GAINESVILLE, FL – March 5, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – For the first time in his career, Top Fuel veteran Doug Kalitta will enter the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season with a “1” on his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster to signify his world championship in 2023.
It’s a well-earned honor for the popular Kalitta, who will now look to open his first title defense on a strong note at this weekend’s 55th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at legendary Gainesville Raceway.
The championship was a long time coming for the longtime standout, as Kalitta earned that first world title on the final pass of the season, a winner-take-all final round with Leah Pruett at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona. That memory is still fresh in Kalitta’s mind, but it’s also kept his team plenty motivated heading into this weekend’s highly-anticipated 2024 opener in Gainesville.
“We’re hoping to pick up where we left off (last season). That’s what I’m thinking,” Kalitta said. “Fortunately, with all the changes we made on both our dragsters, Alan (Johnson, crew chief) is definitely the right guy for the job in tuning these things so we’re fortunate to have him so we can keep our momentum going. The main thing is to have fun and take care of business.
“I’m super excited to get this thing going again, and all my guys are super excited. Starting at the Gators in Florida is a fan favorite. It’s always good to race in Florida down in Don Garlits country – he’s pretty much the man for Florida drag racing.”
Last year, Mike Salinas (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Troy Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won in Gainesville and this year’s race will be broadcast on FS1, including eliminations action on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. Kalitta will also take part in the Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout on Saturday. Josh Hart is the defending winner of the specialty race that promises big money and bragging rights, while Kalitta enters the shootout as the No. 2 seed.
If top seed Steve Torrence doesn’t call out the reigning world champ, Kalitta will get his choice of opponent for the opening round in the eight-car field. The race, which gets a special broadcast at 7 p.m. ET on FS1 on Saturday, gives standouts in Top Fuel a unique opportunity for a double-win weekend.
That would be a perfect start to a championship defense, but Kalitta will have his hands full…
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