It didn’t take long for veteran Top Fuel driver Doug Kalitta to start a winning streak.
Fresh off his win at the Denso NHRA Sonoma (CA) Nationals on July 27, Kalitta on Sunday made it two wins in a row.
Kalitta, the 2023 NHRA Top Fuel champion, won the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minn.
Kalitta clinched the win in the finals with a 3.670-second elapsed time at 338.77 mph to defeat his opponent Clay Millican, whose tire-smoking dragster failed to make it down the track.
“It’s been a pleasure to drive, and yeah, Alan Johnson and Mac [Savage, assistant crew chief] and all my guys, they really had that thing dialed in,” Kalitta said. “But really, it’s a matter of putting that thing together exactly the same, and we’ve kind of gone through that with our crew guys and whatnot. So, everybody’s kind of gelling right now. And definitely here the race, we’re getting kind of close to the Countdown. It’s been a while since I’ve won here in Brainerd. I had a lot of history here, kind of when [car owner] Connie [Kalitta] was driving and then working on this car, and it’s been a cool place to come to and has a special kind of feel to it.”
The win was extra special since it was the 100th Top Fuel for Kalitta Motorsports.
“That’s good stuff. I mean, it really revolves around Connie and the history of what he’s done,” Doug said. “He started out here in the 1960s. You can look back and see what his history is, but I know he loved coming here and just all the different drivers, too, that we’ve had driving for us that make up that hundred. It’s been fun. And Connie has been out here pushing and encouraging and ripping our asses if we’re not doing well. It’s fun. It’s what we do.”
Kalitta had not won in NHRA’s first 11 races in 2025 and now has two. More importantly, Kalitta is third in the season points, 51 points behind leader Shawn Langdon, his teammate, and just six points behind second-place Tony Stewart.
“We’re really getting close to the Countdown [to the Championship, the final six races of the season] and I’ve definitely got a great shot at it here,” Doug said. “It’s just a matter of fortunately [Monday] we’re going to test again, so spend a little more time with our spare car and give me more opportunities just to kind of … I got to just get a little better on the tree with just whatever it takes to just be more consistent. I’ll continue to work on that.
“The guys got my car really running well and [I’m] pretty fortunate. Connie was here with us this weekend. He’s won here a bunch of times. He’s got a crazy passion for this sport, and it’s great that he’s been here this weekend. We couldn’t get him to the Winner’s Circle deal. He was like, ‘You guys, you got it handled here.’ But I was telling the guys, ‘If we win Indy, he’s definitely not going to miss that for sure.’”
The timing of Kalitta’s second win of the season couldn’t have been better as he’s trying to end up the regular-season champ and collect its $150,000 bonus.
“Yeah, it’s just an instinct I guess of not giving up, really [about staying positive],” Kalitta said. “I’ve got a lot of different … between flying and my businesses and everything else and just a lot of people just trying to keep them all going. Sometimes I guess it’s just important to support one another with everything that we’re doing. With my guys fortunately they really support me with everything that’s going on and vice-versa. It’s a good team effort. We’re getting down to the Countdown, and this race win and Sonoma have definitely got us some momentum going into Indy, so definitely looking forward to that.”
There is one race remaining in the regular season – the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, slated for Aug. 27-Sept. 1 in Indianapolis. Any driver in the field at the U.S. Nationals can make a major move in the standings as the race offers points and a half.
Kalitta qualified No. 1 with a 3.655-second elapsed time at 339.36 mph. He ousted Terry Totten, received a bye in round two, and then defeated Billy Torrence and Millican.
Kalitta captured his 57th career Wally and his third win at Brainerd (2003, ’05, ’25).
“The one thing I discovered here this weekend … there’s a lake right to the left of the track,” Kalitta said. “I was like, ‘There are a lot of lakes,’ and I’ve always just kind of flown in and flown out of here.
“I really never paid attention to where the track was when we were coming in. It’s a beautiful area. Back in the day, I was a crew guy working on Connie’s car the first time I came here. So just a lot of crazy stories. My cousin, Scott Kalitta, was in ‘The Zoo,’ and the whole environment here with all that – that was pretty entertaining. I’ve tried to probably stay out of ‘The Zoo’ because it probably would get out of control if I ended up out there. So, I just try to stay grounded a little bit.
“This is a great event. Had a great crowd here, and we definitely appreciate everybody … coming out and supporting the NHRA. It really is a lot of history here, and the folks that do own the track have always … did whatever it takes to make a great event. So, we appreciate everything they do.”
Kalitta upped his round record to 23-11 for the season. His effort Sunday was a form of redemption. He lost on a holeshot to Langdon in Saturday’s finals of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge race.
“Two wins going into Indy should be a good way to go, and there’s a lot of history there too with our family. It’ll be important for us to definitely get in the show and just try to go rounds there,” Kalitta said. “We also [had] an opportunity to redeem myself after [Saturday] with that. It’s a special place for us. Indy’s up next for sure. And we’ll be ready.”
