Like he did at the NHRA race in Denver, Colo., last month, 49-time NHRA race winner Doug Kalitta will go to Toepka, Kansas, this weekend hoping to win the final NHRA race at Heartland Motorsports Park. The 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing season resumes with the final race at Heartland Motorsports Park August 11-13.
Kalitta has two wins in five Topeka final rounds, but his cousin, the late Scott Kalitta, won six races in Topeka. Countless stories of the Kansas race track and from the greater Topeka area litter NHRA history. Many memories were made in the Topeka community, but the final chapter of its NHRA history will be written this weekend.
“Topeka’s been a good track for Team Kalitta over the years,” Kalitta said. “My cousin (Scott) won multiple times and always ran so well there, and we’ve always looked forward to racing in Topeka. It’s been a key part of the NHRA schedule for a long time, but it’s good to know we’ll still get to race in the area with that new track coming on line in Kansas City. We’re definitely hoping to go Topeka and win the last one.”
The Mac Tools Toyota team had a very good western swing posting back-to-back runner-up finishes at Denver and Seattle and accruing the third-most points in the Top Fuel class over the three-race span.
“This Mac Tools team is definitely headed in the right direction,” Kalitta said.” We’ve been feeling that way for a while now, and I’m so proud of my guys staying with it and working as hard as they are. Those two runner-up finishes were great, but we want to take that next step. We’re definitely carrying some momentum coming in here, and we’ll keep digging and get it done. I am looking forward to getting back to Topeka where our team has all that great history. It would be a perfect setting for my guys to finish the job and get us back to the winner’s circle.”
