Doug Kalitta returned to victory lane in a big way on Sunday at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals, powering his Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster to his first win of the 2025 season and a record-setting sixth Top Fuel victory at Sonoma Raceway.
Kalitta, the No. 2 qualifier with a 3.661-second, 332.84 mph blast during Friday night’s prime conditions, made the most of race day with wins over Ron August Jr. and Josh Hart before earning a bye run in the semifinals. In the final, he lined up against reigning Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown. Brown left first and held the early advantage, but Kalitta reeled him in and drove around him at the top end to secure the win.
“It’s been a while since we made it to the finals so I’m glad we managed to get this win,” Kalitta said. “Sonoma is actually the first place where I won, so it’s cool to pull it off again today — 20 years later.”
With the victory, Kalitta breaks his tie with Joe Amato to become the winningest Top Fuel driver in Sonoma Raceway history. The win also marks the 56th of his career and caps off a dominant two-week stretch for Team Kalitta, who now own back-to-back wins on the NHRA’s Western Swing. Teammate Shawn Langdon took the W last weekend in Seattle.
Kalitta’s team, led by tuning legend Alan Johnson and assistant crew chief Mac Savage, delivered consistently strong passes throughout the weekend, providing the kind of performance necessary to top a stout field — including a final-round showdown with one of the sport’s toughest competitors.
“That’s what we needed against Antron and his team because they’re always tough,” Kalitta said. “But it was another good, solid run for us.”
The win also gives Kalitta a boost in the championship hunt. He now sits fourth in the NHRA Top Fuel standings with just two races remaining in the regular season. He trails third-place Justin Ashley by only 10 points and remains within striking distance of points leader Shawn Langdon.
The emotional victory was made even sweeter by the presence of team owner and uncle Connie Kalitta, a drag racing icon in his own right. “Connie was here; he just loves this stuff. It’s infectious for all of us,” Kalitta said. “He’ll be smiling all the way home for sure.”
As for Kalitta’s post-race celebration?
“My celebration is hopping in our jet and flying home tonight, so I won’t be able to celebrate for a few hours,” he joked.
This story was originally published on July 27, 2025. 
