Gainesville Raceway gets a new name

Tori Petry, ESPN Radio

The quarter-mile dragstrip located on the outer edges of Gainesville has been known as Gainesville Raceway ever since its establishment in 1969. But on Thursday, the NHRA announced that new sponsorship has now dubbed the it "Auto Plus Raceway."

Uni-Select USA and its Auto-Plus automotive retail stores acquired the naming rights just in time for the raceway's largest event, the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals in March. The event is one of the highlights of the NHRA season, feature Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycles. It was at this race in 1992 that the 300 mph mark was first broken in the NHRA. The 2012 Gatornationals commemorate the 20th Anniversary of driver Kenny Bernstein's momentous 300 mph run, and the NHRA legend himself will be making a special appearance at this year's March 8-11 event.