Doug Kalitta, Applied Innovation Top Fuel Dragster​


Partnership News: Doug Kalitta will race the Applied Innovation Top Fuel dragster in this weekend’s opening round of the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs. A longtime Team Kalitta partner, Applied Innovation serves customers in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Florida with managed and co-managed IT and Help Desk services. Applied was founded as a printer, copier and fax company in 1987 and is now a full-fledged office technology provider.

“We’re proud of our partnership with Kalitta Motorsports and especially excited to serve as Doug Kalitta’s primary partner for the inaugural Great Lakes Nationals, right here in our home state of Michigan,” said Casey Lowery, President of Applied Innovation. “As a family-owned Michigan business, it’s particularly meaningful to partner with another family-owned Michigan company and valued Applied customer. We’re also grateful to Kalitta and DHL for inviting us to join the Race to End Hunger and support Feeding America, a commitment to community that aligns closely with our own values. We wish Doug, J.R., Shawn and the entire Kalitta team the very best in Martin!”

Honoring the Kalittas: Doug Kalitta and his uncle, Team Owner Connie Kalitta, will be recognized in Martin, Mich., as part of NHRA’s season-long 75th Anniversary celebration. Connie returns to the track this weekend after recovering from knee surgery. Both Kalittas will be honored on the starting line prior to the third qualifying session on Saturday and will receive their medallions signifying their recognition as two of the top-75 drivers in NHRA history.

2025 NHRA Great Lakes Nationals Recap: Inaugural event.

Doug Kalitta Career Stats: 640 events, 63 wins, 70 runners-up, 875 round wins, 70 No. 1 qualifiers.

Current Points Position: 1

Pre-Race Notes:

  • Doug Kalitta enters the Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals in first place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings, and he is the top seed entering the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs. After the completion of the regular season, points earned through the Mission Foods Challenge were added to the standings, and Kalitta enters the Playoffs with a 26-point lead over his teammate Shawn Langdon.
  • Kalitta has four wins and four No. 1 qualifiers this season. With Kalitta’s wins and Langdon’s five wins, the Team Kalitta dragsters won nine of the season’s first 14 races and competed in 53 of the 55 rounds of racing.
  • This weekend’s race will be the first time Kalitta races at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park; he was there during test sessions when his uncle was driving, but the Michigan native never raced in Martin.
  • With 63 race wins, Kalitta is third on NHRA’s all-time Top Fuel wins list and trails second-place Antron Brown by two wins. He is 11th in overall Mission Foods Drag Racing Series wins and trails 10th-place Robert Hight by two wins. In addition, with his next round win, he will tie Warren Johnson for sixth place in all-time NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series round wins.
  • Kalitta is a two-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion (2023, ’25) and a member of the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Pre-Race Quotes: “It’s definitely been a battle with Shawn and me; our nice little points cushion has gone away, unfortunately, but we’re looking good. Both of our cars are in the same area of our shop so they kind of share space, and it’s a cool deal because it’s kind of bragging rights with the two teams right next to one another. We’ve got a great effort with what Connie and Chad (General Manager Chad Head) put together. My crew chief, Alan Johnson, and Brian (Langdon Crew Chief Brian Husen) worked together for so many years so it’ll be an interesting stretch to see how it actually all unfolds, and we’re looking forward to it.

“As the season goes on, it always seems to come down to Pomona and a tight points battle at the end of the season. The whole format of the Countdown brings tight battles to the teams and the fans, so it should definitely be a fun time to see what we can do with my car and if we can go some rounds and be there at the end for this thing.

“The Michigan race is pretty exciting, and it’s been a number of years since the Detroit Dragway days that NHRA has made it to Michigan, so it’s pretty close for us. We’ve had a lot of excitement with our employees and sponsors. We’re looking forward to that race, and Applied Innovation, which is headquartered over in that part of this state, is on my car this weekend so we look forward to hosting those guys.

“We’re gonna have a ton of people at our hospitality and just part of our weekend; as far as I’m concerned, the more of the merrier, but it’ll be business as usual, really. Each qualifying run’s going to be important and typically Friday’s usually a good qualifying day, and then Saturdays are typically a little warmer, but this time of year in Michigan, I’m not sure what the forecast holds, but it’ll be exciting for the fans.”

Kalitta Photo Courtesy: NHRA

For Doug Kalitta’s 2026 race-by-race results, please click here.

TV Schedule (All times eastern):

  • Qualifying Show 1: Noon-2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20 on FS1
  • Finals No. 1: 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20 on FS1

The post Doug Kalitta Enters NHRA Playoffs as Top Seed at NHRA Martin, Mich. first appeared on Team Kalitta Motorsports.

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