Story By ROB GOODMAN / KALITTA MOTORSPORTS – YPSILANTI, MI – The situation was astonishing. Reigning NHRA Top Fuel champion and points leader Doug Kalitta entered the final round of qualifying for the Toyota U.S. Nationals two weeks ago but was not yet qualified.
His final qualifying attempt moved him into the field at the No. 16 spot, but his teammate, Shawn Langdon, knocked him out of the race a few minutes later. The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs begin Sept. 13-15, 2024 at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals in Mohnton, Pa.
Entering the season’s final regular-season race, Kalitta held a hefty points lead on the strength of three wins in six final rounds during the 2024 season, but things did not go well in Indianapolis. Despite his team’s best efforts, the lack of performance was perplexing. For the first time in 301 races, Kalitta failed to qualify for a race – the last time that happened was the fall race in Las Vegas in 2010 – nearly 4 years ago. The next day, the team stayed in town for what was its most important test session of the season to hopefully exercise its gremlins
“It was definitely disappointing for my team and me, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort for sure,” Kalitta said. “If you’re gonna have a race like that, you definitely don’t want it to happen during the Countdown. In testing the car on Tuesday in Indy, the thing ran great. It ran times that would have been a low qualifier kind of deal with how qualifying went (at the U.S. Nationals). After those three good, solid runs on Tuesday, we can kind of just shake it all off, let it be what it was and go into Reading with the same mindset we always have – qualify first and win the race. That’ll be our goal for sure, I think, barring anything stupid happening, we should be in good shape. We’re still leading the Countdown points, and we have six races to go so I think we’re in a great spot. We just have to go out there and make the next six count.”
Now, the most-important part of the season is here: the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs. One year ago, Kalitta won the first two Countdown races and went on to win the 2023 NHRA Top Fuel championship with three wins in six Countdown races including the season finale. Kalitta’s championship run started with an improbable win at Reading, Pa., last year. After running the entire season in a car with a canopy, the Mac Tools dragster ran over something on the track in the final qualifying session, cut a tire and damaged the primary car forcing the team to use its backup car, which did not have a canopy, for eliminations. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
“I always like going to Reading for whatever reason, the temperatures are cool, performances are good, a bunch of gear-head race fans fill that place so it’s a good atmosphere,” Kalitta said. “The Koretskys are doing a great job with the facility since they purchased it so it’ll be good. Obviously, it’ll be an important race as the first one of the countdown, and then we have three in a row so it’s a matter of keeping our heads down and making it happen – that’ll be our focus.
“Seeing the teamwork that goes into what happens, and obviously working with Alan, Mac (Crew Chief Alan Johnson and Assistant Crew Chief Mac Savage) and the rest of the Mac Tools team as they navigate through what they do is cool. It’s exiting, obviously, to drive for Alan. It’s still something I’m certainly appreciative of and want to make the best of it. He’s an incredibly-competitive individual so it’s just a lot of fun to be a part of it.”
Six races and 24 rounds of eliminations will determine the 2025 championship, and Kalitta enters the Countdown as the No. 1 seed holding a 15-point advantage over second-place Justin Ashley and a 28-point lead over his teammate, third-place Shawn Langdon, after the Countdown points reset and the addition of championship bonus points earned in the Mission Foods NHRA Challenge throughout the regular season. The top-10 drivers in the point standings are now separated by just 109 points. Kalitta and his Mac Tools Toyota team must focus on the task at hand – successfully defending his first-career Top Fuel title.
“It’s good; we just try to take each round, each race at this point and stay focused on that and try not to get too wrapped around all the different things you can do or think about,” Kalitta added. “I just try to focus on what we have to do. That’ll be fun, though, because obviously everybody’s gunning for the No. 1 spot, but we are, too. It’s time to lead, follow or get out of the way.”
Race Information:
Pep Boys NHRA Nationals
Maple Grove Raceway; Mohnton, Pa.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
Qualifying Show 1: 7-8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13 on FS1
Qualifying Show 2: 12:30-2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 on FS1
Finals: 2-4 p.m. or 4:30-6:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 on FOX (NFL game dependent; check local listings)
2023 Pep Boys NHRA Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 3; defeated Josh Hart, Shawn Langdon, Leah Pruett and Steve Torrence.
Doug Kalitta Career Stats: 600 events, 55 wins, 62 runner-up, 792 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 Forceand 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.
THIRD SEED SHAWN LANGDON SEEKS SECOND TITLE IN TIGHT TOP FUEL FIELD
Following a two-win season with six final-round appearances, Shawn Langdon enters the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs as the No. 3 seed. The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs begin Sept. 13-15, 2024 at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals in Mohnton, Pa.
The Kalitta Air Careers Toyota team enjoyed a turnaround season in 2024 with a return to form attributed significantly to first year Crew Chief Brian Husen who took over in the off season. Husen and Langdon proved an excellent team achieving chemistry and consistency at most races allowing them to qualifying mostly in the top half of the field and win rounds on race day – the goal of any NHRA team. For a large part of the season, Langdon lurked at second in points behind his teammate, Doug Kalitta, accomplishing a stated goal of the Team Kalitta dragsters running one-two in points. With the page turning from successful regular season to NHRA Playoff mode, Langdon simply hopes for more of the same.
“We definitely have a lot of confidence heading into the Countdown, and we’re excited for it,” the 2013 NHRA Top Fuel Champion said. “We just have to keep doing what we’re doing – keep going rounds. That’s the big thing. With six races in the Countdown, you don’t want to get behind early. Obviously, Doug had a great race at Reading last year so we’ll try to build off that momentum, try to get off on the right foot and win the first Countdown race.”
The Kalitta Air Careers team can “build off that momentum” as the Kalitta teams often run similar setups allowing the two to combine for five wins in the regular season. In fact, a Team Kalitta dragster raced in in the final round at 17 of the 20 regular-season races. That level of consistency is difficult at best, yet it’s exactly what Team Kalitta had in mind at the start of the season.
“Between the two cars, we share all the data and information, but you have to run the cars a little bit differently,” Langdon said. “We tested well after Indy, and we feel good with our Kalitta Air Careers car. We came into Indy one-two in points, had probably our worst weekend of the year and came out one and three in points. We didn’t have a whole lot of damage, and that sets us up for the Countdown.”
The Team Kalitta cars are, indeed, first and third in points entering the NHRA Playoffs, but after the points reset and addition of Mission Foods NHRA Challenge championship bonus points, the top-10 teams in the Top Fuel field are separated by just 109 points. With six races and 24 elimination rounds of playoff racing remaining, it’s literally anybody’s championship.
“I always just like the playoffs,” Langdon said. “I like the playoffs in baseball, basketball, football and hockey. I pay attention, and I watch a lot during the playoffs. I would like to see it (The Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs) structured a little bit differently, but at the end of the day, it keeps the playing field tight for the last couple of races. I like being in high-pressure scenarios where it can come down to one run, and this format kinda helps that happen. You don’t have runaway champions so people don’t lose interest. There’s good and bad in the format, but the only one that really doesn’t like it is someone who finishes the regular season with a big lead but loses it when the points reset. I like that you get in the last couple of races and know every run’s going to count.”
Race Information:
Pep Boys NHRA Nationals
Maple Grove Raceway; Mohnton, Pa.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
Qualifying Show 1: 7-8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13 on FS1
Qualifying Show 2: 12:30-2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 on FS1
Finals: 2-4 p.m. or 4:30-6:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 on FOX (NFL game dependent; check local listings)
2023 Pep Boys NHRA Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 6; defeated Dan Mercier; lost to Doug Kalitta.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 344 events, 19 wins, 25 runner-up, 369 round wins, 21 No. 1 qualifiers.
2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results to Date (wins in italics):
Gainesville: Qualified No. 1; defeated Cody Krohn, Justin Ashley, Antron Brown and Billy Torrence.
Pomona: Qualified No. 7; defeated Krista Baldwin; lost to Tony Schumacher.
Phoenix: Qualified No. 5; defeated Josh Hart, Antron Brown, Steve Torrence and Justin Ashley.
Las Vegas 4W: Qualified No. 8; lost to Doug Kalitta and Steve Torrence in the first round.
Charlotte 4W: Qualified No. 7; lost to Antron Brown and Brittany Force in the first round.
Chicago: Qualified No. 4; defeated Cody Krohn, Shawn Reed and Dan Mercier before losing to Antron Brown.
Epping: Qualified No. 4; defeated Shawn Reed and Billy Torrence before losing to Doug Kalitta.
Bristol: Qualified No. 4; defeated Shawn Reed; lost to Tony Schumacher.
Richmond: Qualified No. 1; defeated Lex Joon, Steve Torrence & Antron Brown before losing to Doug Kalitta.
Norwalk: Qualified No. 6; lost to Clay Millican.
Seattle: Qualified No. 13; defeated Justin Ashley, Josh Hart and Clay Millican; lost to Steve Torrence.
Sonoma: Qualified No. 4; lost to Tony Stewart in the first round.
Brainerd: Qualified No. 5; defeated Shawn Reed, Doug Kalitta and Ida Zetterstrom; lost to Justin Ashley.
Indianapolis: Qualified No. 16; lost to Brittany Force.
FOURTH SEED J.R. TODD STARTS NHRA PLAYOFFS IN BEST POSITION SINCE 2018
It was a career-defining season for DHL GR Supra driver J.R. Todd, and the 2018 NHRA Top Fuel champion finds himself in a pretty good spot entering the 2024 NHRA Playoffs. The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs begin Sept. 13-15, 2024 at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals in Mohnton, Pa.
Todd entered the 2018 Countdown as the fifth seed and won three races in five final rounds in the six-race Countdown. Five final rounds in six races is stout – it’s the kind of performance that wins championships, and Todd is in search of that same Countdown magic that could potentially lead to another title.
“We still have some work to do with our DHL GR Supra, but we’re in a good position now,” Todd said. It’s probably our best position at this point in the season since we won the championship in 2018. The only pressure I ever feel is the pressure I put on myself. I’m usually pretty hard on myself because, in my mind, if you’re gonna be a great driver out here, you have to expect the best.”
And to win a championship in an incredibly tight Funny Car field, Todd will need the best from himself and his team. After the Countdown points reset and the addition of Mission Foods NHRA Challenge championship bonus points earned during the season, Todd enters the Countdown as the fourth seed 54 points behind first-place Austin Prock, eight points behind third-place Matt Hagan and 17 points ahead of fifth-place Ron Capps. The top-10 drivers in the Funny Car field are separated by 125 points.
“Reading is a big race because it’s the first race of the Countdown,” Todd said. “We need to come out swinging and be aggressive. Now is the time to make a run for the championship. With only six races in the Countdown, we have to be aggressive on every run possible. These next six are the most-important races of the year. The first one can set the tone for the rest of the season so you definitely want to go to the later rounds. It would be really nice to start off with a win and kind of see where the points shake out after that, but that first one is really important.”
Despite winning the final Mission Foods NHRA Challenge at the Toyota U.S. Nationals two weeks ago, Todd lost in the first round, and the team stayed in Indianapolis to test in preparation for the Countdown.
“Conditions were cool in testing last week,” Todd said. “Those are probably some conditions we’re going to see throughout the Countdown so we have to figure out how to improve our performance in these kinds of track conditions. I have confidence in these guys, and hopefully, they’ll figure it out and have this DHL GR Supra out front where it belongs.
“I like racing at Reading. It’s one of those old school tracks with some history, character and passionate fans. In 2018, it was the start of our championship run. We won Indy and went in there and won the first race of the Countdown. We obviously didn’t win Indy this year, but I feel like we can go into Reading and do some good.”
Race Information:
Pep Boys NHRA Nationals
Maple Grove Raceway; Mohnton, Pa.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
Qualifying Show 1: 7-8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13 on FS1
Qualifying Show 2: 12:30-2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 on FS1
Finals: 2-4 p.m. or 4:30-6:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 on FOX (NFL game dependent; check local listings)
2023 Pep Boys NHRA Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 11; lost to Matt Hagan.
Funny Car Career Stats: 312 events, 21 wins, 26 runner-up, 347 round wins, 14 No. 1 qualifiers.
2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results to Date (wins in italics):
Gainesville: Qualified No. 6; defeated Blake Alexander, Ron Capps, Bob Tasca and Austin Prock.
Pomona: Qualified No. 11; defeated Cruz Pedregon and Paul Lee; lost to Matt Hagan.
Phoenix: Qualified No. 5; defeated Cruz Pedregon and John Force before losing to Austin Prock.
Las Vegas 4W: Qualified No. 3; defeated D. Wilkerson, D. Richards before losing to M. Hagan and R. Capps
Charlotte 4W: Qualified No. 12; defeated Ron Capps and Buddy Hull in the first round, Cruz Pedregon and John Force in the semifinals before beating John Force but losing to Matt Hagan and Daniel Wilkerson in the final round.
Chicago: Qualified No. 12; lost to Alexis DeJoria.
Epping: Qualified No. 3; defeated Dave Richards and Bob Tasca before losing to John Force.
Bristol: Qualified No. 11; defeated Terry Haddock, Ron Capps, John Force; lost to Austin Prock.
Richmond: Qualified No. 7; lost to Matt Hagan.
Norwalk: Qualified No. 2; defeated Chris King; lost to Ron Capps.
Seattle: Qualified No. 4; defeated Buddy Hull and Bob Tasca; lost to Austin Prock.
Sonoma: Qualified No. 6 defeated Jason Rupert, lost to Ron Capps.
Brainerd: Qualified No. 8; defeated Paul Lee, Austin Prock; lost to Matt Hagan.
Indianapolis: Qualified No. 10; lost to Ron Capps.