Doug Kalitta, Gerber Collision & Glass Top Fuel Dragster
Partnership Update: Doug Kalitta will drive the Gerber Collision & Glass Top Fuel dragster in this weekend’s third round of the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs. Founded in 1937, Gerber Collision & Glass has provided quality auto collision and glass repair services for more than 80 years. What started as a single auto glass and trim shop in Chicago grew into one of the largest auto collision and glass repair companies in North America.
“Winning at the highest level takes preparation, execution and a relentless commitment to performance,” said Brian Kaner, President & CEO of The Boyd Group. “Doug Kalitta and the Kalitta Motorsports team embody those qualities, and they align closely with how we think about our business at Gerber Collision & Glass. We’re proud to support Doug as he competes for another championship.”
2025 NHRA Midwest Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 1; defeated Will Smith, Steve Torrence, Justin Ashley and Ida Zetterstrom.
Doug Kalitta Career Stats: 642 events, 63 wins, 70 runners-up, 879 round wins, 72 No. 1 qualifiers.
Current Points Position: 2
Pre-Race Notes:
- Doug Kalitta enters the NAPA NHRA Midwest Nationals in second place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He trails his teammate, Shawn Langdon, by 25 points and leads third-place Tony Stewart by 130. He opened the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs with two No. 1 qualifiers, a runner-up and a semifinal.
- Kalitta has four wins, four runners-up, six semifinals and six No. 1 qualifiers this season. With Kalitta’s wins and Langdon’s seven wins, the Team Kalitta dragsters won 11 of the season’s first 16 races and competed in 61 of the 63 rounds of racing.
- 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.
- Kalitta is the defending champion of the NHRA Midwest Nationals. Last year’s win was his fifth in seven St. Louis final rounds; he also has four No. 1 qualifiers including last year.
- Kalitta is a two-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion (2023, ’25) and a member of the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Pre-Race Quotes:
“Every point counts, but the 20-point swings on Sunday are the real thing. We’ve all lost close points races, and the qualifying points are also super important. I hate to try to focus too much on it, but you’re down to four races, so you have to. It’s not something I personally get too wrapped around the axle about it. I have a great car and a great group behind me. We have a lot of momentum, so we just got to keep carrying that with everybody pulling together, continuing to be hungry, work hard and see what we can do with Alan and Mac (Crew Chiefs Alan Johnson and Mac Savage) leading our charge.
“I’m all in for this points battle. I feel very confident in the whole effort, and I know our Gerber Collision & Glass team will do whatever it takes to make it happen. We’re just very hopeful we can go rounds. It’s super cool to get to the semis at least but hopefully the final. We’re looking forward to whatever those opportunities are, it’ll be fun doing everything we can to hopefully pull this thing off.
“I’m looking forward to St. Louis. We were able to win the thing last year so there’s no reason we can’t do it again; I know all my guys are hungry. We’ll have to work our tails off there, but we’re up to the challenge. I’m real proud of the job they’re doing. We all know what these Countdown races mean, and there’s plenty of rounds to go so we’re in a good spot.”
Kalitta Photo Courtesy: Kalitta Motorsports
For Doug Kalitta’s 2026 race-by-race results, please click here.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
- Qualifying Show 1: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2 on FS1
- Qualifying Show 2: 11 a.m.-Noon Sunday, Oct. 4 on FS1
- Finals No. 1: 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 on FOX or
- Finals No. 2 4:30-6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 on FOX
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