Racer fan fest precedes Gatornationals
The Burnyzz Speed Shop gathering in southeast Ocala drew more than 30 top drivers and about 7,000 guests.
“Big Daddy” Don Garlits, left, signs autographs with Top Fuel driver Ida Zetterstrom during the NHRA Gatornationals FanFest at Burnyzz Speed Shop in Ocala, Fla. on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2025.
The 56th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville was plagued by off and on thunderstorms from March 7-9, but the March 5 Fan Fest at Burnyzz Speed Shop in Ocala was nothing but blue skies and a celebration of some of drag racing’s finest drivers.
The third annual Fan Fest was hosted by Burnyzz Speed Shop owners Josh and Brittanie Hart. The event featured about 30 big name National Hot Rod Association drivers, including drag racing legend “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, who owns a museum south of Ocala, and NASCAR star Tony Stewart, who is now in his second year of NHRA Top Fuel drag racing, and about 7,000 fans turned out to see them. The event included a car show, with a number of privately-owned vehicles on display, music, food and family fun.
Josh Hart races the R + L Carriers Top Fuel dragster. He said that during the Gatornationals he would be only the second driver in NHRA history to drive in the Top Fuel and Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series. At the end of the day on March 9, the Top Fuel award went to defending world champion Antron Brown. Hart finished in 13th place. The Funny Car title went to Chad Green, with Dallas Green winning Pro Stock and Gaige Herrera taking the win in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
At the Fan Fest event in Ocala, Elon Werner, a spokesperson for the Josh Hart Team, said this year’s event had “more drivers than ever” and that the car show was the biggest of all three years.
Veve and Scott Adams, with their 1967 Chevrolet Camaro, were among the many people displaying cars. A 2011 Ford Shelby Mustang in the showroom garnered a lot of attention from car buffs
The drivers on hand for autographs and photos ranged from 12-year-old junior dragster racers, twin brothers Rydin and Zandir Cook, who have been racing since the age of 7; to racing legends Darrell Gwynn and Bruce Larsen, a Funny Car champ who drove Garlits’ Kendall GT-1 Top Fuel dragsters in 1991 and 1992.
Some fans brought helmets, posters, diecast model cars and more for drivers to sign during the autograph session, which lasted for hours. Brett and Angela Huff of Tampa had a front quarter panel from a Ford Mustang driven by Tony Stewart and planned to ask the three-time NASCAR Cup champion to sign it. The panel was purchased from a NASCAR collectibles shop in North Carolina and was complete with documentation and a scuff around the wheel well opening area.
“The scuff likely came from brushing the wall,” Brett Huff said.
Judy and Jay Leininger of Ocala were the first people in line for the autograph session.
“We’re here to see everybody,” she said.
The couple had a helmet, which they had signed by several drivers, including the Cook twins and Camrie Caruso, 27-year-old driver of the True Brand Racing car and NHRA Rookie of the Year for 2023.
Mike and Linda Swope of Avon, Indiana, traveled to Gainesville to attend the Gatornationals and decided to come to Ocala for Fan Fest. They were in line to meet several racers, including one of their favorites, Funny Car driver “Fast” Jack Beckman, who chatted with Linda and he said he recalled meeting her at a previous event.
“The drivers are very friendly and it’s interesting to hear them talk,” Linda Swope said. The couple has also visited the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing.
Top Fuel dragster driver Ida Zetterstrom, a 30-year-old native of Sweden now living in Indianapolis, Indiana, is cited in her biography as the 2023 European Top Fuel Champion in pursuit of the NHRA Top Fuel Championship. She comes from a family with a background in racing and her mother, Carola Zetterstrom, was at Fan Fest to offer support.
Leah Pruett, 36, a Top Fuel driver, who finished third in points in 2023, was signing autographs, as was Chris Bostick, who pilots the Surf Signature RV Resort Suzuki Pro Stock motorcycle in the NHRA Misson Drag Racing Series.
Bobby Iafratde represented another breed of racers—remote controlled battery-powered model dragster operators—who are set to compete at the Garlits museum.
Race fan Scott Adimando waited in the autograph line as did Ron Magrino of The Villages. Magrino had a die-cast model car to have signed by Stewart. John and Toki Otway of Ocala wanted to see Garlits.
Chris Ennis and his daughter, Aliyah, 14, were near the back of the long line but felt that meeting Stewart, their favorite driver, and having him sign a helmet, was worth the wait.
To learn more about the Gatornationals, go to nhra.com; for info about Burnyzz Speed Shop, go to burnyzz.com
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