YPSILANTI, Mich. (July 15, 2025) – One year ago, Doug Kalitta won the regular season and earned the top seed in the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs. The driver who wins the regular season this year will also earn a $150,000 bonus for the first time. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series continues July 18-20 at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals near Seattle.
After winning the regular season last year, Kalitta went on to finish second in the final point standings – a solid follow-up to his first series title but not the title defense for which he’d hoped. Now, an extra $150,000 is on the line. Kalitta enters the second half of the season and the final four races in the regular season fourth in points, but the top three have separated themselves somewhat. Kalitta is now 110 markers out of third place and 187 behind points leader Tony Stewart, but don’t count out the 2023 Top Fuel champion; that regular season title is still within reach.
“I would definitely say so totally,” Kalitta said. “We just have to take it one-by-one on Sunday and see if we can start accumulating enough points to catch back up. I feel really confident that our Mac Tools team can. We’re trying our best so it’s just a matter of hopefully turning the corner and start making it to the final round. All the pieces are there, and my car is really good so we’ll see what happens.”
Kalitta has one win in five Seattle final rounds, and to say this weekend would be the perfect time to notch his second Seattle win would be quite the understatement. Kalitta has been phenomenal in qualifying this season with five No. 1 qualifiers among seven top-four qualifying efforts in the season’s first 10 races, but qualifying will be a bit different this weekend. Qualifying will open with one session Friday at 9:15 p.m. followed by three sessions Saturday afternoon.
“Just having one night run on Friday and then three on Saturday is a little different format – it’ll definitely be interesting,” Kalitta said. “They did a lot of a lot of work out on that track over the years, and it’s actually fun to race there. It’s great for the fans, and I like running at night. It’s kinda cool so you know those are the best conditions, and that’s obviously part of why they decided to do it. The excitement of watching a car go down the track at night is pretty cool, and our car is good at night. They’re also fun to drive at night, and the Mac Tools car’s been running well so we should be able to put up a good number. That’s pretty exciting.”
Despite the qualifying prowess and four wins in the Mission Foods Challenge on qualifying Saturdays, Kalitta only advanced to the final round one time in the first half of the season. That obviously has to change in the second half.
“We’ve had good luck on the Mission Foods races, and we’ve been good in qualifying,” Kalitta added. “We’re just trying to go rounds on Sunday. That’s where we need to be focused so we’re looking forward to getting to Seattle and seeing what we can do.”
Race Information:
Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals Pacific Raceways; Kent, Wash.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
2024 Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 4; beat Billy Torrence, Jasmine Salinas; lost to Steve Torrence.
Doug Kalitta Career Stats: 617 events, 55 wins, 65 runner-up, 813 round wins, 63 No. 1 qualifiers.
2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results to Date:
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After winning the regular season last year, Kalitta went on to finish second in the final point standings – a solid follow-up to his first series title but not the title defense for which he’d hoped. Now, an extra $150,000 is on the line. Kalitta enters the second half of the season and the final four races in the regular season fourth in points, but the top three have separated themselves somewhat. Kalitta is now 110 markers out of third place and 187 behind points leader Tony Stewart, but don’t count out the 2023 Top Fuel champion; that regular season title is still within reach.
“I would definitely say so totally,” Kalitta said. “We just have to take it one-by-one on Sunday and see if we can start accumulating enough points to catch back up. I feel really confident that our Mac Tools team can. We’re trying our best so it’s just a matter of hopefully turning the corner and start making it to the final round. All the pieces are there, and my car is really good so we’ll see what happens.”
Kalitta has one win in five Seattle final rounds, and to say this weekend would be the perfect time to notch his second Seattle win would be quite the understatement. Kalitta has been phenomenal in qualifying this season with five No. 1 qualifiers among seven top-four qualifying efforts in the season’s first 10 races, but qualifying will be a bit different this weekend. Qualifying will open with one session Friday at 9:15 p.m. followed by three sessions Saturday afternoon.
“Just having one night run on Friday and then three on Saturday is a little different format – it’ll definitely be interesting,” Kalitta said. “They did a lot of a lot of work out on that track over the years, and it’s actually fun to race there. It’s great for the fans, and I like running at night. It’s kinda cool so you know those are the best conditions, and that’s obviously part of why they decided to do it. The excitement of watching a car go down the track at night is pretty cool, and our car is good at night. They’re also fun to drive at night, and the Mac Tools car’s been running well so we should be able to put up a good number. That’s pretty exciting.”
Despite the qualifying prowess and four wins in the Mission Foods Challenge on qualifying Saturdays, Kalitta only advanced to the final round one time in the first half of the season. That obviously has to change in the second half.
“We’ve had good luck on the Mission Foods races, and we’ve been good in qualifying,” Kalitta added. “We’re just trying to go rounds on Sunday. That’s where we need to be focused so we’re looking forward to getting to Seattle and seeing what we can do.”
Race Information:
Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals Pacific Raceways; Kent, Wash.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
- Qualifying Show 1: 10-11:30 p.m. Saturday, July 19 on FS1
- Qualifying Show 1: 2:30-4:30 Sunday, July 19 on FS1
- Finals: 4:30-7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 20 on FOX
2024 Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 4; beat Billy Torrence, Jasmine Salinas; lost to Steve Torrence.
Doug Kalitta Career Stats: 617 events, 55 wins, 65 runner-up, 813 round wins, 63 No. 1 qualifiers.
2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results to Date:
- Gainesville: Qualified No. 4; defeated Ida Zetterstrom; lost to Steve Torence.
- Phoenix: Qualified No. 1; defeated Travis Shumake, Bye and Jasmine Salinas; lost to Shawn Langdon.
- Pomona: Qualified No. 2: defeated Scott Palmer before losing to Tony Stewart.
- Las Vegas: Qualified No. 1: defeated Clay Millican, Bye, lost to Tony Stewart and Justin Ashley.
- Charlotte: Qualified No. 1; Lost to Tony Stewart, Clay Millican and Lex Joon.
- Chicago: Qualified No. 1; defeated Lex Joon and Josh Hart, lost to Justin Ashley.
- Epping: Qualified No. 1; defeated Bye and Ida Zetterstrom; lost to Brittany Force.
- Bristol: Qualified No. 9; lost to Josh Hart.
- Richmond: Qualified No. 7; defeated Antron Brown and Clay Millican; lost to Justin Ashley
- Norwalk: Qualified No. 15; defeated Antron Brown; lost to Clay Millican.
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