Calm before the storm: Fans, drivers enjoy quiet opening day at 54th Gatornationals

The sun was bright and the crowd was light as the 54th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals kicked off Thursday at Gainesville Raceway.

A few hundred fans watched as the Sportsman and Top Alcohol series cars took part in qualifying, a far cry from the thousands expected to flood through the gates Friday through Sunday. Others could be found in the concession area chowing down on everything from hamburgers and sausages to barbecue nachos and fried Oreos.

It seemed the majority of people were winding their way through the pit area, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite drivers.

Eric Wulf, of Tampa, who said he has been to every Gatornationals event over the past 10 years, was standing outside Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett's tent as she filmed what appeared to be a promotional video. He said he admired Pruett's "competitiveness" and "true spirit."

"I love Thursday because you get to be up close and personal with everybody, maybe get a photo one-on-one," he said.

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Wulf said he plans to attend all four days of the event and is meeting about 30 former high school classmates from as far away as Miami and Georgia.

Also walking the pit area were Bo Turner and his 7-year-old grandson, Cameron Brotherton. Turner said it was his first time at Gatornationals in 20 years and that he promised his grandson, a car enthusiast, that he would take him to a race.

Brotherton, who said he was enjoying the early-morning qualifying rounds, summed up the experience in one word with a smile: "Fast."

Bobby Knittel, a member of the Ocala Street Cruisers, was hovering around fellow Ocala resident and Top Fuel driver Josh Hart's tent. Knittel said it is "awesome" to watch someone from Ocala compete in the event, but admitted he's always be a John Force fan.

"He’s still kicking butt and taking names," he said of Force. "Still going three seconds in a Funny Car, he’s amazing.”

Some fans walking through the pit also got a bit of a thrill as three-time Top Fuel champion Antron Brown rolled one of his cars down the main thoroughfare. Fans pointed and took pictures as they realized who it was.

"You’re pulling up pit road, you’re looking at all your peers and all the other people that you race against. Everybody’s getting all their stuff together for a really busy weekend," Brown said. "For me, at the end of the day, it’s like, this is what we do. This is our day to relax, get our minds right, get everything together and get ready for the craziness that’s about to start."

Brown met later Thursday with firefighters at Gainesville Fire Station No. 1, at 525 S. Main St., as part of a Fire Department Coffee charitable initiative that focuses on first responders' mental and physical health.

“We’re going to go out there and have a little fun, bring em’ a little coffee, bring em’ a little cheer, bring em’ a little joy, and actually give them a little taste of what we do, and tell them about NHRA drag racing," Brown said before the visit.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville Raceway hosts 54th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals