Mon, 09 Mar 2026, 19:06 PM Kalitta Motorsports Wrap Up |
Courtesy of Rob Goodman, Kalitta Motorsports Photo Courtesy Kalitta Motorsports |
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NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Fla.
Post-Event Wrap-Up
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Finals Broadcast Replay (eastern time): 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 10 on FS2
Qualifying: Doug Kalitta was the No. 6 qualifier at the season opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. During the second round of qualifying Friday evening, Kalitta reached the finish line in 3.703 seconds at 334.07 mph.
Right Trailers Top Fuel All-Star Callout: Kalitta was defending champion and top seed for this special event for the eight drivers who earned the most qualifying bonus points last season. Kalitta called out Clay Millican, the driver he called out and defeated in the first round last year. Millican turned the tables this year. Kalitta was leading the race when the Mac Tools dragster smoked the tires giving Millican an easy win.
Eliminations: Kalitta defeated Justin Ashley, Leah Pruett and Top Fuel rookie Maddie Gordon on his way to his fourth Gatornationals final round. After a thunderstorm delayed the event for nearly two hours, Kalitta raced Josh Hart in the final round. Kalitta was off the starting line first, but the Mac Tools dragster dropped a cylinder almost immediately. Hart raced to the victory with a 3.733-second run at 337.83 mph to Kalitta's 3.877 at 319.60 mph. Hart's margin of victory was .1374 seconds. It was the first time Kalitta raced in a Gainesville final round but did not win the race.
When Kalitta advanced to the semifinals, he earned a spot in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the next race near Phoenix. During Saturday's qualifying sessions, the drivers who reached the semifinals in Gainesville will re-run the semifinals and final earning additional purse and championship bonus points.
Unofficial Point Standings: Kalitta leaves Gainesville in second place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He trails points leader Josh Hart by 26 points and leads third-place Antron Brown by 20 points.
Kalitta on Gainesville: "That was close. I had a lot of confidence going up there - I thought we had 'em for sure the way the Mac Tools car is running. It dropped cylinder early, and running on seven just isn't gonna do it. It was a great job by all my guys, Alan Johnson and Mac Savage (Crew Chief Alan Johnson, Assistant Crew Chief Mac Savage). What can I say about those guys? They're just bad to the bone, and I'm real fortunate to be wheelin' this thing. Really appreciate Mac Tools, Fifth Third Bank, PJH Trackbite, Revchem and everyone else that helps us make it happen. I'm looking forward to getting to the next one to keep doing what we're doing."
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Finals Broadcast Replay (eastern time): 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 10 on FS2
Qualifying: J.R. Todd was the No. 2 qualifier at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. The DHL GR Supra was the quickest of the first qualifying session Friday afternoon, and while he improved to a 3.912-second effort at 334.15 mph in the second round Friday evening, he slipped to the No. 2 spot and led the bottom half of the eliminations ladder.
Eliminations: Following excellent pre-season testing and a strong qualifying effort, Todd advanced to the semifinals at the first race of the season. He defeated Dave Richards and Dan Wilkerson before losing to Alexis DeJoria in the semifinals when the 2018 champion left the starting line before the green light immediately eliminating him.
When Todd advanced to the semifinals, he earned a spot in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the next race near Phoenix. During Saturday's qualifying sessions, the drivers who reached the semifinals in Gainesville will re-run the semifinals and final earning additional purse and championship bonus points.
Unofficial Point Standings: Todd leaves Gainesville in third place in in the NHRA Funny Car point standings. He trails second-place Alexis DeJoria by 11points and leads fourth-place Jordan Vandergriff by 11 points.
Todd on Gainesville: "I just screwed up; it's 100 percent my fault. There was no reason for that, especially with the way the DHL car's been running over the last two weeks. We've had one of, if not the best car, on the property. I'm mad at myself for letting the guys down. We'll put that behind us, go to Phoenix, go to work there and pick up where we left off for DHL, Fifth Third Bank and Revchem. There's a lot of racing left, and I think we have a car capable of contending for wins now."
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Finals Broadcast Replay (eastern time): 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 10 on FS2
Qualifying: Shawn Langdon was the No. 2 qualifier at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. During Friday's second round of qualifying, Langdon made a 3.681-second run at 338.09 mph to claim the No. 2 position.
Right Trailers Top Fuel All-Star Callout: Langdon was the second seed in this special event featuring the drivers who earned the most qualifying bonus points last season. He called out Shawn Reed for his first-round opponent. Langdon won the first round with a 3.789-second pass at 324.59 mph. In the semifinals, the Kalitta Air Careers dragster smoked the tires close to half track giving Antron Brown the round win.
Eliminations: Langdon raced NHRA rookie Maddie Gordon in the opening round. The 2013 Top Fuel champion was off the starting line first and leading the race when the Kalitta Air Careers dragster smoked its tires, and Langdon was eliminated.
Unofficial Point Standings: Langdon leaves Gainesville in ninth place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He trails the drivers tied for seventh place, Tripp Tatum and Tony Schumacher, by nine points and leads 10th-place Billy Torrence by 10 points.
Langdon on Gainesville: "That (first-round loss) was definitely unfortunate - we definitely felt like the Kalitta Air Careers car could have won today, for sure. We had a great pre-season test and qualified well, but we smoked the tires. It is what it is - we'll regroup and do the best we can at the next race. Thanks to everybody at Kalitta Air, Revchem and everyone else that supports us."
Next Race: Team Kalitta will be back in action March 20-22, 2026, at the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs in Chandler, Ariz. For additional information, please visit www.nhra.com. For additional information on Kalitta Motorsports, please visit www.teamkalitta.com.
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