for the 2019 season and third career No. 1 at the facility.
“It’s pretty amazing and a lot of hard work,” Hight said. “We had a chance to win a championship last year and didn’t get it done. It didn’t sit well with my team and they worked hard at getting this thing prepared and figuring out what our weaknesses were. Qualifying is over and now we’ve got a race to win.”He will face-off against Terry Haddock Sunday morning in the first round. Tim Wilkerson sits in the No. 2 position with a pass of 3.875 at 327.27 and Tommy Johnson Jr. is third.Brogdon took the category lead during the fourth round of qualifying with his run of 6.490 at 212.43 in his RBR Machine Chevrolet Camaro. He secured his second No. 1 qualifier of the season, second at the facility and is chasing his first win since 2015.
“I’ve always been able to drive a race car,” Brogdon stated. “The hardest part is having a lot of power and a good car. The Elite (Motorsports) team and (team owner) Richard Freeman are incredible. He puts me in a fast car every weekend. To win this race and with the toughest class, I’d probably cross everything else off my bucket list.”Brogdon will race Wally Stroupe in the first round of eliminations. Veteran Greg Anderson powered his Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro to the No. 2 spot with his pass 6.494 at 213.40 and Matt Hartford is third overall.In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Hines raced to the top of the category during the fourth qualifying session securing a national time record of 6.720 at 199.94 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. His last victory at Gainesville was in 2004 and is on the hunt for his first win since Pomona 2 2017.
“The guys on our team are doing a great job making sure that we get motorcycles that are flawless and making sure that we go to the start line with no problems,” Hines said. “I was really hoping to go 200. That was really the point to strive for and it would’ve been nice to get that one out of the way. Tomorrow is a new day and we will try again then.” The Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals first round of eliminations begins at 11 a.m. on Sunday at Gainesville Raceway.