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It didn’t take long to establish an early favorite for the Funny Car race of the year after
Bob Tasca III defeated reigning Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan in round one. Hagan, the No. 8 qualifier, left first by .002-second but Tasca was .002-second quicker down track and turned on the win light with a 3.920 to 3.922. The final margin of victory at the finish line was just .0001-second, or about one inch. Hagan had previously been 18-11 against Tasca in 29 head-to-head meetings. A round later, Tasca personally ended the Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car win streak at 14 races when he also defeated Ron Capps. The DSR team, which featured four cars last season, had won every race in 2020 and the last three of the 2019 season.
The 2020 Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals was held just months ago due to the pandemic, but we’re back at Gainesville Raceway for the traditional March date of the East Coast season opener, which now marks the kickoff of the new season. For all the things that have changed in the last year, there are a few that have not, including the performance of NHRA’s reigning Professional world champions. Last season, Steve Torrence, Matt Hagan, Erica Enders, and Matt Smith captured titles in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. For Torrence and Hagan, it was their third title, and Smith and Enders are now four-time champions in Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, respectively.