There have been a few operative words for veteran NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel ace Doug Kalitta over the past year. For the first time in his career, he’s a champion, and it only took 26 years to achieve that status. He earned victory in the richest drag race ever in February, winning the PRO Superstar Shootout and brought home $250,000 for his victory. He’s already achieved two visits to the NHRA Winner’s Circle, the most recent victory coming the first weekend of June in the 11th annual New England NHRA Nationals on the all-concrete Epping, NH New England Dragway dragstrip.
That win gives Kalitta a victory at every track where NHRA currently conducts races and was the sole remaining circuit where he hadn’t won. Well, that’s over, and the victory gives the Kalitta Motorsports racer some pretty big stats in a career that’s filled with them. Winning from the No. 1 qualified position, Kalitta earned his third No. 1 in the past four events and the 56th of his career. The win numbers aren’t far behind, as Doug Kalitta beat 86-race winner and eight-time champion Tony Schumacher in the finals to earn his 54th career race title with a 3.802 second pull at 332.92 mph, tying him with Steve Torrence for fourth-most Top Fuel wins in NHRA history.
That’s a lot of stats. To get to his final round against Schumacher, Kalitta defeated Scott Farley and rookie Tony Stewart, then raced his teammate, Shawn Langdon, who has two wins in the 2024 campaign. This was the 95th time that Kalitta and Schumacher have battled one another. By reaching the semifinals, Kalitta earned a spot in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at next week’s Bristol race. All of this, though, wasn’t enough to have Kalitta leapfrog Justin Ashley, who retains the lead by 26 points despite a first round loss to Josh Hart.
Still, “It’s a dream come true with Alan (crew chief Alan Johnson), Mac (assistant crew chief Mac Savage) and this whole team that got behind me,” Kalitta said. “We finally got the win at Epping. We had a nice tribute to my cousin, Scott, last night so that was a cool experience with Connie (team owner Connie Kalitta). We’re just really happy to get this win, and this will be a special trophy, knowing we finally won a race on the Eddie’s Lobsterfest weekend.”
Kalitta wasn’t the only over-achiever on a weekend where NHRA sold every available seat at New England Dragway for both Saturday qualifying and Sunday eliminations. Funny Car GOAT John Force used his wiles to slip past teammate Austin Prock, the No. 1 qualifier (Force was second) to earn his second win of the 2024 campaign, third at this venue and 157th of his amazing career. Force, driving his John Force Racing (JFR) Chevrolet Camaro SS, won the all-JFR final round with a 4.081-sec, 319.29 mph blast down the 1,000-foot dragstrip to Prock’s 4.096-sec run at 316.38.
Force, on the opposite side of the ladder to Prock, defeated Buddy Hull in Jim Dunn Racing’s Dodge Charger, Blake Alexander, driving Jim Head’s Ford Mustang and Kalitta Motorsports’ J.R. Todd’s Toyota GR Supra to race Prock’s Camaro in the finals. Force also prevailed Saturday afternoon in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, the double-up hoisting the veteran to second in points, just 22 behind Prock. Former leader Matt Hagan’s Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat lost in the first round to Ron Capps’ Toyota GR Supra and fell to third place.
As expected, Force said he “loves the crowds. For three days they packed them in. I came here 40-something years ago and this place is special.” The veteran did not feel good about taking the win over his teammate. “He is the future. I love that kid,” Force said of 28-year-old Prock. “He’s going to be here for a long time and Robert [Hight] will be coming back. I’m not being dramatic, but my time is up. It was up when I was 65. Hell, it was up when I turned 50,” Force continued. “The world is changing for me and I’ve got to do some real thinking. I’m not quitting today. I’m going to Bristol, but I just know I’m not what I used to be.”
Force’s results after seven races in a 20-contest campaign belie his words. The veteran is having a career season that racers half his age would love to attain. He’s racing well and putting up points, which is what a champion needs to do to win a title. And a 17th championship – even at this early stage in the season – isn’t out of the question for the 75-year-old Force, who celebrated his milestone birthday early last month.
Troy Coughlin Jr. was the winner in Pro Stock, taking the last win of the day in his category against teammate Erica Enders, the reigning six-time titleholder in the door slammer class. Coughlin earned his first win of the 2024 season with a holeshot in the final round, using a great .013-second reaction time and a run of 6.548 at 210.05 against Enders’ 6.563 at 210.54. This was Coughlin’s first win at New England Dragway and his fifth Pro Stock victory.
Coughlin Jr. qualified second behind Enders and marched to the finals by defeating Brandon Miller, teammate Aaron Stanfield and points leader Dallas Glenn. His superlative reaction time was just enough to hold off Enders. “It was definitely a wonderful day,” he said. “Erica is fast. She hits the tree well and it’s an honor just to race her. When I practice every week on a simulator,” he acknowledged, “you’re asking nothing more of yourself than you do each week on the track. You’re just racing yourself and you need to be that way when you’re running a champ like Erica.”
No. 1 qualifier Enders reached her 81st career final round after defeating teammate Fernando Cuadra Jr., Deric Kramer and teammate Jerry Tucker, but came up a smidge short of attaining her 50th career national event victory.
Elite Motorsports also racked up victory in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, as Mason Wright earned his first Wally trophy at the NHRA New England Nationals. In the fourth of 10 national Pro Mod events, Wright acknowledged, “It’s tough in the Pro Mod class. It’s definitely a team effort and they’ve all pulled together to give us a great race car. Getting to double up for Elite with Troy, that’s pretty exciting. I’m not going to lie,” he said, “my first win, I’m still in shock!”
There is no rest for the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, as trucks are moving equipment south to Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tennessee for the 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, set to take place June 7-9.
By Anne Proffit
It was a really great weekend.