DOUG KALITTA, MAC TOOLS TEAM READY FOR “CRAP SHOOT” IN LAST TWO RACES

YPSILANTI, MI – Doug Kalitta’s Mac Tools team is resilient, and the team is up to the challenge it faces this weekend. The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs resumes Nov. 1-3, 2024 at the NHRA Ford Performance Nationals in Las Vegas, the fifth of six playoff races.

In the first four Countdown races, Kalitta has just two round wins – a far cry from the first two thirds of the season when the Michigan driver won three races and among six final-round appearances and qualified in the top-four positions 12 times. Kalitta enters the 19th of 20 races in seventh place in the NHRA Mission Foods Top Fuel point standings. He trails sixth-place Clay Millican by 19 points, leads eighth-place Brittany Force by 57 points and trails points leader Justin Ashley by 133 points with two races remaining in the season. The team enters Las Vegas following first-round losses at three of the last four races – a very unusual stat for current champion – but Kalitta remains optimistic about righting the ship.

“We’re feeling good,” Kalitta said. “We brought the cars back from Dallas and went through everything, and we’re very optimistic. We’ve kind of had a gremlin we’ve been chasing, and I think, with any luck, we’ve narrowed that down, and hopefully the Mac Tools car will be super happy this weekend.”

“Super Happy” would be a welcome change for this team that experienced so much success in the last two years including three Countdown wins on its way to the 2023 Top Fuel title. After capturing his first four-wide win earlier this season in Las Vegas, Kalitta’s third win in eight final rounds on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, this weekend is a good opportunity for the reigning champion to get his mojo back.

“It sure would be – it’s been a good place for us over the years,” Kalitta said. “The fans there are awesome really; it’s kinda cool that they run early enough that people can still do that they do on the strip. It’s a beautiful facility, and we’re super excited to get there. I definitely like going to Vegas – it’s always exciting to hit the last two races at the end of the year, be in contention to win those and see where you shake out. It’s definitely a crap shoot when it comes to these last two races with points and a half at the last one. You never count yourself out, but we definitely have to collect as many points as we can.

“After losing in the first round these last few races, we definitely need to start going rounds again. As long as the boys have the car happy again, hopefully we can tune the thing and keep it running better than the next guy. For me, every race I go to, I’ve been very fortunate to know we have the car and the team to beat so that’s kinda the way I roll.”
2023 NHRA Ford Performance Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 4; defeated T.J. Zizzo; lost to Josh Hart.

Doug Kalitta Career Stats: 605 events, 55 wins, 62 runner-up, 794 round wins, 58 No. 1 qualifiers

2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results to Date (wins in italics):

Gatornationals: Qualified No. 7; defeated Clay Millican; lost to Steve Torrence.

Pomona: Qualified No. 6; defeated Jasmine Salinas; lost to Billy Torrence.

Phoenix: Qualified No. 3; defeated Terry Totten; lost to Justin Ashley.

Las Vegas 4W: Qualified No. 1; defeated Shawn Langdon in the first round, Brittany Force and Josh Hart in the semifinals followed by Justin Ashley, Steve Torrence and Tony Stewart in the final round.

Charlotte 4W: Qualified No. 1; defeated Shawn Reed and Cody Krohn in the first round, Billy Torrence and Jasmine Salinas in the semifinals before beating Antron Brown but losing to Justin Ashley and Clay Millican in the final round.

Chicago: Qualified No. 3; lost to Justin Ashley.

Epping: Qualified No. 1; defeated Scott Farley, Tony Stewart, Shawn Langdon and Tony Schumacher.

Bristol: Qualified No. 14; defeated Antron Brown, Steve Torrence, Brittany Force; lost to Tony Schumacher.

Richmond: Qualified No. 2: after first-round bye, defeated Josh Hart, Tony Stewart and Shawn Langdon.

Norwalk: Qualified No. 1; defeated Kyle Wurtzel, Billy Torrence and Steve Torrence; lost to Antron Brown.

Seattle: Qualified No. 4; defeated Billy Torrence and Jasmine Salinas; lost to Steve Torrence.

Sonoma: Qualified No. 1; lost to Ron August, Jr.

Brainerd: Qualified No. 4; defeated Antron Brown; lost to Shawn Langdon.

Indianapolis: Did not qualify.

Reading: Qualified No. 3; lost to Dan Mercier

Charlotte: Qualified No. 3; defeated Tony Stewart and Shawn Langdon; lost to Antron Brown.

St. Louis:  Qualified No. 12; lost to Shawn Langdon.

Dallas: Qualified No. 10; lost to Clay Millican.