NHRA Gatornationals
Event No. 1 of 22
Gainesville Raceway
Gainesville, Fla.
March 12-14, 2021
LEAH PRUETT
Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster
2020 Gainesville Recap:
Qualified eighth; Semifinal finish (defeated Joe Morrison in E1, Clay Millican in E2; defeated by Steve Torrence in E3)
Last Event (Las Vegas II):
Qualified sixth; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Chris Karamesines in E1; defeated by Justin Ashley in E2)
Career Statistics:
152 races; eight wins; 12 No. 1 qualifiers
Notes:
Pulling double-duty at the first race of the season, competing in both the Top Fuel and Factory Stock Showdown categories
Pruett, the 2018 FSS series champ, is scheduled to compete in the full eight-event FSS schedule in addition to her responsibilities with the Top Fuel car
From Leah:
I couldn’t be more thrilled about entering my sixth season with crew chief Todd Okuhara, and a third season with Neal Strausbaugh. This duo is one that has been magic in the making, and one that makes me proud to drive their dragster. The majority of our team has remained intact with a few new faces coming in on the crew, one of which was an intern we had a couple of years ago. For us to remain intact and continue to build with confidence and enthusiasm is important, as that is how you build a winning team. Performance-wise, we tested in West Palm this past week in similar conditions to competition atmosphere, so I believe starting the season in Gainesville will prove beneficial to consistency. Regarding heritage, where we start is not super important or meaningful to me, because it’s how we finish that really matters.
I always have goals to win races and a championship. However, going winless in 2020 has made me set more specific incremental goals. I intend to win at least three national events this season. You can’t do that without being great and consistent. If we can win three, we are in a good spot for intense momentum, which leads to advancement on the field, and that is an intricate variable into winning a championship. Call it a goal, or bucket list, or dedication to whatever it will take this season, my goal is to win both a Top Fuel and Factory Stock Showdown national event title on the same day. We have eight opportunities to do so this year, and my intention after four years of perfecting the craft of competing in both, is to solidify this goal
LEAH PRUETT
Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak
2020 Gainesville Recap:
Qualified 12th; First round exit (defeated by Arthur Kohn in E1)
Last Event (Las Vegas II):
Qualified No. 3; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Kevin Skinner in E1; defeated by John Cerbone in E2)
FSS Career Statistics:
23 races; three wins; one runner-up; two No. 1 qualifiers
Notes:
Gainesville marks Pruett’s first event in 2021 where she will pull double-duty, competing in both the Top Fuel and Factory Stock Showdown categories
The 2021 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak will make its competition debut at the Gatornationals with Pruett behind the wheel
From Leah:
I was part of the development team and worked closely with Dodge//SRT engineers. We’ve very excited to start the Factory Stock season with the new generation Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak after challenges last season delayed the debut.
We recently took delivery of the new Drag Pak, and we are still getting acquainted and comfortable with the all-new car. It is showing promise but we’ve only been able to test with it one time before competition, so we have to practice expectation management and understand we are still in our own development stage with the car. It looks fantastic and I’m very proud to be able to continue to help improve the performance throughout the season.
Source: Don Schumacher Racing
