Semi-Final Finish for Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster

Gainesville, FL – Kalitta defeated Spencer Massey and Antron Brown before losing to Steve Torrence in the semifinals. It was Kalitta’s first semifinal appearance since St. Louis during last year’s Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs. In the first round of eliminations against Massey, the Mac Tools dragster needed just 3.646 seconds to reach the finish line at 333.82 mph. That elapsed time is Kalitta’s career best and now the Gainesville Raceway track record.

During Saturday’s qualifying sessions, Kalitta competed in the Pep Boys All-Star Callout. Opening pairings were determined Friday when the four higher-seeded drivers “called out” their opponents. After the first round during Saturday’s first qualifying round, the driver with the lowest elapsed time of the four remaining drivers “called out” his or her semifinal opponent with the two remaining drivers racing for the title and its $80,000 prize in a special pairing late Saturday afternoon. Kalitta defeated Steve Torrence in the first round of the Pep Boys All-Star Callout but lost to Mike Salinas in the semifinals.

Doug Kalitta was the No. 3 qualifier at the season-opening NHRA Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals. Kalitta’s best of the three qualifying attempts was a 3.723-second effort at 327.82 mph. Inclement weather caused cancelation of Friday’s second qualifying round.

When Kalitta advanced to the semifinals, he earned a spot in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the next race in Phoenix. During Saturday’s qualifying sessions, the drivers who reached the semifinals in Gainesville will re-run the semifinals and finals earning additional purse and bonus points.

Kalitta on Gainesville: “Going through the day, it kinda of seemed like the Mac Tools team was in its groove, but obviously smoking the tires in the third round was not what we were looking for. It was just one of those deals. We know what was going on with it. The Mac Tools team is super excited about the progress we’ve made; we just need to get one more round further and give ourselves a shot to win one of these things. We are happy with the car’s performance.”