To say the NHRA regular season was stellar for Kalitta Motorsports would be quite an understatement. Collectively, the team won 10 times in 14 races, and all three individual teams led the point standings. The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series resumes next weekend with the opening race of the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs, the inaugural Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals presented by Mopar in Martin, Mich.
The Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel teams dominated the class, winning nine of the 14 regular season races and competing in 53 of the 55 rounds of racing. The team did not reach the final round at Pomona, Calif., and Norwalk, Ohio.
Doug Kalitta and his Mac Tools Top Fuel team won the regular season championship, winning four times, including three-straight races: Sonoma, Calif., Seattle and Brainerd, Minn., in addition to the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in April. The reigning and two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion won the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge five times and won the season championship for the second-straight year. His incredible regular season included:
- Four wins
- Three runners-up
- Four semifinals
- Four No. 1 qualifiers
- Five Mission Foods Challenge wins
“I’ve been fortunate in the last three years to have two firsts and a second,” Kalitta said. “I’m in a good spot with my team. Shawn and J.R. are right there. Shawn and his team are just really good, so that’s definitely gonna be a car to beat, and J.R.’s guys have been good all year.
“We’re just trying to see if we can pull off a season championship,” added Kalitta. “That’s the goal; I have the best crew behind me with Alan Johnson. I couldn’t be a more fortunate individual to be in the situation I’m in with all Connie (Team Owner Connie Kalitta) gives our teams. He’s 88 and has a jacked-up knee, but he’s still right there. To be in this situation with all three of our teams and to have the opportunity we’re having, it’s a dream come true.”
Shawn Langdon’s Kalitta Air Careers team was just as impressive in the regular season. Langdon led the NHRA Top Fuel point standings following nine of the 14 regular-season races. He won five races, including last weekend’s NHRA U.S. Nationals, and a streak of three-straight wins in the spring: Valdosta, Ga., Chicago and Budds Creek, Md., in addition to the NHRA Arizona Nationals. He finished the regular season in second place on the strength of this amazing performance:
- Five wins
- Three runners-up
- Two semifinals
- Five No. 1 qualifiers
- Four Mission Foods Challenge wins
“It’s a crucial time to start winning,” Langdon said. “Indy was definitely a big confidence boost for the team. If you can get your car right, the team’s working right, and everything’s going well, this is the time to do it. A lot of it is because we only have six races left so if the car’s running well, and everything’s working properly, you can get on a good run and have a really good shot at the championship. We know what our group’s capable of doing; hopefully, we can get back on that hot streak.
“We just have to keep doing what we’re doing. Everything’s going well; the team’s doing great, the car’s running well. We’re just going to keep our heads down and keep progressing. We’re doing a great job, but we have to be perfect come countdown time.”
In Funny Car, J.R. Todd and his DHL GR Supra team were strong competitors throughout the regular season, winning a race and advancing to at least the semifinals eight times. In addition to his Seattle win, Todd had a runner-up, five semifinals, and three No. 1 qualifiers, along with two Mission Foods Challenge wins. He completed the regular season fifth in points and will enter the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs as the fifth seed.
“This car is definitely the best one I’ve had since we won the championship in 2018,” Todd said. “It doesn’t seem like it’s that long ago, but it definitely was. We’ve just been lacking little things here and there, and it kind of reminds me of what happened with the dragsters. They were in kind of a lull. They brought AJ (Alan Johnson) in, and it took him a while to get going. Then Brian (Husen) went over to Shawn’s team, and after a couple of years, look what they’re doing.“I think our DHL Funny Car is on definitely on that path. We have the right guys and the right crew chiefs in place, and the things we did in the off season with the new cars, parts and pieces, everything’s paying off. If we keep going to the later rounds, more wins will come.”
