Rain or shine drag racing fans from all over traveled to Gaineville this weekend for the Gatornationals. As Florida's 89.1 WUFT-FM's Jillian de Montluzin reports, fan's just couldn't resist their need for speed.
Gatornationals attracts fans from across the country. Aaron Weber from Micanopy at one time lived in South Carolina and says regardless of the distance, he'd never miss a single race. Weber bhas attended the high-powered drag races for 20 years. He says this years event has met all of his expectations.
The semi-finals were postponed by a day due to rainy weather over the weekend. Alachua County Resident Andrew Avery says he noticed fans' moods were a lot more upbeat at the track when the sun came out.
The bad weather brought delays for race fans but profit for Gainesville businesses because tourists remained in town for another day. Director of the Alachua County Tourist Development Office Roland Loog says the delays worked out perfectly for Alachua County. Loog says Gatornationals is the largest single event in Alachua County dumping millions into the local economy.