²ÞËùÇ¿¼é

The season-opening Amalie Motor Oil ²ÞËùÇ¿¼é Gatornationals was an amazing event, especially for pro winners Mike Salinas, Matt Hagan, and Troy Coughlin Jr. Now, the challenge is to maintain that momentum as the tour heads west for the final ²ÞËùÇ¿¼é Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.

Winning the first or last event at a particular track is always special but quite honestly, ²ÞËùÇ¿¼é’s Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock drivers do not need additional motivation to want to get into the winner’s circle as early as possible this season. Each class is loaded with talent and wins are going to be hard to come by.

As difficult as it may be, we’ve taken our best shot at predicting this weekend’s winners. Here goes:

TOP FUEL

The favorite: Mike Salinas would be a good bet here based on his performance in Gainesville and the same goes for reigning champ Brittany Force or runner-up Steve Torrence. However, we’re going off the board with Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools team. Yes, it’s been a long time since a Kalitta Motorsports car visited the winner’s circle but there is a method to the madness here. Kalitta had low elapsed time in Gainesville with a brilliant 3.64 run, and he does have a win in Phoenix, albeit from 2001. Sooner or later, the Kalitta team is going to snap out of its funk, and Tipster believes it will be sooner.

The contenders: We just named Force, Salinas, and Torrence as possible favorites and while there are valid reasons for each, they most certainly fit contender status based largely on their performance in Gainesville.

In addition to the two Gainesville finalists and Force, let’s take a good look at three-time world champ Antron Brown and Josh Hart, who left Gainesville $80,000 richer after winning the Pep Boys Allstar Callout event on Saturday. Finally, there is Leah Pruett, who opened the season with a solid semifinal finish in her neon green Dodge Power Brokers dragster.

The dark horse: For the second-striaght race let’s go with Clay Millican, who almost doesn’t fit the profile of a dark horse since his Parts Plus dragster often cranks out 3.6-second runs. Millican also has a career-best of 3.628, which is just a few thousandths off the current ²ÞËùÇ¿¼é elapsed time record held by Brittany Force.

Odds:
Doug KalittaÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýMac ToolsÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýÌý 4-1
Brittany ForceÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýMonster EnergyÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌý Ìý Ìý 9-2
Mike SalinasÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýScrappersÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 5-1
Steve TorrenceÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýCapco ContractorsÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 6-1
Antron BrownÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýMatco ToolsÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 7-1
Austin ProckÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýMontana BrandsÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 8-1
Leah PruettÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýDodge Power BrokersÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý Ìý8-1
Josh HartÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýR+L CarriersÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 9-1
Justin AshleyÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýPhillips ConnectÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌý 9-1
Clay MillicanÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýParts PlusÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 12-1
FieldÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 22-1

FUNNY CAR

The favorite: Matt Hagan kicked off the season with a big Gainesville victory but by no means did he have the best car on the property. Oh, the Dodge Power Brokers Charger was good, but it was not the quickest or the most consistent. Regardless, we’re going to double-down on Hagan simply because he finds a way to get the job done more often than not. We gave a lot of consideration to others including runner-up J.R. Todd, Ron Capps, Bob Tasca III, and Robert Hight. But we’re going to ride with Hagan until someone steps up and knocks him off the top step.

The contenders: The obvious picks here are Capps, Tasca III, Hight, and Gainesville runner-up Todd. Of the four, we tend to lean toward Todd because he arguably had the best car in Gainesville in both testing and the Gatornationals. After such a dry spell, would it be too much to ask for a Kalitta double? Don’t laugh, it could happen.

The other intriguing contender here is Tasca, who many expected to struggle out of the gate after a major crew chief change this winter. Actually, the Motorcraft Quick Lane team has come together very quickly with solid runs in both testing and the Gainesville opener.

The dark horse: We like both Chad Green and Alexis DeJoria in this spot since they both reached the semifinals in Gainesville and with a bit of luck, could easily have won another round or two. Green looked really solid while flying the Levi, Ray, & Shoup colors while DeJoria continues to make steady progress alongside crew chief Del Worsham. We also like both of them to potentially become the first champion of the Mission Foods 2Fast 2Tasty Challenge on Saturday.

Odds:
Matt HaganÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýDodge Power Brokers DodgeÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý 3-1
Bob Tasca IIIÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýMotorcraft FordÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýÌý ÌýÌý 4-1
J.R. ToddÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýDHL ToyotaÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýÌý 5-1
Ron CappsÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýNAPA ToyotaÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 5-1
Robert HightÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýFlav-R-Pak ChevyÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 6-1
Cruz PedregonÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýSnap-on DodgeÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 6-1
Tim WilkersonÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýSCAG Mowers FordÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 7-1
John ForceÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýPeak/Blu Def ChevyÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 8-1
Alexis DeJoriaÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýBandero ToyotaÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 9-1
Chad GreenÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýBondcoat FordÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 10-1ÌýÌý Ìý
FieldÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 18-1

PRO STOCK

The favorite: Remember what happened last time Erica Enders lost in the first round in Gainesville? If not, we’ll refresh your memory. She went on to win five of the next seven races and cruised to her fifth world title with a dominant 10 win season. It’s way too early to tell if the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Elite flagship will go on a similar tear, but after missing the first round in Gainesville with a mechanical gremlin, Enders clearly has something to prove. Enders also has had reasonable success at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park with a pair of victories in 2013 and 2020.

The Contenders: The easy choice here is Troy Coughlin Jr., who was the No. 1 qualifier in Gainesville and won the race. In fact, he should be the favorite although we like Enders just a wee bit more. Coughlin could easily go back-to-back, in fact, he did just that last year with his first two Pro Stock victories in Seattle and Topeka.

Aaron Stanfield remains a solid pick as a contender in spite of his struggles in Gainesville while the KB Titan team can’t be overlooked, particularly Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn. We also need to give a nod to Mason McGaha who got to the semifinals in Gainesville and nearly had enough race car to finish the job. That represents a major step forward for the Harlow Sammons team.

The darkhorse: Hmm, anyone named Cuadra comes to mind here as the Corral Boots team continues to make steady progress. Red-light are sometimes an issue here, but all three Cuadra team drivers, including brothers Fernando Jr. and Cristian, can get the clutch out on time when properly motivated. We also think that Deric Kramer and Matt Hartford are overdue for victories.

Odds:
Erica EndersÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýJGH/Elite CamaroÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýÌý Ìý 2-1
Troy Coughlin Jr.ÌýÌý ÌýJEGS.com CamaroÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 3-1
Aaron StanfieldÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýJanac Bros/J3 Energy CamaroÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌý 5-1
Dallas GlennÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýRAD Torque Systems CamaroÌýÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý Ìý6-1
Greg AndersonÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýHendrick Cars.com CamaroÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý Ìý 6-1
Mason McGahaÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýHarlow Sammons CamaroÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌý 7-1
Matt HartfordÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýTotal Seal CamaroÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 8-1
Kyle KoretskyÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýLucas Oil/NitroFish CamaroÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý 8-1
Deric Kramer ÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýGet BioFuel CamaroÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 9-1
Cristian Cuadra Jr.ÌýÌý ÌýCorral Boots MustangÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌý 11-1
FieldÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý 15-1