Doug Kalitta etched another milestone into drag racing history Sunday at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, powering his Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster to victory and securing the 100th Top Fuel win for Kalitta Motorsports. It marked the 130th overall triumph for the legendary team, cementing its status as one of the sport’s most successful organizations.
Kalitta, the reigning Top Fuel world champion, showed his strength early by qualifying No. 1 with a blistering 3.655-second run at 339.36 mph, his seventh top qualifying effort of the season and 65th of his career. On race day, the Michigan veteran was nearly flawless. He opened eliminations with a win over Terry Totten, advanced on a second-round bye, then defeated Billy Torrence in the semifinals to set up a marquee showdown with Clay Millican in the final round. Kalitta delivered once again, collecting his second straight victory, the 57th of his career, and his third Brainerd win — his first at the Minnesota facility since 2005.
The Brainerd triumph also extended Team Kalitta’s recent dominance, with Shawn Langdon’s Seattle win three weeks ago and Kalitta’s back-to-back victories giving the team three consecutive Top Fuel wins heading into Indy.
“I’m just really proud of this effort that we’ve got going on, especially with the timing,” Kalitta said. “Alan, Mac and this whole Mac Tools group are putting it together, and it’s going down the track. This car has been a pleasure to drive. AJ had it dialed in. It’s just a matter of putting it together the same way every time. Consistency is definitely the name of the game. We have a great shot at another championship.”
For Kalitta, the Brainerd winner’s circle carried extra meaning. Nearly two decades removed from his last win at the track, he reflected on the deep ties his family team has with the venue. “It’s been a while since I’ve won here in Brainerd. I have a lot of history here when Connie was driving, and I was working on his car. This has always been a special place to race.”
Kalitta leaves Brainerd third in the Top Fuel standings, just six points behind Tony Stewart for second and 51 points behind leader Shawn Langdon with one race left in the regular season. The timing couldn’t be better as the series now heads to the sport’s biggest stage, the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, before the Countdown to the Championship begins.
This story was originally published on August 17, 2025. 
