POMONA, Calif. — If there’s been a constant in recent NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series history, it’s veteran Doug Kalitta performing well at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona to open the year.
The longtime Top Fuel standout has advanced to four straight finals at the NHRA opener and won the past two, and Kalitta is eager to keep that streak going.
He’ll look to make it three straight wins at the annual iconic opener, as Kalitta and the rest of the NHRA stars open the season with this weekend’s 60th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com. It’s a race – as well as a track – that has been good to Kalitta and his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools Toyota dragster lately, as he swept both Pomona races a year ago. That included the finale to close out 2019 strong, and Kalitta hopes to maintain that momentum while seeking a fifth straight final at the season-opening event.
“The big wins from the end of last year, the U.S. Nationals and the Auto Club Finals, made the off-season easier,” Kalitta said. “We are really focused on winning the championship and that is where we put a lot of attention. I know the team worked hard and we are excited to get back to the track. My confidence level is very high. This Mac Tools team is on a streak at Pomona and we want to keep winning there. We focus on the little things all the time and I think that shows at the start of the season. We really work on staying sharp over the off-season and getting the most out of pre-season testing. I love racing in Pomona and the fans are always awesome.”
Kalitta (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Bo Butner (Pro Stock) were last year’s winners of the NHRA opener. Kalitta is fueled by last year’s strong performance that included three wins and a runner-up finish in points.
He finished a mere three points behind back-to-back Top Fuel world champ Steve Torrence in a battle that went down to the wire, leaving a world title as the main goal for 2020. Kalitta’s 47 career wins are the most in NHRA history for a driver without a championship, a narrative the ultra-successful driver would like to put to rest in 2020.
“For me I just focus on doing my job and blocking out the distractions,” Kalitta said. “The season is a marathon and I just really take it one race at a time. We’re just hoping to be running up front the whole season. We need to start off strong, and we’ll try to go back to Pomona and pick up where we left off. Qualifying is one of the things that we’re going to be focusing on this year. Usually on race day, we’re consistently good, so qualifying a little bit better will help us be there at the end again this year. The points you gain in qualifying can make a big difference in the point standings.”
Every point is needed in the loaded Top Fuel class, and Kalitta will have to get by the likes of Torrence, Brittany Force, Leah Pruett, Terry McMillen, Clay Millican and Antron Brown in Pomona. It’s a tall task, but he has the benefit of a standout Kalitta Motorsports team. Former Top Fuel world champ Shawn Langdon is back in the class after a brief time in Funny Car, while J.R. Todd has a championship under his belt in Funny Car. Combined, it has Kalitta, who is led by crew chiefs Troy Fasching and Rob Flynn, optimistic for 2020.
“This Kalitta team is very strong,” Kalitta said. “I am looking forward to seeing Shawn back in a Top Fuel dragster for sure. He has had a lot of success and matching him up with (team owner) Connie (Kalitta) and (assistant crew chief) Kurt (Elliot) will be exciting. J.R. will be great in the DHL Toyota Funny Car. These guys are great teammates and we do a lot of talking in the pits. We are going to come out of the box strong in Pomona.”