Top Fuel Reigning Champ Doug Kalitta after Four-Wide Sweep at NHRA 4-Wide Nationals

CONCORD, NC – April 23, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Doug Kalitta had always enjoyed four-wide racing, even if the results didn’t show ultimate success. But the reigning Top Fuel world champion checked off another milestone victory earlier this month, winning his first career four-wide race.

The standout veteran now has a chance to sweep the pair of unique races for the first time in his stellar career at this weekend’s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte. It’s the “Bellagio of Dragstrips” and the originator of four-wide racing, which has long been considered one of the wildest spectacles in motorsports.

Kalitta has enjoyed the special spotlight the distinctive four-wide racing has created but had never won a four-wide event until doing so less than two weeks ago at Las Vegas in his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster. Riding high off that victory, where Kalitta ran low E.T. of each of the three eliminations rounds, the defending world champion is eager to quickly try and get a second victory in as many races in the four-wide format.

“We’re going to try to sweep (the four-wide races),” Kalitta said. “We’ve got some hungry guys on this team and I’m just as hungry as they are, so we’ll see what happens. Charlotte is an incredible facility and we’re looking forward to getting there. Bruton and Marcus (Smith) have put together some great facilities and we’re just fortunate enough to get a chance to race there.”

Austin Prock (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Deric Kramer (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) claimed victories in 2023 and this event will again be broadcast on FS1, including eliminations at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday. It is the fifth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and Kalitta Motorsports couldn’t have asked for a much better start.

Coming off of Kalitta’s first world championship to close out 2023, the team has enjoyed a spectacular 2024 thus far. Top Fuel’s Shawn Langdon and Funny Car’s J.R. Todd both won in Gainesville, giving the team its first-ever double-up, while Kalitta’s victory in Las Vegas gave the team its fourth win already this year. All three drivers are in the top four in points in their respective classes, with Kalitta also earning the No. 1 qualifier spot in Vegas.

His success also ensures he’ll be part of Charlotte’s first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge event. The specialty race brings competitive…