Years of anguish, near-misses, and second-place finishes taught valuable lessons. And with the weight of those lessons, Doug Kalitta finally got it done in 2023. However, his first NHRA Top Fuel title came down to a thrilling winner-take-all final round against Leah Pruett. The tingle of victory was there nonetheless – and it came back in 2025. And all he had to do was make a qualifying run and make the field, and the title was his.

In a jaw-dropping climactic twist, the NHRA star did not even have to do that. Mother Nature intervened in Sunday’s Mission Foods Series finale at Pomona Dragstrip. Before the weekend was over, Doug Kalitta had the trophy in his hands – and he had a heart full of gratitude for his team.

NHRA topper crowns his colleagues

Doug Kalitta became the two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion, without a single NHRA pro-class car ever getting a chance to run the In-N-Out Burger Finals. And Kalitta had his speech ready after the rain-dashed event, as he hailed his crew chief, Alan Johnson, and his Mac Tools team. “Even a couple of races before the Countdown, I mean, my car was really running strong. It’s just a testament to Alan and everything, you know, the team has done. I mean, the consistency is the team putting the car together to where it responds like it needs to with the tune-up, just incredible.” 

Doug Kalitta advanced to the final rounds at the first four Countdown races. He won at St. Louis and Dallas to keep his edge over teammate Shawn Langdon, the No. 2-ranked driver seeking his second championship, and third-place Justin Ashley. And while the title marked Kalitta’s second, it marked Alan Johnson’s 14th Top Fuel title in 28 years. Earlier, Johnson led stalwarts like Tony Schumacher, Gary Scelzi, and Brittany Force to multiple championships.

Coincidentally, this is the 30th anniversary of the Finals at which Alan Johnson guided brother Blaine Johnson to his first Top Fuel victory in 1995. And Kalitta could not marvel enough about his crew chief. “Alan is always throwing down and always has something up his sleeve. So, I’m just really proud of him and my whole team. It’s a huge relief to be able to win the championship before the last round at the last race, and we’re all just super-happy.”

The Mac Tools dragster driver fulfilled his dream of matching cousin Scott Kalitta as a two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion. Scott earned the crown in 1994-95. Doug Kalitta continued, “Yeah, it’s definitely…been a family passion with Connie and Scott, myself. You know, it’s just wasn’t something I was sure we could pull off with accomplishing what my cousin Scott did with two championships, but we managed to do it.”

And Doug Kalitta managed to do it due to his bond with his crew chief and team. Another NHRA category champion had a similar story to share.

Crediting a bountiful bond

When the NHRA Safety Safari’s exhaustive effort to dry and prepare the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip failed, the rest of the championships were announced. NHRA announced in Funny Car (Austin Prock), Pro Stock (Dallas Glenn), and Pro Stock Motorcycle (Richard Gadson). And Gadson had a heartening story to share. He credited Eddie Krawiec, the four-time champion he replaced on the RevZilla Suzuki at Vance & Hines, who is his crew chief. Although the rain helped out, Gadson prioritized the chemistry he shares with his colleague.

Richard Gadson shared endearing words about Krawiec after winning the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle title. “We’re just finding our stride, finding our groove. Me and Eddie are starting to have a really good chemistry,” Gadson said. He called Gaige Herrera, his runner-up teammate, the two-time, back-to-back champion before him, “An amazing rider. Andrew [Hines] is an amazing tuner, but them together are like a match made in Heaven. And I think me and Eddie are kind of getting that kind of stride, too. He’s doing a phenomenal job tuning. It just takes time.”

Clearly, the NHRA finals were the result of hard work throughout a fruitful 2025 season. And that sets the stage for an equally, if not more, brilliant 2026 season!