(Photo: Aaron Bearden/Motorsports Beat)
By Aaron Bearden
BROWNSBURG, Ind. — Doug Kalitta is one of the most decorated drivers of in the history of NHRA’s Top Fuel division. His 46 wins rank fifth all-time in the discipline, and he’s been a constant threat to claim victories for more than two decades on the tour.
But going into Labor Day’s Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, Kalitta had a reputation that he just couldn’t shake – being the best driver without the biggest accolades. He had no championships, and hadn’t claimed a win in the sport’s biggest race.
One of those facts was changed forever on a sunny Monday in Indiana. It took 22 tries, but Kalitta finally surged to his first victory in the ‘Big Go.’
The road to a Lucas Oil Raceway Wally was long and arduous, but two decades of determination finally paid off.
“I’m a real persistent guy, so I never give up,” Kalitta said. “It does make you wonder. though. When we got by Clay (Millican) I was thinking this is going to be a good opportunity and I’m just glad we were able to take advantage of it.”
Kalitta entered Monday as a dark horse, having locked up the No. 8 seed. He narrowly survived Millican in the first round, claiming a victory by .003 seconds in what was essentially a dead heat. That placed Kalitta against No. 1 seed Brittany Force, and he again moved on in a close contest.
The semifinals proved simple for Kalitta when Austin Prock drove into smoke, but the final turned out to be an ugly affair. The veteran lined up against Billy Torrence and suffered issues from the jump, taking 4.144 seconds to reach the line.
Thankfully for Kalitta, the U.S. Nationals finally tossed him a break. Torrence encountered issues of his own and took 4.22 seconds to reach the stripe. When Kalitta rolled across the line, the win light lit up.
From there the celebration was on. Kalitta’s crew created a dog pile next to the Christmas Tree as the veteran let the victory set in down the strip.
“It was kind of ugly in the final,” Kalitta admitted. “At 800 feet, it seemed like my car was just coasting with no power. I thought it was over, but the win light came on.”
With the first part of his career bucket list crossed off, Kalitta can set his sights on an NHRA title. He enters the Countdown second in the standings, well positioned to contend for a first championship after four runner-up performances.
“We’re looking forward to the Countdown,” he said. “It’s what it’s all about for my time and everybody out here, so we’re going to give it our best.
“Obviously, my guys are going to have plenty of skip in our step heading into the Countdown – including me. We just have to keep our head down and go rounds and try to prevail. It’s going to be a lot of fun and I can’t wait to get to the next race and get this going.”
