The timing couldn’t be better for veteran standout Top Fuel driver Doug Kalitta.
Kalitta, in search of his second NHRA Mission Foods championship in three years, captured another big win at the 40th annual Texas NHRA Fall Nationals on Sunday in Ennis outside of Dallas. This was Kalitta’s second win in a row with just two races remaining in the season.
In the finals, Kalitta clocked a 3.777-second elapsed time at 333.04 to defeat Steve Torrence’s 3.874, 317.46.
“Alan [crew chief Johnson] and my guys really have a handle on this thing, and it’s fun to drive,” Kalitta said. “With the temperature swing we had today, and to be able to run that 77 (3.777 seconds) in the final is really impressive. Coming out of here with this win, when we’re trying to battle for this points thing, is incredible.”
Kalitta departs Texas atop the points standings. He has a 141-point advantage over second-place Justin Ashley.
“The points can swing out here, it’s all about getting as many as you can,” said Kalitta, who entered the weekend with an 86-point lead over Ashley.
There are only two races left in the season – Las Vegas, Oct. 30-Nov. 2; and Pomona, Calif., Nov. 13-16.
This was Kalitta’s 59th career win and fourth this season. He also has had wins in Sonoma, Calif., and Brainerd, Minn., and St. Louis.
This was Kalitta’s third career victory at the Texas Motorplex as he also claimed titles at the facility in 2002 and 2013. He is tied for second all-time on the Texas Motorplex Top Fuel win list with Ashley (2021-22, 2024), Cory McClenathan (1996-97, 2000) and Gary Scelzi (1998-2000).
Tony Schumacher is the winningest Top Fuel driver at the Texas Motorplex with six wins in 1999, 20-05, 2009-10, and 2014.
Kalitta’s dragster was carrying the special Mobil DELVAC 100th Anniversary livery this week in celebration of the brand’s historic milestone.
“I’m just really proud of my guys – Alan Johnson is just an incredible tuner with [assistant crew chief] Mac Savage and all my guys that work on this Mobil Delvac car; we’re just really excited. We have Connie [team owner Kalitta] in the house this weekend – he’s our patriarch around here for sure. I have the best in the business behind me. It’s an incredible feat to do what we’re trying to do and try to stay ahead. Everybody’s hungry right now. Hats off to Mobil Delvac, Toyota, Mac Tools, Revchem, Kalitta Air, Superior, SealMaster and everybody else that supports us. It’s a huge relief to get this win here – it’s a real big deal for us.”
Kalitta’s victory parade consisted of wins over Jasmine Salinas, Ida Zetterström and his teammate, Shawn Langdon, on the way to his fourth-straight final round in the Countdown to the Championship NHRA playoffs. It was also his sixth final round in the last seven races.
Kalitta put his latest Texas victory in motion by qualifying No. 5 Friday night with a 3.701-second ET at 338.71 mph.
It took Kalitta 25 years to win an NHRA Top Fuel championship and now has put himself in position to get his second.
Kalitta has three career victories at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2004, 2015 and 2024. He also leads the all-time Top Fuel list at Pomona with seven wins in 2009, 2016, 2018, two in 2019, 2020, and 2023.
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