Championship Drag Racing

Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals
Richmond, VA
(October 13-15)

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Driver Profile

Doug Kalitta Mac Tools dragster

Richmond, prerace: This weekend the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series returns to Virginia Motorsports Park in Petersburg, Va., just a few miles south of Richmond, for the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals. The world’s elite cast of drag racing stars has not visited the commonwealth on the east coast since 2000.

Doug Kalitta, driver of the bright red Mac Tools flagship Top Fuel dragster and nine-year quarter-mile veteran, has one streak that he would like to continue and another streak he would like to end this weekend in his revisit to Virginia. In the three events that he has competed in at Virginia Motorsports Park (1998, 1999 and 2000), Kalitta has qualified in the top-half of the eliminations field in each, but also in each year his quest for the winner’s circle has been squelched in the second round.

“Hopefully we can at least double our round-win total in Virginia this weekend,” Kalitta said. “With only three races left this year, every single point counts, so we certainly want to qualify well and hopefully go some rounds.

“We should see some great performances at VMP. The track is very close to sea level and the weather is supposed to be cool. I know our Mac Tools team will be trying to put up some big numbers for the fans.”

Kalitta and crew chief Rahn Tobler will be looking to improve on Kalitta’s VMP bests of 4.648 seconds (2000) and 308.11 mph (1998).

Kalitta holds a 52-point lead in POWERade Top Fuel championship points over second place with three events remaining on the 2006 NHRA national event schedule. Kalitta took over the points lead near the mid-season point in July in Denver and has held the top spot ever since.

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