When a partnership is successful, the natural inclination is to enhance it, and that’s exactly what Applied Innovation and Kalitta Motorsports did when they agreed to extend and expand their agreement for the upcoming NHRA season, the team announced today. The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series begins March 8-10, 2024, at the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
Applied Innovation, with its “Power of One” 2024 theme, will be the primary partner for 2023 NHRA Top Fuel champion Doug Kalitta’s dragster for the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series events in Joliet, Ill. May 17-19, 2024 and Norwalk, Ohio June 28-30, 2024. In addition, Applied Innovation will be an associate partner on Kalitta’s Mac Tools entry for the remaining 2024 races.
“What this team accomplished last season was amazing,” Applied Innovation owner John Lowery said. “We watched them work, improve and grow all season until it all came together, and we joined Team Kalitta on the road to the championship that culminated with the No. 1 on Doug’s car for 2024. If that’s not the perfect example of “the power of one,” I don’t know what is. That championship season was the power of one team working as a cohesive unit, and we are so proud to increase our partnership with Team Kalitta this year and look forward to our continued success together.”
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. Today, the company is a full-fledged, office-technology provider. Applied’s technology services and solutions are designed not only to improve its clients’ business but also the lives of the people working within them.
“Applied Innovation is a great company with a great team that supports Kalitta Motorsports in a major way,” Team Kalitta General Manager Chad Head said. “We are grateful for their increased partnership, but we also appreciate the other ways they support our race team. They manage all our printing, networking and IT needs so the service they provide literally keeps us up and running, but they also show their support at the race track. It’s great to have them on our team, and we thank them for stepping up in this major way.”
Kalitta captured his first NHRA Top Fuel title last year winning three of the six races that comprise the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs. It came after an amazing string of 25-consecutive top-10 season points finishes including six runner-up showings in the final season standings. Kalitta begins his title defense next month in Gainesville, Fla., along with his teammates, 2018 NHRA Funny Car champion J.R. Todd and 2013 NHRA Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon.
This story was originally published on February 22, 2024. 
