By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Scrappers Racing Top Fuel Dragster driver Mike Salinas has won the 54th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. He defeated Capco Contractors Inc. Top Fuel Dragster driver Steve Torrence in the final round at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida.
The California native went 3.700 at 330.31 mph in the win. The Texan went 3.754 at 333.82 mph in the losing effort.
“I think we’re going to be really good all year long, but we’re fighting with the best in the world,” Salinas said. “The teams out here are no joke. You better bring your ‘A’ game every time, but everyone is beatable. It’s special what we have right now. These guys have taught me how to win and it’s a mindset. You appreciate wins like these because they’re so hard to come by.”
According to dragracecentral.com, Torrence held a 16-5 advantage over Salinas in previous rounds. The Torrence Racing driver also held a 3-2 advantage in their previous final round meetings.
Torrence had the starting line advantage with his 0.43 reaction time. However, by the time the cars went past the 330-foot mark, Salinas was leading.
After taking the lead, Salinas never trailed at any point in the rest of the race. He won by 0.0028 seconds or approximately 16 inches.
This is Salinas’ eighth career win in the Top Fuel class.
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