If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, even if it takes you 18 times. Since Kalitta Motorsports debuted a Top Fuel and Funny Car combination four decades ago, the Michigan-based team has never been able to reel in a double-win. 

Let the record reflect that a pair of nitro racing friends who used to share a podcast got the job done before a large Sunday crowd at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.

And it couldn’t have come at a more emotionally charged time as days earlier, Scott Kalitta was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, and team owner Connie Kalitta was honored with the Lifetime Achievement award. 

Shawn Langdon drove to the Top Fuel crown, while J.R. Todd got the job done in Funny Car. Pro Stock racer Erica Enders also scored her first win while Gaige Herrera continued his domination of Pro Stock Motorcycle. The Gatornationals marked the first of 21 Mission Foods Drag Racing Series events in 2024. 

Langdon left no doubt he had the car to beat by qualifying No. 1 and beating Billy Torrence in the final round with a 3.711-second pass at 335.40 mph.

Langdon, who drives the car recognized as Connie Kalitta’s personal dragster, showcased the skills of first-time crew chief Brian Husen and rolled off a string of strong runs on Sunday to collect his 18th career victory and first since 2020. Langdon scored decisive victories over Cody Krohn, Justin Ashley and Antron Brown to reach the final round. 

“It feels really good,” Langdon said. “You keep your head down and keep working hard, and I’m just with a great group. J.R. and I are out here having fun and living our dreams. I can’t say enough as Brian. It’s his first race as a crew chief and he gave me an absolute flawless car.

“There were so many pressure situations going into the final round: going for my first Gatornationals win, the first double-up for Kalitta Motorsports. But I just took a deep breath and told myself, ‘Don’t screw this up.’ We’ve had a rough time (in recent seasons), but we’ve just kept our heads down and kept working.”

For his part, Torrence reached his 13th career final round by knocking off Brittany Force, Mike Salinas, and his son, Steve Torrence.

The pressure to seal the double-up fell squarely on Langdon’s shoulders a moment before the Top Fuel final as Todd secured the Funny Car victory on a day where the 2018 Funny Car champion won on a day where he admitted, “Every driver has one lucky round. I had three today.”

Todd ran a 3.889 at 329.10 in his DHL Toyota GR Supra to knock off No. 1 qualifier Austin Prock. He kept winning on a day where persistence outshined performance, stopping Blake Alexander, Ron Capps and Bob Tasca III en route to reaching the final round.

The victory gave Todd his 21st career victory and a special moment being part of the Kalitta Motorsports double-up.

“It’s probably the most bizarre day I’ve had in drag racing, and the final round was the first clean run we’ve had all weekend,” Todd said. “We’ve been trying to double up for a while, and for whatever reason, we couldn’t get it done. The stars just aligned here in Gainesville and it’s pretty awesome.

“I’m proud of my guys for digging deep and not giving up. You can’t take anyone lightly in this class, and it’s so tough from top to bottom, but this sets a good tone and gives us momentum. All the greats have done well at this race, and you want to put your name on that list (in Gainesville). It’s always great to win here.”

Prock, making his NHRA Funny Car debut, rolled to his ninth career final round by defeating John Smith, John Force and Chad Green.

Headed into Gainesville Raceway, there were only two stops on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series where Enders hadn’t won before. After beating Elite teammate Cristian Cuadra in the final round, she can now mark the Gatornationals from her list. 

Enders, the winningest female drag racer in history, delivered a strong run, a 6.494, 211.93 in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/SCAG Power Equipment Camaro to drive away from Cuadra. The victory marked her 48th career Pro Stock win, and she made her way to the final round with wins over Kelley Murphy, Aaron Stanfield, and longtime rival Greg Anderson.

With the field mired in the 6.50s, Enders set up shop in the 6.40s during eliminations with three of her four round wins dipping into the next level. Her 6.483 at 211.96 to defeat Anderson in the semifinals. 

“We’ve been chomping at the bit to get this done,” Enders said. “I’ve been to three final rounds here, and we finally got it done. It’s pretty cool to win this one. There’s certain track that have special (trophies) and to get the Golden Gator and the 55th win, it’s awesome. It will sit proudly on our shelf and seeing a packed house at the Gators, it’s so special. Being able to check off these boxes and get a win like this, it’s really special and we’re just going to keep working.”

Cuadra reached his second career final round on Sunday, taking down Larry Morgan, Jeg Coughlin Jr., and Dallas Glenn.

Last year at this event, a reserved Herrera made his way to the Gainesville Raceway media center to talk about his first career win, and one he achieved from the pole position with a significant advantage in his favor. This year it was deja vu all over again. 

Herrera capped off a spectacular day with a run of 6.636 at 204.39 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki in the final round to get past Matt Smith. 

Herrera, who was also the No. 1 qualifier, won his sixth straight race dating back to his remarkable championship season in 2023 and earned his 12th career victory, and not much was in doubt on Sunday. He put together four straight runs in the 6.60s at more than 200 mph, defeating Joey Gladstone, John Hall, and Angie Smith leading into the final round.

That included a track-record best of 6.629 at 204.54 in the second round, which was the second-quickest run in class history, behind only his record-setting run last year in Dallas.

“Today was good, and we ran really well,” Herrera said. “The weather was really close to Dallas (last season), where I set the national record. Everyone kind of picked up in the class and we expected to as well. Overall, I had a very consistent motorcycle. We actually hurt the motor in the semifinals, so we had to swap motors for the finals. Overall, I had a very consistent, smooth motorcycle all day. As long as I didn’t miss a beat, the bike didn’t miss a beat. Even though I didn’t do any testing during the off-season, it felt like I didn’t even have an off-season, and I’m glad to come home with a win.”

M. Smith went to the finals for the 76th time in his career, thanks to round wins against Chris Bostick, Mark Ingwersen, and LE Tonglet.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action March 21-24 with the 64th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, Calif.