Defending his inaugural NHRA world championship is going quite well for Doug Kalitta in 2024.

The veteran Top Fuel driver at Kalitta Motorsports won his third race of the season when he took home the title at the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals in Richmond, Va., on Sunday.

Kalitta, pilot of the Mac Tools dragster, clocked a 3.752-second elapsed time at 333.41 mph to defeat his teammate Shawn Langdon, who smoked the tires off the starting line and slowed to a 6.148-second run.

On a day when drag racing paused to pray for the well-being of its most iconic drag racer, Austin Prock delivered the trophy for a man who has scored more than any other - John Force.

The 17-time drag racing world champion crashed in the first round of eliminations. While he exited the car under his own power, he was transported to a nearby medical center for further evaluation in the ICU.

In the end, Prock delivered his third 2024 win for the man who declared he would be his successor one day. 

Point standings (top 10) following the Fourth annual PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, the ninth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series - 

Final round-by-round results from the Fourth annual PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, the ninth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

NHRA Funny Car icon John Force was taken to a Richmond-area hospital Sunday afternoon following his fiery, wall-smashing, high-speed crash during the first round of the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals. 

And his daughter, two-time Top Fuel champion Brittany Force, said following her second-round loss to Tony Stewart that her 16-time champion father will recover from his 302.62-mph accident.
 
Racing in Virginia Motorsports Park’s right lane against Terry Haddock, Force clocked a 302.62-mph elapsed time before his engine let go in a massive fireball and sent him across the track and hard into the left-side wall. The car came completely off the pavement as it shot back across the track back into the right lane and made contact with that wall, as well.

Pro Stock’s Erica Enders has worn white hats as a series champion and a Mission Foods #2FastTasty Challenge winner, yellow hats for qualifying first in the starting order, and a variety of colors of hats for earning her 48 victories. Now she will once again be wearing another hat – that of a driving mentor.

Rookie of the Year Award candidate Sienna Wildgust has jumped ship from KB Titan Racing to Elite Motorsports and will be racing with her new colleagues starting at the July 19-21 Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, near Seattle. And Enders, who has helped show the Pro Stock ropes to such standouts as Drew Skillman, Bruno Massel, Marty Robertson, Brandon Foster, and current teammate Jerry Don Tucker.

Wildgust, whose father, Scott, is competing this weekend in the Pro Modified category, joined Elite Motorsports in making the announcement Saturday morning at Virginia Motorsports Park.

Top Fuel’s Shawn Langdon closed out qualifying with the quickest run of the day on Saturday at Virginia Motorsports Park, taking the No. 1 spot at the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals.

Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the ninth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

On a day where the NHRA pro categories all made three qualifying runs on Saturday for the first time ever, Langdon went 3.872-seconds at 319.82 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Kalitta Air dragster in the final round of qualifying, giving the former world champion his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 21st in his standout career. The veteran is also looking for his first career win at Virginia Motorsports Park, opening eliminations against Lex Joon.

It was a good day to be a part of John Force Racing at the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals. 

One of drag racing’s most iconic nitro teams scored a double-up in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty, with Brittany Force winning Top Fuel and Austin Prock winning again over John Force. 

Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the specialty race at the ninth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

The Finnish team of Elmeri Salakari that had shown so much promise in the Pingel Top Fuel Motorcycle Series opener is regrouping after a serious accident earlier this week on Interstate 40 in Oklahoma as it was traveling to the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park.

Crew member Ari Lapiolahti (who goes by the nickname "Nitro Jesus") was severely injured and remains hospitalized at an Oklahoma City hospital. According to Jaska Salakari, the racer's father, Lapiolahti's right foot was severed at the scene, and his leg has been amputated below the knee. He also suffered splintered ribs, a broken collarbone, and possible shoulder damage and is in danger of losing several fingers. He has undergone several surgeries and is facing several more in the coming days.