Charlotte, NC – Doug Kalitta was the No. 1 qualifier at the American Rebel light NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. Kalitta set the track elapsed time record when he recorded a 3.664-second pass at 333.74 mph during the Friday-night qualifying session. One pairing prior to Kalitta, his teammate, Shawn Langdon, set the low qualifying time, but Kalitta was .001 seconds quicker than Langdon and took his third No. 1 qualifier in five races this season. Kalitta also won his second-straight Mission Foods Challenge Saturday afternoon making Team Kalitta 4-0 in the special event this season.

Eliminations: Kalitta’s opening quad included Tony Stewart, Steve Torrence and Lex June. The Mac Tools Toyota team made the second quickest pass of the pairing – a 3.755-second effort at 328.46 mph. Torrence won the quad, but Stewart joined him in the semifinals after leaving the starting line before Kalitta.

Unofficial Point Standings: Kalitta leaves Charlotte in fourth place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He trails third place Antron Brown by 59 points and leads fifth-place Brittany Force by 29 points. Continue reading →

Charlotte, NC – J.R. Todd was the No. 11 qualifier at the American Rebel Light NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. His best qualifying attempt was his first run of the weekend Friday afternoon when the DHL GR Supra needed just 3.924 seconds to reach the finish line at 325.37 mph.

Eliminations: Todd defeated Dan Wilkerson and Bob Tasca in the first round with a 3.942-second effort at 329.50 mph. He faced Austin Prock, Ron Capps and Hunter Green in the second round. The DHL GR Supra made another solid pass, but Todd left the starting line too early and was disqualified.

Unofficial Point Standings: Todd moves up two spots and leaves Charlotte in eighth place in the NHRA Funny Car point standings. He trails seventh-place Dan Wilkerson by 21 points and leads ninth-place Cruz Pedregon by seven points. Continue reading →

Charlotte, NC – Shawn Langdon was the No. 2 qualifier at the American Rebel light NHRA Four-Wide Nationals; it was his best qualifying effort of the season. During the Friday night qualifying session, Langdon reached the finish line in 3.665 seconds at 333.33 mph. He was No. 1 until his teammate, Doug Kalitta, ran .001 seconds quicker in the next pairing.

Eliminations: Langdon defeated Ida Zetterstrom and Scott Farley in the first round, Brittany Force and Josh Hart in the second round. He advanced to the final round to face Antron Brown, Tony Stewart and Justin Ashley. In the final, Ashley was off the starting line first, but Langdon’s Future Energy Solutions dragster was not to be denied. Langdon drove around Ashley with a 3.714-second pass at 330.63 mph to win the 1,000th Top Fuel race in NHRA history. After the run, NHRA legend Don Garlits, the winner of the first Top Fuel race in 1963, presented the special 1,000th race trophy, a replica of the one Garlits won in 1963, to Langdon. It was Langdon’s second win of the season.

Unofficial Point Standings: Langdon leaves Charlotte in first place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He extended his points lead to 59 points over second-place Tony Stewart. Continue reading →

YPSILANTI, MI – J.R. Todd and his DHL GR Supra team qualified well in Las Vegas and advanced to the semifinals, but only time will tell if more race-day success is near. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series continues April 25-27 at the American Rebel Light NHRA Four-Wide Nationals near Charlotte.

Todd made good qualifying runs in very hot conditions and qualified fourth in Las Vegas two weeks ago. It was his best qualifying effort in the four races comprising the season so far. In fact, the DHL team’s qualifying results have improved with each race. Qualifying consistency appears within reach, but the task at hand is continuing that consistency on race day.

“Any drag racer has a short attention span; patience is tough,” Todd said. “I told myself, before the season even started, that once we brought Dickie (Crew Chief Dickie Venables) on, and I learned about all the changes that we made, I knew it’s gonna take some time so just be patient and don’t get frustrated. My job is to go out there and do the best I can, and when things click, hopefully the driver and the car are in sync and then we can go out there and start clicking off wins.” Continue reading →

YPSILANTI, MI – After an unexpected stumble one race ago, Shawn Langdon is looking for a strong rebound. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series continues April 25-27 at the American Rebel Light NHRA Four-Wide Nationals near Charlotte.

Langdon and his Future Energy Solutions team enjoyed a win, a runner-up and a semifinal run in the season’s first three races. The points leader entered the four-wide race in Las Vegas two weeks ago looking to extend his ultra-hot season start. Instead, the team suffered its weakest showing of the season ending in a first-round loss. Opportunity knocks this weekend with a chance to win NHRA’s 1,000th Top Fuel race and claim the special race-winner trophy signifying the historic event.

“You don’t get historic opportunities like that all the time,” Langdon said. “To be able to win that race this weekend would be pretty cool, and it would feel good to put your name in alongside some of the greats of the sport. Continue reading →

YPSILANTI, MI –This weekend’s historic 1,000th Top Fuel race winner will accept a special NHRA “Wally” trophy as the 1,000th Top Fuel winner in NHRA history, and the 2023 Top Fuel champion wants to hoist that trophy. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series continues April 25-27 at the American Rebel Light NHRA Four-Wide Nationals near Charlotte.

A Top Fuel driver won in NHRA competition at 999 different races. Don Garlits won the inaugural Top Fuel race at the 1963 NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. Four hundred, ninety-nine races later, Doug Kalitta won NHRA’s 500th Top Fuel title at the 2002 NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex near Dallas. The Kalitta family represents a significant portion of NHRA history, and Kalitta milestones are sprinkled throughout. A Kalitta win in the 1,000th Top Fuel race would be a fitting chapter in the rich history of both the Kalitta family and the NHRA.

“Winning the 1,000th Top Fuel race would be pretty exciting – especially with my family history,” Kalitta said. “With Connie (Team Owner Connie Kalitta) being out here as long as he’s been doing this and all he’s done in this sport, that would be really cool. We’re all trying hard to win these things. We try not to have too many distractions on different things so we can stay focused and work as a team to get it done. We definitely have a good shot at it, too, so our Mac Tools team is definitely looking forward to the opportunity.” Continue reading →

YPSILANTI, MI – Future Energy Solutions (FES) Lighting, a national “Lighting-As-A-Service” provider, extended its Kalitta Motorsports agreement as a primary partner on Shawn Langdon’s Top Fuel dragster, the team announced today. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series resumes April 25-27 at the American Rebel Light NHRA Four-Wide Nationals near Charlotte.

FES will be the primary partner on Langdon’s car at next week’s race and a full-season associate partner on the Top Fuel dragsters driven by Langdon and Doug Kalitta. FES completed the lighting upgrades at both Kalitta Motorsports and Kalitta Air. Now, they are working on projects for multiple Kalitta Motorsports partners around the country.

“We are thrilled to have completed the lighting upgrades at Kalitta Air and Kalitta Motorsports,” FES Acting Chief Executive Officer Marcus Brodin said. “Both are realizing the energy and maintenance savings FES’ zero upfront cost Lighting-As-A-Service model provides. We’re now working with Kalitta partners to generate the same cost and maintenance savings Kalitta is already enjoying. We are quite happy with this program and look forward to making additional impact with more companies in the future.” Continue reading →

YPSILANTI, MI – Kalitta Motorsports announced today that SoundGear has joined the team as its official hearing protection partner. The partnership kicks off as the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series resumes April 25-27 at the American Rebel Light NHRA Four-Wide Nationals near Charlotte.

SoundGear will have major associate branding on Doug Kalitta’s Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster, Shawn Langdon’s Kalitta Air Careers Top Fuel Dragster (Langdon’s car will be the Future Energy Solutions dragster in Charlotte.) and J.R. Todd’s DHL GR Supra Funny Car at next week’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals near Charlotte and the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 15-17, 2025. SoundGear guests will enjoy the Kalitta Motorsports VIP hospitality area at both races, and its executives will attend the Kalitta Motorsports Business-to-Business summit in late June.

SoundGear represents the latest advancements in hearing protection and enhancement products. Their technology is ideal for safe listening in loud environments including motorsports, construction and many more. SoundGear products are manufactured by Starkey, global leader in hearing technology and premier provider in hearing health care headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn. Continue reading →

YPSILANTI, MI — New Image Building Services joins Kalitta Motorsports this year as its newest corporate partner, the team announced today. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series resumes April 25-27 at the American Rebel Beer NHRA Four-Wide Nationals near Charlotte.

New Image will be an associate sponsor on Shawn Langdon’s Kalitta Air Careers Top Fuel dragster at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, June 27–29, 2025. In addition, New Image clients and guests will enjoy the Team Kalitta trackside hospitality area during the race weekend, and New Image executives will attend Team Kalitta’s annual Business-to-Business Summit prior to the Norwalk race weekend.

“Kalitta Motorsports represents speed, precision and excellence—qualities we value deeply at New Image Building Services,” New Image President Jim Wallace shared. “Our team operates with the same mindset as a race team: highly coordinated, highly trained and committed to delivering peak performance under pressure. We’re proud to support a Michigan-based organization with a world-class reputation, and we’re excited to bring that championship spirit to our clients, our culture and our brand.” Continue reading →