YPSILANTI, Mich. — Doug Kalitta is in an excellent position at the moment, but if years of experience driving Top Fuel dragsters taught him anything,
it’s that things can change in an instant. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs continue with the fourth of six playoff races Oct. 10-12 at the Texas NHRA FallNationals in Ennis, Texas.
Kalitta and his Mobil DELVAC 100th Anniversary Toyota team feel good about what they accomplished in the first half of the playoffs. Kalitta has one win in three final rounds in the first three of six playoff races, yet he and his team completely understand that much more work lies between themselves and their ultimate goal.
Kalitta leads the Top Fuel class by 86 points with three races remaining. It’s an excellent position, but complacency is not an option.
“The points can swing out here; it’s all about getting as many as you can,” Kalitta said. “For me, staying ahead would be nice. We’re very fortunate right now, but we’ll see how it shakes out; being ahead is definitely where we want to stay, but it’s gonna take every point you can possibly get with the Top Fuel group; everybody’s running strong.
“The mood is good; really, you just do the best you can each round, and on Sunday, it’s all about going rounds, trying to get to the final and trying to get that win. We try not to get too caught up in the points thing; it’ll catch up to itself at the end of the day, so we just have to focus on getting the job done.”
Kalitta leads second-place Justin Ashley by 86 points and his teammate, third-place Shawn Langdon, by 127 with fourth-place Tony Stewart just 26 points behind Langdon.
While several teams remain very much in the hunt for the 2025 Top Fuel title, Kalitta has one advantage nobody else can claim: his crew chief, Top Fuel tuning guru Alan Johnson, who has 13 Top Fuel championships, including Kalitta’s 2023 title, with seven different drivers.
“I’m so fortunate to have (Crew Chief) Alan Johnson and all the guys that work on my car,” Kalitta added. “They’re doing one heck of a job; it’s hell of a team effort. With Alan, Mac (Assistant Crew Chief Mac Savage) and my whole Mobil DELVAC group, it’s amazing to me they’re able to go down the track and put up good runs in all the different conditions. I feel very fortunate with my team. Alan has a hell of a reputation for being able to get the most out of a car at any track temperature and day so I’m in a good spot. We just have to do the best we can and see how it comes out.
“Just knowing the confidence I’ve got with the group behind me – we’re qualifying well, so we really just need to keep doing what we’re doing. It’s just going there, do your thing, hit the tree well and try to accumulate as many points as possible. It’s really all about winning these races. You have to take them one by one as seriously as you can. Each round between now and the end of the year is going to be super important.”
Kalitta’s car will carry special Mobil DELVAC 100th Anniversary livery this week in celebration of the brand’s historic milestone.
