Doug Kalitta showcased his competitive spirit and skill during the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals. The event took place at the Sonoma Raceway, and Kalitta’s performance did not go unnoticed by the fans and fellow competitors alike.
During the qualifying sessions, Doug Kalitta secured the No. 8 spot with an impressive display of speed and precision. His determination paid off in the final qualifying session, where he posted his best run of the event – an astounding 3.770-second effort at a blistering speed of 318.54 mph. This stellar performance earned him a strong starting position for the elimination rounds.
In the elimination rounds, Kalitta continued to impress with his unwavering commitment to excellence. In the final round, he managed to make his best run of the weekend, clocking in at an incredible 3.750 seconds while reaching a top speed of 328.38 mph. Despite his remarkable effort, he narrowly missed victory, as Justin Ashley’s 3.707-second run secured his win.
Unofficially, in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings, Doug Kalitta leaves Sonoma in an impressive seventh place. He currently trails the sixth-place contender, Austin Prock, by only 43 points and maintains a comfortable 18-point lead over eighth-place Mike Salinas.
Reflecting on his performance at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Doug Kalitta acknowledged the challenges of the first-round draw but remained optimistic about the future. He expressed his satisfaction with the team’s progress and momentum, highlighted by their runner-up finishes in the previous two races. Kalitta praised the Mac Tools team for their relentless dedication and affirmed their continued pursuit of success.
“We definitely were carrying some momentum coming in here, and we still are. We’ll just shake it off and head to the next one,” said Kalitta. “Super proud of my guys; we just gotta keep digging, and we’ll get it.”
Team Kalitta will be back in action Aug. 11-13, 2023 at the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor.
This story was originally published on July 31, 2023. 
