Doug Kalitta rewrote the zMAX Dragway record book Sunday, using a
342.98-mph blast in the final round to headline the winners at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals. Ron Capps, Matt Hartford, and Gaige Herrera also claimed victories in Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Kalitta drove his Mac Tools dragster to a 3.692-second run, the fastest speed ever recorded at the facility and the third-fastest run in NHRA history. The reigning Top Fuel champion earned his second win of the season and the 60th of his career.
Shawn Langdon left first in the final quad, but Kalitta charged past Langdon, Tony Stewart, and Leah Pruett before the finish line. It marked Kalitta’s third career victory in Charlotte.
Kalitta also became the first Top Fuel driver with two wins in 2026. After titles in two of the past three seasons, his early form has only strengthened his standing as the points leader.
“Alan [Johnson, crew chief] thought it was going to run over 340 mph, so that was good,” Kalitta said. “I don’t know how he predicts these things, but the guy’s a wizard tuning these cars and I’m just very, very fortunate.
“It’s a hell of an opportunity to work with him, and Connie’s
[Kalitta, team owner] given us everything we need with all three of our cars. I’m sure he is pretty proud of what we accomplished.
“The guys pulled through for me. I was really happy to see that light when it came on. We had a lot of support here and this is the kind of race you want to win.”
Langdon finished runner-up, while Pruett was third.
Capps continued one of the strongest starts in Funny Car, winning for
the second time in three races with a 3.905 at 334.90 in his NAPA Auto
Care Toyota GR Supra. He defeated Jack Beckman, Matt Hagan, and J.R.
Todd in the final round.
Capps qualified No. 1 and posted the quickest Funny Car run of eliminations with a 3.865 at 333 in the opening round. He then
advanced from the semifinals and left first in the final.
The victory was the 79th of his career and fifth in Charlotte, the most among active Funny Car drivers. It also gave the three-time champion his third straight final-round appearance.
“I still can’t believe it,” Capps said. “You have cars like this at times in your career and you just don’t want to mess up as a driver.
“Any driver will tell you this and if they don’t, they’re lying, but it’s like you’re given this to not screw up and to cut a light and,
most importantly, drive it, keep it as straight as possible in a Funny Car.”
Beckman was runner-up, while Hagan finished third and moved to second in points.
Hartford broke through for his first win at zMAX Dragway, driving his
Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro to a 6.526 at 210.05 in the Pro Stock
final. He defeated Cody Coughlin, Greg Anderson, and Matt Latino.
The victory was Hartford’s second in four races this season and the 10th of his career. He also won the season opener in Gainesville before early exits in Phoenix and Pomona.
Hartford advanced through the first quad, then moved into the final
after finishing second to Anderson in the semifinals. In the final, his .024 reaction time and a 6.526 quickest elapsed time sealed the win.
“If you’re going to win in this class, you pretty much have to leave ahead of everybody and that’s really hard to do,” Hartford said. “I struggle with it.”
“I was .024 in the final and I thought that was great for me, especially on the four-wide. There’s a lot going on. It’s very confusing, and I just took my time, made sure I was ready and rolled in.”
Coughlin was runner-up, Anderson placed third, and Dallas Glenn retained the points lead.
Herrera completed a weekend sweep in Pro Stock Motorcycle, following his Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win with Sunday’s title. He rode his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki to a 6.758 at 199.88.
Herrera beat reigning champion Richard Gadson, Clayton Howey, and
Chase Van Sant in the final quad. It was his first victory of the season and the 29th of his NHRA career.
Both Gadson and Howey left ahead of Herrera, but he tracked them down
before the stripe. The win was Herrera’s third four-wide victory in Charlotte and fourth overall at the facility.
“I knew we all were going to push the tree in the final and I think that’s the tightest I’ve seen a four-wide final in the bike category,” Herrera said. “It’s pretty cool to have all Suzukis in the final, too.
“Losing the second round in Gainesville lit a fire under me and I didn’t want that to happen to me again this weekend. I knew I had to be better as a rider at everything and feel like this weekend I proved it to myself.”
Gadson was runner-up and remains the points leader, while Howey finished third.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action May 1-3 at South Georgia Motorsports Park for the NHRA Southern Nationals.
