EPPING, NH — Two-time and defending NHRA Top Fuel Champion Doug Kalitta brings the Mac Tools dragster to New England Dragway this weekend for the NHRA New England Nationals Presented by bproauto, arriving second in the Top Fuel points standings and looking to defend his 2024 victory at the facility.
Kalitta trails teammate Shawn Langdon by 76 points in the standings and leads third-place Leah Pruett by 140 points, keeping Team Kalitta firmly locked into a one-two stranglehold that has held since the second race of the season. The Mac Tools car has recorded a win, three runner-up finishes, two semifinal appearances and two No. 1 qualifier awards through the first seven events.
Along with the points battle, Kalitta will also contend Friday night for the “No. 1 Clawifier Award” presented by NAPA — given to the driver posting the quickest elapsed time during the Friday night qualifying session. The winner earns the right to sit in a chair made of lobster traps holding a giant lobster, a title that changes hands throughout the session until it concludes. The winning team receives a lobster shipment following the race weekend.
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EPPING, NH — J.R. Todd heads to New England Dragway this weekend as the defending NHRA New England Nationals champion, arriving in second place in the Funny Car standings and within striking distance of the points lead entering Race Eight of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Todd pilots the DHL GR Supra for Kalitta Motorsports and trails first-place Ron Capps by just 16 points — less than the value of a single round of racing. He has posted a runner-up, three semifinal finishes and two No. 1 qualifier awards through the season’s first seven events, qualifying in the top six positions on four occasions.
Last year’s victory at Epping was notable on multiple fronts — it was Todd’s first win at New England Dragway and his first with Crew Chief Dickie Venables. Venables brings five career race wins at the facility to the table, a track record that gives the team confidence heading into the weekend.
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EPPING, NH — Shawn Langdon arrives at New England Dragway this weekend riding the hottest streak in NHRA Top Fuel racing, bringing his Kalitta Air Careers dragster to the NHRA New England Nationals Presented by bproauto as the points leader and winner of the last three consecutive events.
Langdon has four victories on the 2026 season, along with a runner-up, a semifinal appearance and three No. 1 qualifier awards in seven races. Team Kalitta has held the top two positions in the Top Fuel standings since the second race of the season, and the two-car operation has combined to win five of the season’s seven events while competing in 27 of a possible 28 rounds.
The three-race winning streak makes Langdon the first Top Fuel driver to accomplish that feat since Steve Torrence did so in 2021. A win this weekend at Epping would make Langdon the first driver to win four consecutive Top Fuel events since Torrence turned the trick in 2019. Tony Schumacher in 2008, Cory McClenathan in 1997 and Scott Kalitta in 1994 are the others to win four straight in the category.
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BUDDS CREEK, MD — J.R. Todd and the DHL Funny Car team had a competitive showing at the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway, advancing to the second round of eliminations before a mechanical issue ended their day just short of the quarterfinals.

Todd qualified eighth with a 4.001-second run at 325.77 mph in the final session Saturday. In the opening round, he defeated Blake Alexander to set up a second-round showdown with No. 1 qualifier Jack Beckman. Todd held the lead near the midpoint of the track before a dropped cylinder allowed Beckman to take the win light by 18 thousandths of a second.

“Wish we could have gone a few more rounds today, but the DHL team made some good runs this weekend,” said Todd. “It’s kind of an unknown when you go to a new place, and this place definitely has some character. That was a close race in the second round — we just came out on the wrong side of it.”
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BUDDS CREEK, MD — Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster team came agonizingly close to victory at the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway Sunday, falling to teammate Shawn Langdon by just two ten-thousandths of a second — roughly one inch — in the final round.

Kalitta qualified second with a best of 3.771 seconds at 333.00 mph in the final session Saturday. In eliminations, he defeated Lex Joon, Clay Millican, and Leah Pruett to reach the final round for the second all-Kalitta Motorsports final in the last three events.

The final was as close as drag racing gets. Kalitta’s 3.766-second run at 334.24 mph was bested only by Langdon’s 3.762 at 334.90 mph in a photo-finish loss. It was Kalitta’s third runner-up finish of the season.
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BUDDS CREEK, MD — Shawn Langdon and the Kalitta Air Careers Top Fuel team capped a dominant weekend at the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway with a thrilling victory Sunday, claiming his third consecutive win and fourth of the 2026 season.

Langdon was the class of the field all weekend, setting the Top Fuel track record in qualifying with a 3.744-second run at 334.90 mph in the final session Saturday to claim his third No. 1 qualifier of the season, the 25th of his career, and the fourth straight Top Fuel pole for Kalitta Motorsports. After a first-round bye, Langdon defeated Justin Ashley and Billy Torrence to set up an all-Kalitta Motorsports final against teammate Doug Kalitta.

The final round was one for the books. Both cars launched nearly simultaneously, and Langdon’s 3.762-second run at 334.90 mph edged Kalitta’s 3.766 at 334.24 mph by just two ten-thousandths of a second — approximately one inch at the finish line.
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Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster driver looks to repeat new-track magic from Valdosta

MECHANICSVILLE, MD — Two-time and defending NHRA Top Fuel Champion Doug Kalitta rolls into the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals Presented by JEGS sitting second in points and hungry for another win at a track he’s never raced before.

Kalitta, who pilots the Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster for the family-owned Kalitta Motorsports operation, is just behind teammate Shawn Langdon in the standings as Team Kalitta goes one-two in Top Fuel. With J.R. Todd tied for the Funny Car points lead, Kalitta Motorsports holds the top position in both professional categories through six races.

The team’s dragsters have combined for four wins in the season’s first six events. Kalitta’s contribution includes a win, two runner-up finishes, and two semifinals. His 60 career Top Fuel wins place him fourth all-time in the category and 12th across all NHRA professional classes. His 68 No. 1 qualifiers tie him with Kenny Bernstein for seventh all-time.
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DHL GR Supra driver makes first-ever appearance at Maryland International Raceway

MECHANICSVILLE, MD — J.R. Todd heads to Maryland International Raceway this weekend tied for the top spot in NHRA Funny Car points, bringing renewed confidence and a consistent DHL GR Supra to the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals Presented by JEGS.

Todd is knotted with Ron Capps at the top of the Funny Car standings, with the pair holding a nine-point advantage over Matt Hagan heading into Race 7. With teammate Shawn Langdon leading Top Fuel, Team Kalitta holds the points lead in both professional categories.

The 2018 NHRA Funny Car Champion has been a model of consistency through the season’s first six races, posting a runner-up, three semifinal finishes, and two No. 1 qualifiers. He has qualified in the top six positions four times.
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Kalitta Air Careers Top Fuel dragster driver enters Race 7 on a two-race winning streak

MECHANICSVILLE, MD — Shawn Langdon arrives at Maryland International Raceway this weekend as the hottest driver in NHRA Top Fuel, leading the points standings and riding back-to-back victories into the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals Presented by JEGS.

Langdon, who pilots the Kalitta Air Careers Top Fuel dragster for Kalitta Motorsports, has won three of the season’s first six races — Phoenix, Valdosta, Ga., and most recently near Chicago — and is now chasing history. A win this weekend would make him the first Top Fuel driver to win three consecutive races since Steve Torrence swept Norwalk, Denver, and Sonoma in 2021.

The 2013 NHRA Top Fuel Champion holds a commanding position atop the standings, with teammate Doug Kalitta sitting second. With J.R. Todd leading the Funny Car points, Team Kalitta holds the top spot in both professional categories. The team’s dragsters have combined to win four of the season’s six races and have completed 23 of a possible 24 rounds.
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JOLIET, IL — Doug Kalitta put together one of the strongest qualifying performances of the 2026 season at Route 66 Raceway, posting a 3.720-second run at 338.17 mph in Friday’s second session to claim the top spot in Top Fuel at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK. It was the 68th No. 1 qualifier of Kalitta’s career, his second of the season, and his second consecutive at Route 66 Raceway.

Elimination day told a different story. With only 15 Top Fuel entries in the field, Kalitta received a first-round bye and advanced directly to the second round — where he found himself lined up against teammate Shawn Langdon. Kalitta left the starting line first and held the early lead, but his Mac Tools dragster lost traction mid-track. Kalitta pedaled and gathered it up, but Langdon had too much ground to make up and won the round by .6056 seconds.
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