Andrew Hines makes Pro Stock Motorcycle class history when he becomes the first rider to break the seven seconds barrier. Hines runs a fantastic and highly anticipated 6.991 secs during Friday’s second qualifying session aboard the Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod. The rider collected a $10,000 prize from Mickey Thompson Tires for his accomplishment.

Hines also runs the fastest speed in PSM history at 197.45 mph – and backs both that and the ET mark up for national records. Hines cannot however turn all that speed into victory as he fouls out in round two while racing Steve Johnson. Johnson, riding his Snap-On Tools Suzuki, goes on to his second career victory beating out the Matco Tools Suzuki of Craig Treble in the final round.

PSM racing at Gainesville is the quickest assembly ever for the class. The bump spot is established at an unheard of 7.149 secs which obliterated the sport’s previous best of 7.207 secs set at E-Town last season. Pretty well every rider on the premises records career best math -- 7 racers run sub 7.2 secs but DNQ.

Whit Bazemore celebrates the recent birth of his first child (son Dashiell) by winning over a ferocious Funny Car program. Bazemore, driving the Matco Tools Dodge Stratus, turns back a gutsy event effort by Bob Gilbertson, driver of the Autolite/Prestone Chevrolet. Gilbertson has a huge fire during his semi-final round upset win over John Force and his team with assistance from numerous others, scramble to make repairs in time for the final round. The car does not however sound quite right during the burnout and Gilbertson leaves the starting line way to soon (-.324) which allowed Bazemore the easy win light. Whit’s 18th career victory included earlier round wins over Cruz Pedregon, Robert Hight and Gary Scelzi.

John Force’s 3-car team qualifies at the top of the heap in FC. Understudy Robert Hight earns the pole with a strong 4.749 secs which is low ET of the meet, followed by Eric Medlen (4.773 secs) and John Force (4.775 secs). Force goes the furthest on Sunday to the semi-final round only to have a blower belt break while racing Gilbertson.

Canada’s Jeff Arend, who went without a single round victory the entire 2004 racing season, got that monkey off his back at Gainesville driving for his CMKX-sponsored team. Arend uses his Pontiac Firebird body during qualifying to get in 11th with a 4.887 secs but then switches to a flashy new Chevy Monte Carlo for Sunday’s 1st round. With that he proceeds to beat out recent Winternationals Champion Tommy Johnson Jr on a holeshot 4.928 secs to 4.913 secs. Jeff then gets out first on John Force in round two but loses out when the tires spin.

Doug Kalitta earns an enormous victory at Gainesville as the driver of the Mac Tools dragster wins in front of the Mac Tools event sponsors. Driving his special edition “West Coast Customs/Mac Tools” machine, Kalitta wins an exciting tire-smoking final round duel racing Larry Dixon. Kalitta recovers first to post a 5.182 secs to 5.925 secs victory.

Doug Kalitta’s teammate David Grubnic qualifies on the pole at the event with a track record 4.481 secs. Tony Schumacher, who was on the outside looking in until the last qualifying session, set top speed of the meet at 333.95 mph – also a track record.

TF at Gainesville includes yet another strong performance by IHRA star driver Clay Millican who once again knocks on the door of his first NHRA circuit victory. Millican qualifies 8th and takes out both Scott Kalitta and David Grubnic before losing out to Larry Dixon in an exciting semi-final round match 4.546 secs to 4.609 secs.

Pro Stock racing at Gainesville is a record smashing affair – producing the quickest 16-car field in history at 6.709 secs, eclipsing NHRA’s previous best mark of 6.718 secs. 2X defending POWERade Champion Greg Anderson makes another huge performance statement when he powers to the quickest and fastest runs ever in 500 CID class, resetting both ends of the NHRA record at 6.633 secs 208.23 mph. Anderson’s speed made him the first NHRA Pro Stocker over the 208 mph mark. Like Hines in PSB however, Anderson cannot parlay that into an event victory when he is beat out by Warren Johnson in round two 6.696 secs to 6.702 secs.

Anderson’s racing stable mate Jason Line however picks things up for the Ken Black racing team as he goes on to the event victory. Line overcomes a great .006 RT by opponent David Connolly in the final round to win a 6.716 secs to 6.749 secs decision.

Pro Stock racing also sees a flurry of career best speeds and elapsed times for class drivers. 21 of 29 racers accomplish just that. Incredibly 14 of 16 cars qualify in the 6.6 secs zone.

NHRA’s first Pro Mod race of the season goes off at the Mac Tools Gatornationals. The 16-car AMS/TLR feature is a barnburner with the win going to the spectacular new Valvoline-sponsored Dodge Stratus driven by Jay Payne. Payne outguns defending 2004 AMS series champion Mike Ashley in the final round winning a terrific 6.111 secs 236.03 mph to 6.177 secs 230.59 mph battle. For Payne, who had some 27 careers wins racing in NHRA Top Alcohol, the Pro Mod victory was his first. Payne’s wife Shelly also raced at the event in a second identical Dodge Stratus but bowed out earlier.

Payne’s victory included the fastest speed ever in PM class history at 236.03 mph. South Carolina’s Ed Hoover set low ET of the meet at 6.093 secs driving the Trussell Motorsports Corvette.

Top Alcohol racing featured a first time NHRA winner with Utah’s Aaron Olivarez prevailing in what was only his 4th career start in the class. Olivarez is able to edge out Ashley Force in an all nitro-injected final round. Injected nitro cars also set low ET and top speed for the category -- Bill Reichart (5.181 secs) to earn the pole, and Michael Gunderson (276.49 mph).

The TAD field saw three Canadian-based cars qualify. Jeff Veale (from Stoney Creek, ON) got in on the bump and then upset low qualifier Bill Reichart, when Reichart unexpectedly fouled out in round one. Veale lost out to eventual winner Olivarez in round two. Canada’s fastest supercharged car, driven by Ken Perry (Gormley, ON), qualified 6th (5.350 secs 263.85 mph) and won over Rich McPhillips in round one. Perry is then edged out by Ashley Force in the second frame. Quebec’s Daniel Mercier, campaigning his all-new injected-nitro car, qualifies 9th and ran the quickest and fastest times ever by a Canadian in the class, at 5.318 secs at 269.94 mph in round one. Unfortunately that swift run is beaten back by a quicker-leaving Olivarez.

The TAFC program sees Bob Newberry win huge driving his all new and ultra trick Roush-bodied Chevy Monte Carlo. Newberry’s Valvoline-sponsored machine turns back surprise finalist Mark Billington in the championship final round winning decisively at 5.591 secs 256.26 mph.

Low ET and top speed for the class is set by Frank Manzo who skips to a 5.523 secs at 260.41 mph driving his Lucas Oil Pontiac. In an unexpected development shortly after that however, Manzo is forced to withdraw from further competition due to medical reasons.