Two weeks ago, Doug Kalitta checked a major item off of his drag racing bucket list by winning a four-wide drag race. Now, the reigning Top Fuel world champion has  a chance to realize yet another goal by achieving back-to-back wins in that same format.

On Friday, Kalitta got that quest off to a good start by taking the provisional top spot at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

“That was pretty exciting for all of my guys when we got down to the end there,” Kalitta said. “It is always good to keep Alan Johnson happy. He really has this thing running. They are working their tails off on this thing. It always amazes me what all these crew chiefs do. I’m just glad my car is running like it is.”

Kalitta was quickest in both of his passes Friday night in Charlotte behind the wheel of his Mac Tools dragster, leaning on his Q2 lap of 3.691 seconds at 337.92 mph to nudge Antron Brown out of the top spot by seven thousandths of a second. If it stands, it will be Kalitta’s 55th career pole position and second straight after taking the top spot at the four-wide race in Las Vegas two weeks ago.

On whole, Kalitta Motorsports has enjoyed a great start to the 2024 season. Top Fuel teammate  Shawn Langdon and Funny Car’s J.R. Todd both won in Gainesville, while Kalitta’s win in Las Vegas gave the team its fourth win this year.

“The three (Kalitta Motorsports) cars have been running solid this year,” Kalitta said. “The car “left strong. It is a new chassis for us, and this thing drives really nice. It seemed pretty smooth right down the middle. It was good to get a good result.”

Brown slipped into second with a 3.698 at 332.18 mph, with Billy Torrence just behind in third with a 3.716 at 329.34 mph. Tony Stewart (3.716) and Shawn Langdon (3.719) rounded out the top five.

Kalitta’s recent achievements, from clinching the No. 1 qualifier position two weeks ago to setting low elapsed time in all three elimination rounds in Las Vegas, to topping the qualifying charts twice Friday, mark a remarkable streak of success for the seasoned veteran. Still, Kalitta finds solace in his ability to maintain his composure through elevated performances by his team.

“I am one who stays pretty calm,” Kalitta said. “It is just a process you go through to try and do it the same way, and my style has always been to try and be more relaxed. For people with short attention spans like me, it works out perfectly.”

With another day of racer-friendly weather conditions predicted for Saturday, Kalitta is unsure if his time will hold through two more rounds of qualifying. He is, however, excited to try and earn another top qualifier award for his team.

“The temperatures are going to be pretty good for running good, so I think we are going to have to run a little stronger to hold on to what we have,” Kalitta said. “The track is good, and the conditions should be good tomorrow to run better.”