TOP FUEL WINNER: Doug Kalitta, Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster
Finals Broadcast Replay (eastern time): 4-7 p.m. Monday, April 27 on FS2
Qualifying: Doug Kalitta was the No. 3 qualifier at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals. His best qualifying attempt came during the Friday-night session when he recorded a 3.711-second pass at 334.73 mph.
Eliminations: Kalitta defeated Antron Brown and Clay Millican in the opening round and Justin Ashley and Maddie Gordon in the second to advance to the final quad. In the final, Kalitta won the race with the fastest run of his career, the third-fastest run in NHRA history and the fastest run in the history of zMAX Dragway. His 3.692-second run at 342.98 mph was good enough to defeat his teammate, Shawn Langdon, by .0146 seconds. Leah Pruett finished third with Tony Sterart finishing fourth in the quad. It was Kalitta’s 60th-career win and his first of the season. Kalitta’s race win trophy is the special silver NHRA 75th Anniversary “Wally,” in recognition of the 2026 season, NHRA’s 75th anniversary.
When Kalitta advanced to the final quadrant, he earned a spot in next week’s Mission Foods Challenge. During Saturday’s qualifying sessions, the drivers who reached the final quadrant today will re-run the semifinals and final in separate pairs earning additional purse and championship bonus points.
Unofficial Point Standings: Kalitta leaves Charlotte in first place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He leads his teammate, second-place Shawn Langdon, by15 points.
Kalitta on Charlotte: “Alan (Crew Chief Alan Johnson) thought he was going to run over 340 MPH. I don’t know how he predicts these things, but the guy’s a wizard tuning these cars, and I’m just very, very fortunate and grateful to have him on our team because it’s a hell of an opportunity. Connie (Team Owner Connie Kalitta) gives us everything we need for all three of our cars. He didn’t make it out this weekend, but I’m sure he’s pretty proud of what we accomplished with all three cars. We had a lot of support here this weekend from Mac Tools, Revchem, SealMaster, SoundGear and Dayco so that’s definitely a race you want to win. All in all, a good day.
“This trophy is cool; I saw this thing at the beginning of the year, and we’re at the fourth race now. I was hoping to pull this off and get one of these trophies. It is a good-looking trophy, and it’s a little heavier than the other one – it’s pretty cool.”
Doug Kalitta Photo Courtesy: Kalitta Motorsports
The post Doug Kalitta Edges Teammate, Wins NHRA 4-Wide Nationals first appeared on Team Kalitta Motorsports.
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Finals Broadcast Replay (eastern time): 4-7 p.m. Monday, April 27 on FS2
Qualifying: Doug Kalitta was the No. 3 qualifier at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals. His best qualifying attempt came during the Friday-night session when he recorded a 3.711-second pass at 334.73 mph.
Eliminations: Kalitta defeated Antron Brown and Clay Millican in the opening round and Justin Ashley and Maddie Gordon in the second to advance to the final quad. In the final, Kalitta won the race with the fastest run of his career, the third-fastest run in NHRA history and the fastest run in the history of zMAX Dragway. His 3.692-second run at 342.98 mph was good enough to defeat his teammate, Shawn Langdon, by .0146 seconds. Leah Pruett finished third with Tony Sterart finishing fourth in the quad. It was Kalitta’s 60th-career win and his first of the season. Kalitta’s race win trophy is the special silver NHRA 75th Anniversary “Wally,” in recognition of the 2026 season, NHRA’s 75th anniversary.
When Kalitta advanced to the final quadrant, he earned a spot in next week’s Mission Foods Challenge. During Saturday’s qualifying sessions, the drivers who reached the final quadrant today will re-run the semifinals and final in separate pairs earning additional purse and championship bonus points.
Unofficial Point Standings: Kalitta leaves Charlotte in first place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He leads his teammate, second-place Shawn Langdon, by15 points.
Kalitta on Charlotte: “Alan (Crew Chief Alan Johnson) thought he was going to run over 340 MPH. I don’t know how he predicts these things, but the guy’s a wizard tuning these cars, and I’m just very, very fortunate and grateful to have him on our team because it’s a hell of an opportunity. Connie (Team Owner Connie Kalitta) gives us everything we need for all three of our cars. He didn’t make it out this weekend, but I’m sure he’s pretty proud of what we accomplished with all three cars. We had a lot of support here this weekend from Mac Tools, Revchem, SealMaster, SoundGear and Dayco so that’s definitely a race you want to win. All in all, a good day.
“This trophy is cool; I saw this thing at the beginning of the year, and we’re at the fourth race now. I was hoping to pull this off and get one of these trophies. It is a good-looking trophy, and it’s a little heavier than the other one – it’s pretty cool.”
Doug Kalitta Photo Courtesy: Kalitta Motorsports
The post Doug Kalitta Edges Teammate, Wins NHRA 4-Wide Nationals first appeared on Team Kalitta Motorsports.
Continue reading...
