The hot sun of summer is prime time for racing schedules, but the year still has four seasons. Inaugurating the passing of winter with springtime in Florida where the scent of orange blossoms and sound of roaring engines fill the low sky is appropriate. And warm.

Sun seeking tourists and fans of speed don't have to travel deep into the long state to find the bright rays and artificial thunder they crave. They don't have to look high in the sky for big noise from lightning, it happens on the ground. They don't have to bask in the sun on a breezy beach to justify their distant journey. They just have to find a parking place at the NHRA POWERade ACDelco Gatornationals.

For 39 years noise and speed on flat ground carved between pine forests north of a cozy college town in Gainesvillle, Fla., have thrilled fans of side-by-side racing. The spontaneity of drag racing and the incredible burst of speed to get to the win line draw tourists and residents as well.

The story of Gainesville Dragway over the years is all about growing crowds and faster speeds. Track manager Don Robertson said, "This year we ran out of parking places."

It seems nothing is better in springtime than a secluded beach or the brisk fragrance of orange blossoms inland maybe wafting toward a raw cloud of nitro exhaust. The nitro would win that sensory contest.

Racers are a special breed of humans as they generally risk more to win than most athletes. Drag racers are the fastest to cover side-by-side ground trajectory. It seems in drag racing unlike some sports every opponent arrives at the starting line with a strong mix of camaraderie and rivalry. It's a family where kin constantly compete.

Drag racers are passionate and vocal about their sport. Prose can't compare. Recent select comments from a Q&A with 24 top drivers and team members at the Gatornationals describing their need for speed, fill a three-part image-enhanced feature.

All three parts are a fast read in many ways.

Focus is so important. Is there any way to sharpen focus do you think?
"I think just experience that you learn to deal with everything else that's going on. The more practice you've got the more you can forget about everything else when you go up there and climb in the car. Dad has 30 years of experience and he is able to focus better than any of rest of us and he's gone through more than everyone else has. When he gets in his car his mind is not thinking about anything else but what he is doing in there."

You have a great coach like that in your life. Are there a few things that stick out in your mind, any advice that helps to do what you do?
"Just to not get down on myself if I mess up. It's easy to point out the mistakes that you are making. My dad has always said, 'You're not going to learn unless you make mistakes.' No one is going to come out here and be a perfect driver. It will take those mistakes to get better. The biggest mistakes I've made, I've learned the most from. It's taken going through those experiences to know this time around when it happens. I know I'm going to be different in the car. I know what I need to do to make the car react the best way possible."

Fans can't really know what it's like to go down the track with that much force and power. Words can't describe it but you try?
"I think to put it all of it into perspective - the fast street cars, the Dodge Vipers, the Corvettes, the Lamborghinis, Ferraris. Those cars probably accelerate from zero to 100 in nine seconds, maybe 10. A Top Fuel Dragster goes from zero to 100 in point eight, less than one second. Under one second. Basically when you hit the throttle it accelerates to at least 100 mph and it gains another 200 mph in four seconds. It's simply incredible and breathtaking. You body weighs five and a half times its body weight. When the parachute is deployed you go to negative six times that. I think you're just so happy it's stopping, it doesn't even matter."

Coughlin talks about his son playing and growing up in the NHRA pits:
"It's a little different than when I was a kid. It was a lot more laid back, less structured in the 70's. I had three older brothers so we were gone hassling the Frank Hawleys of the world. Mark Oswald was one of my favorites as a kid growing up. Jeggy is out here having a good time. He's with Tony Anderson, Greg's son, so they have been playing all weekend. In Phoenix a couple weeks ago he was with Gary Scelzi's son."

People really don't understand what it takes to race, what it takes to land on your feet often. Your comment?
"It's a job. I'd say 90 percent of the people think what I do is fun and so easy. All I have to do is ride the motorcycle. We had a team meet this morning at 9 a.m. We were talking about the job this weekend and what we have to do for the season. Eighteen people on the team in the trailer all have a job to do all weekend long and then at one point of the weekend, hopefully eight different times - everybody's job stops except for mine. I'm the only one left with the job-at-hand and that's to get the motorcycle from point A to point B. That may sound like an easy thing but when you've got 18 people looking at you, 'All this work we've done for you, you better make it pay off.' That's a lot of pressure.

"I don't think people understand how much pressure is on a driver or a rider when we get up there. All the work these guys have done for months and months, now it's just me on the motorcycle. There is nothing else that can be done. It's all on me.

(Crew chief George Bryce injected: 'An analogy is there are 18 of us that are working really hard to hatch an egg. We hatch a perfect egg and we hand all 18 of them to her. She's got race down the racetrack with all 18 eggs and get them to the other end first and none of them can be broken.')

"When a plan comes together and you do a good job and you get to the finish line first. I'm the one that gets to look at all these great people and say, 'Yes, We did it!' I'm the final piece of the puzzle. It is fun but it's very stressful. Not everybody can be a mechanic. Not everybody can be a PR person. Not everybody can be a photographer. Not everybody can be a racer. We all have our own individual talents."

A Thunderbird Operations Officer told us he becomes one with the jet much like drivers become one with their car. Do you feel you one with your car?
"Yes. I learned that from John Force a long time ago. I drove Top Fuel and he took me under his wing. There was a reason that growing up I always heard John talking about his car as a she. He treats it as if it's got personality. He always talked about it as if he was one with it. You have to be comfortable in the car. That's why I have such a great crew that I'm able to get in the car, you feel the car. It handles good. Everything is perfect and you actually feel like you are a part of the car on the track. You have to feel it. If you are going to be successful you have to be comfortable in the car. I think that next level is being one with car."

What effect would a schedule like NASCAR's 38 week season have on you and your team?
"That's rough. It's tough being away from home every other weekend like we are now especially in the summer let alone every weekend. I don't know how those guys do it, going from one side of the country to the other week to week. My hat's to them. They've got to sit in the car for 500 miles or three and a half hours or however long it takes them. Make sure the pit stops are good. They have an advantage a little bit because they can run form the back and go to the front. They don't have to make a perfect lap every time. They can make it up lap after lap. It really counts when they get down to the end there.

With us it's tough because you've got to be pretty much picture perfect pass after pass. We struggle every now and then but our team is really good at getting myself and Eddie back in the box and what we need to do to get the bike down there. Without the team that we have now, I don't think we'd have a chance at winning another championship. Luckily we have a great team and we have a lot of experience. I think we have a real good shot at No. 4."

After being a Three-time Pro Stock Bike champion is there anything else you'd like to do with your life?
"If we didn't have a bike program I'd probably seek a Top Fuel ride like Antron (Brown) did. I've been talking about that for years although I haven't really pursued it. I've just been so busy with the bike deal. Maybe one of these days I'll try to strap myself inside some alcohol dragster or something like that. You know a Frank Hawley deal. For now I'll just keep going and just try to keep winning championships."

Greetings from Florida