Championship winning racer Dan Fletcher set a new career mark when he put his Micro Strategies Camaro in the winner’s circle at the recent NHRA Amalie Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. Fletcher delivered his 109th national event victory, solidifying his place as one of the winningest drivers in NHRA history.
The Gatornationals is the kick-off event for the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series and Fletcher handled the field in Super Stock with his trusty Micro Strategies Camaro. Along with being a fierce competitor, Fletcher’s 1969 Z/28 Camaro is widely known as being the winningest car in drag racing history.
Coming from the 52nd qualified position, Fletcher defeated Russel Ghent in the first round, before winning a close match against former Stock Eliminator world champion Kevin Helms in round 2. Josh Barczy was the next victim and in quarter-final action, Fletcher was .012 on the tree, while his opponent, Victor Cagnazzi, fouled out.
In the semi-finals, Fletcher used an .026 light and 9.59 run to best Wendell Howes and that set up the final match with fellow Division 1 rival Kent Hanley. Fletcher was ready, hitting a .006 light to set the race in motion. Hanley launched second, but like Cagnazzi, he came up red, handing the win to Fletcher.
“It was awesome to close the deal today in Gainesville,” said Fletcher. “It didn’t even dawn on me that this is the first national event of the year in the 75th season of NHRA.” Not only did Fletcher earn his 109th win, but he also took home a special 75th Anniversary Wally trophy.
“This weekend the car was just lights out,” said Fletcher, “I’m glad I won, but I’m really glad the car is running so well. Everyone is good these days so it’s very hard to win. You must have a car that does what it’s supposed to do, and a lot of that consistency comes from the team at Micro Strategies. Micro Strategies and my sponsors including Denso, ATI, Mickey Thompson, VP Racing, Peak Squad and James Rawlings at Hippie Headers all share in my success. Without them I couldn’t be here.”
Bongiovanni Racing team owner Anthony Bongiovanni added, “Dan is such an asset to our organization. We were unable to make the race in Gainesville and Dan and his family represented us well. Not just because he won, but with his professionalism and his style of racing. Dan is all about family and that’s a big part of drag racing for us. Congratulations to Dan, this is a monumental win for him and our team.”
To cap things off, Fletcher was selected as one of the top 75 drivers in NHRA history. “I must admit, when Kevin McKenna of NHRA called it was an awesome moment. It’s humbling to be mentioned alongside racers like “Big Daddy” Don Garlits and Bob Glidden. They are real icons of the sport; I’m just a working man doing my thing. I’m blessed, but it’s those guys who built this deal. I’m 60 but I still think I’m competitive and I’m not done yet.”
