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NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series – Countdown to the Championship

Toyota Racing – Doug Kalitta

Countdown Position: 5th

Toyota Top Fuel Doug Kalitta talks about the upcoming six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs, which kicks off this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway.

Doug Kalitta, Mac Tools/Toyota dragster

What’s your outlook heading into the playoffs?

“Right now, we’re just looking for consistency. Getting to the finals in Indy was a huge momentum builder for us. Overall, I think we’ve been running pretty well with my car. So I’m really looking forward to the Countdown this year.”

How does the team’s approach change in the Countdown?

“We’ve done all the stuff that we’ve been trying to test and now we’re going to try to settle into what’s been working. Up to this point, we’ve tried a lot of different things. I’m looking forward to just staying with what we know and the things that have really been working for us and cut back on the experimenting. The entire Mac Tools Toyota team is ready to go.”

How important is to start the Countdown strong?

“Every round is real important in the Countdown, so you have to hit the ground running.  It’s a big deal to go some rounds at the opener and then build on it and try to get a win wherever you can. You certainly can’t win them all, but you don’t want to put yourself in a bad position leaving Maple Grove. It’s all about every point you can get.”

Does the parody in Top Fuel affect how you approach the Countdown?

“There are a lot of cars that are very close performance-wise out here. With 11 different drivers winning in Top Fuel this year, it’s clear that anyone can win on any given day.  We’ve also seen that anyone can get knocked out in the first round as well. Getting through the first round each race is key, which means that qualifying is going to be really important.  You need to put yourself in a good position heading into race day.”

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