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Doug Kalitta, driver of “Big Red”, the 8,000 horsepower Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster, will begin Sunday’s 16-car Top Fuel final eliminations atop the qualifying mountain in the No. 1 (4.631 seconds, 319.60 mph) qualifying position at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at scenic Bandimere Speedway in Denver, Colo.
Kalitta’s qualifying fete is his first No. 1 qualifying position of the 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season and his first No. 1 since the St. Louis event at the mid-point of last season. It is the 27th No. 1 qualifying position of his Top Fuel career.
Kalitta will race No. 16 qualifier Scott Palmer (5.563 sec., 176.47 mph) in the first round of eliminations tomorrow.
“It’s great to be low qualifier, but we hope we can break the jinx (no No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier has won an event thus far in the 2006),” Kalitta said. “We’ve got a brand new car this weekend, and it seems to be working out good so far.
“Tomorrow is supposed to be about the same as far as weather conditions, so we’ll just see what happens. Hopefully we can go rounds and maybe leave here with the points lead.”
Kalitta has won four of the previous seven NHRA national events (Bristol, Tenn., Atlanta, Topeka, Kans., and Chicago), and he enters tomorrow’s final eliminations in second place in POWERade championship points, now just 18 points, less than one elimination round, behind Top Fuel points leader Melanie Troxel. Kalitta’s four wins this season are the most by any driver in drag racing’s quickest and fastest racing class.
Doug Kalitta Mac Tools Dragster qualifies No. 1
Doug Kalitta, driver of “Big Red”, the 8,000 horsepower Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster, will begin Sunday’s 16-car Top Fuel final eliminations atop the qualifying mountain in the No. 1 (4.631 seconds, 319.60 mph) qualifying position at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at scenic Bandimere Speedway in Denver, Colo.
Kalitta’s qualifying fete is his first No. 1 qualifying position of the 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season and his first No. 1 since the St. Louis event at the mid-point of last season. It is the 27th No. 1 qualifying position of his Top Fuel career.
Kalitta will race No. 16 qualifier Scott Palmer (5.563 sec., 176.47 mph) in the first round of eliminations tomorrow.
“It’s great to be low qualifier, but we hope we can break the jinx (no No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier has won an event thus far in the 2006),” Kalitta said. “We’ve got a brand new car this weekend, and it seems to be working out good so far.
“Tomorrow is supposed to be about the same as far as weather conditions, so we’ll just see what happens. Hopefully we can go rounds and maybe leave here with the points lead.”
Kalitta has won four of the previous seven NHRA national events (Bristol, Tenn., Atlanta, Topeka, Kans., and Chicago), and he enters tomorrow’s final eliminations in second place in POWERade championship points, now just 18 points, less than one elimination round, behind Top Fuel points leader Melanie Troxel. Kalitta’s four wins this season are the most by any driver in drag racing’s quickest and fastest racing class.
