ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (Sept. 26, 2026) – – Doug Kalitta is the No. 1 qualifier for tomorrow’s inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock at Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, N.C. He earned his second-straight No. 1 qualifier and his fourth in the last six races in front of a sellout crowd in the North Carolina sandhills. Sunday’s race broadcast is scheduled for 3-6 p.m. eastern time on FS1.
Kalitta made his best qualifying attempt during Friday’s second session when he reached the finish line in 3.682 seconds at 338.09 mph. Kalitta was the only driver to qualify in the 3.60s. With warmer conditions on Saturday, Kalitta’s Friday run held up, and the Mac Tools dragster remained the quickest car. It is Kalitta’s sixth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 72nd of his career.
“For me, the guys just motivate me,” Kalitta said. “Everybody’s working real hard to get good runs in every time we go to the line. Alan (Crew Chief Alan Johnson) is about as intense as it gets really, especially with the Countdown and five races to go now. It’s time to shine if you’re going to be on the top. So that’s what we’re all focused on, even before the Countdown when we were trying to win the regular season championship and the Mission Foods Challenge races. It’s a lot more fun winning than packing up early, and we’re certainly going to try to go rounds tomorrow. Hopefully, we can get to the final and have a shot at it.
“The place being sold out today was really cool; they’ve come out in droves. The place is a really nice facility, and the track’s in great shape. It’s kind of a hidden gem; I was here a real long time ago. I’m glad NHRA and everybody that worked it out for us to come back here made it happen because there’s a lot of history here for sure.”
Kalitta will race No. 16 qualifier Rit Pustari in the first round. His teammate, Shawn Langdon is the No. 3 qualifier and will race No. 14 qualifier Cameron Feree. In Funny Car, J.R. Todd qualified fifth and will race No. 12 qualifier Spencer Hyde in the first round.
Photos Courtesy: Kalitta Motorsports
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Kalitta made his best qualifying attempt during Friday’s second session when he reached the finish line in 3.682 seconds at 338.09 mph. Kalitta was the only driver to qualify in the 3.60s. With warmer conditions on Saturday, Kalitta’s Friday run held up, and the Mac Tools dragster remained the quickest car. It is Kalitta’s sixth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 72nd of his career.
“For me, the guys just motivate me,” Kalitta said. “Everybody’s working real hard to get good runs in every time we go to the line. Alan (Crew Chief Alan Johnson) is about as intense as it gets really, especially with the Countdown and five races to go now. It’s time to shine if you’re going to be on the top. So that’s what we’re all focused on, even before the Countdown when we were trying to win the regular season championship and the Mission Foods Challenge races. It’s a lot more fun winning than packing up early, and we’re certainly going to try to go rounds tomorrow. Hopefully, we can get to the final and have a shot at it.
“The place being sold out today was really cool; they’ve come out in droves. The place is a really nice facility, and the track’s in great shape. It’s kind of a hidden gem; I was here a real long time ago. I’m glad NHRA and everybody that worked it out for us to come back here made it happen because there’s a lot of history here for sure.”
Kalitta will race No. 16 qualifier Rit Pustari in the first round. His teammate, Shawn Langdon is the No. 3 qualifier and will race No. 14 qualifier Cameron Feree. In Funny Car, J.R. Todd qualified fifth and will race No. 12 qualifier Spencer Hyde in the first round.
Photos Courtesy: Kalitta Motorsports
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