BRAINERD, Minn. — For the second straight year, things are coming together at the perfect time for Top Fuel veteran Doug Kalitta heading into this weekend’s NHRA Brainerd Nationals at famed Brainerd International Raceway.
The two-time and reigning world champion is nearly replicating last year’s ideal recipe of getting hot late in the regular season, which proved ideal for his title run in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
He won last year in Brainerd in his 12,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster, giving Kalitta two straight victories. The standout followed with four straight final round appearances in the playoffs, rolling to another championship in commanding fashion.
This year, Kalitta enters Brainerd with back-to-back victories and is looking for three in a row to match what teammate and points leader Shawn Langdon did earlier in the season. Kalitta has now pulled to within five points of Langdon and another impressive showing in Brainerd could open up the chance to win the regular-season championship as well.
“Brainerd’s always been good track for us over the years,” said Kalitta, who has three career wins at BIR. “The Mac Tools guys had a few weeks off, so I know they’re raring to go. We’re all looking forward to getting there, getting this thing in the show and seeing what we can do. The car’s running great,and it’s a lot of fun right now. We’re hoping to have a great event up there at Brainerd this weekend. It’s always a great place to go – I look forward to it every year. Hopefully, it’ll be a great weekend for us.”
Last season, Kalitta (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) all won in Brainerd.
It serves as the penultimate race of the regular season and you can sense the intensity in the air at the festive facility. This year will be no different, starting immediately with Friday’s “Battle for the Axe” presented by Visit Brainerd and Baxter during the second qualifying session. A special cash bonus and an epic chainsaw-carved axe from I Saw It In MN will go to the low qualifier of the session in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock, setting the stage for a spectacular weekend in Brainerd.
Kalitta and his team, led by crew chief Alan Johnson, have shown impressive improvement all year, qualifying first in Sonoma and third in Seattle. There’s a loaded field in Top Fuel, including Langdon, Leah Pruett, Tony Stewart, four-time champ Antron Brown, rookie sensation Maddi Gordon, Josh Hart and Justin Ashley, but the continuous improvement is all part of Johnson’s plan.
The team seems to find another gear this time of year and Kalitta is simply thankful to be part of it as he gears up to race for a third world title in four years.
“Connie (Kalitta, team owner) has had my back for years. It’s just incredible to have someone like him supporting you,” Kalitta said. “It’s been a dream come true for me. You definitely have to cherish things because they don’t come easy. It’s just an incredible team effort. Alan has this car dialed in and we’re fortunate to have him on this team. This is really the time of the year he really focuses on making it happen. It’s going to be exciting and I’m looking forward to hopefully continuing what we’re doing as a team. We’re clicking right now, but it’s not going to be easy by any means.”
