It might not have been the ideal method of leading into the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship for Top Fuel standout Doug Kalitta.
But it also might just mean that Kalitta and his 10,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster is ready for a breakout performance that has been so common throughout his successful Top Fuel career.
Kalitta is eyeing a turnaround and hoping for it to happen quickly at the Countdown to the Championship opener, this weekend’s eighth annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at state-of-the-art zMAX Dragway. After failing to get out of the second round for the past six races, Kalitta, seeking his first Top Fuel world championship, believes his talented team has something much different in store to kick off the NHRA’s six-race playoffs.
“I think we are back on track and looking forward to making a run at the title,” said Kalitta, who will start the Countdown to the Championship from the seventh position. “The bottom line is we have six races to prove ourselves and it’s time to settle in with what we know works for us.”
Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel); Matt Hagan (Funny Car); Jonathan Gray (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the playoff opener. ESPN2 will provide national television coverage of the NHRA Carolina Nationals. The event, which has kicked off the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoff since 2008, provides a great chance for a contender to jumpstart a run toward a world championship.
By no means does Kalitta, who will be seeking his first career win at zMAX Dragway, need an overhaul, as he has posted two wins in 2015 and was as high as third in the points standings following a victory in Norwalk. But Kalitta is ready for a playoff jumpstart in Charlotte after slumping a bit, at least by his high standards, following the Norwalk victory.
Kalitta has lost in the first round three times since that win and heads into the Countdown following a second-round loss at the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, where he also qualified 16th. The good news is he did advance to the final of the Traxxas Nitro Shootout at the event, giving the Ann Arbor, Mich. native at least some momentum heading into the Countdown. When it comes to mindset, Kalitta believes his team is locked in on the task that lies ahead.
“I was just thinking about that this morning and I feel very positive we are ready,” said Kalitta, who has 37 career Top Fuel wins, good enough for fifth all-time in the class. “No group of guys works harder than my guys on the Mac Tools car.”
As far as Kalitta’s quest for his first Top Fuel championship, the longtime veteran is ready to give it everything he has. Kalitta has come close, finishing second in 2003, 2004 and 2006, and believes his team has everything it takes to win a world championship. The biggest task will be unseating reigning world champion and points leader Tony Schumacher, who has his sights set on a ninth Top Fuel world championship, but Kalitta thinks he has the pieces to make it happen.
“My crew chief Jim (Oberhofer) has won a couple of Top Fuel championships and we are all really hungry,” said Kalitta, who has advanced to the Countdown to the Championship for the eighth straight year. “Hopefully this will be the year it all comes together.”
Getting off to a strong start in Charlotte is imperative, especially since Kalitta will be starting from the seventh position. Schumacher started his world title quest with a win at zMAX Dragway a year ago, a testament to how important that first race in the Countdown to the Championship can be to securing a championship.
It also kicks off a string of three straight race weekends and Kalitta, who has just one career Countdown to the Championship win in 42 races, appears ready for the rigorous stretch. Along with Schumacher, standing in his way is a loaded Countdown field that includes Antron Brown and Richie Crampton, who both have four wins in 2015 and will start from the second and third spots, respectively, three-time world champion Larry Dixon, Brittany Force, 2013 world champ Shawn Langdon, teammate J.R. Todd, Steve Torrence and Dave Connolly.
“The main thing is going rounds and we plan on giving it all we have and hoping for the best,” said Kalitta, who also posted a win at Houston in 2015. “Charlotte fans are very passionate about racing and I couldn’t think of a better place to kick off the Countdown.”
In Funny Car, Hagan drove his Mopar Express Lane/Rocky Boots Dodge Charger to a victory at the event a year ago, which helped him get a head start on the competition en route to his second world championship. But this year everyone is chasing red-hot Jack Beckman, the current points leader who won his sixth race of the season with a memorable weekend in Indy. Along with Hagan, who is currently in second, his major threats will be Tommy Johnson Jr., John Force, Robert Hight, Ron Capps, Del Worsham, who moved to fourth heading into the Countdown, Tim Wilkerson, Cruz Pedregon and Alexis DeJoria, who will start the quest for her first championship from the No. 10 position.
Pro Stock points leader and reigning world champion Erica Enders, who has six wins this season, including the most recent at the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, will have her hands full dealing with challenges from four-time world champion and four-time 2015 winner Greg Anderson, who is in second to begin the Countdown, and his teammate Jason Line. Other championship contenders include two-time event winner in 2015 Chris McGaha, who is currently third, Allen Johnson, Vincent Nobile, Shane Gray, Jonathan Gray, rookie Drew Skillman and veteran driver Larry Morgan, who won the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals here in April.
Defending Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ Andrew Hines is a two-time winner of this event and will battle defending winner and Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Krawiec, who is the current points leader, for the title. Others to watch include Hector Arana Jr., who starts the Countdown in second, Jim Underdahl, Hector Arana, Karen Stoffer, alligator farmer Jerry Savoie, who won at Indy for the first time in his career and moved all the way to fourth, Chip Ellis, who jumped into eighth after a runner-up finish in Indy, Scotty Pollacheck and local favorite and two-time champ Matt Smith.
Teams in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Series also will take to the track in their 250 mph machines to thrill the race fans during the weekend.
As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.
