Doug Kalitta

Last updated
Doug Kalitta
DougKalitta1999Dragster.jpg
Kalitta's Top Fuel dragster in 1999
Born (1964-08-20) August 20, 1964 (age 61)
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series career
Debut season1998
Current teamKalitta Motorsports
Crew chiefAlan Johnson
Championships2 (TF)
Wins
  • Win Total
  • 59
  • Final Round Appearances
  • 125
Fastest laps
  • Best ET
  • 3.628 seconds [1]
  • Best Speed
  • 341.34 mph (549.33 km/h) [1]
Championship titles
2023, 2025NHRA Top Fuel Champion
Awards
1998Auto Club Road to the Future Award
Statistics up to date as of November 15, 2025.

Doug Kalitta (born August 20, 1964) is an American auto racing driver from Ypsilanti, Michigan, and owner of airline Kalitta Charters. He started racing in open-wheel cars on an oval. Kalitta won the 1994 USAC Midget rookie of the year title and the 1994 USAC Sprint car championship. He moved to drag racing in 1998 and is the 2023 and 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series (Top Fuel) champion.

Contents

Open wheel oval racing

Kalitta formerly raced in USAC events. He was the 1991 USAC rookie of the year in the midget series, and won the 1994 championship in the sprint car category. Kalitta won 21 USAC events: 14 in midget races and 7 in sprint competitions.

Drag racing

In 1998 he joined the NHRA, becoming a top fuel drag racer. [2] Kalitta finished second in the top fuel points race in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2016 and 2019. He is fifth on the all-time top fuel wins list; [3] with 59 victories. Kalitta also has 125 career final round appearances; [4] with Doug also winning the championship for top fuel in 2023 and 2025.

Personal life

Kalitta has a wife, Josie Kalitta, a son Mitchell Kalitta, and a daughter Avery Kalitta. Kalitta's father is the now-deceased Doug Kalitta Sr., and he is the nephew of Connie Kalitta, a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Scott Kalitta, an NHRA driver who died on June 21, 2008, in a racing accident, was his cousin. [5] He owns the airline Kalitta Charters. [6]

References

  1. 1 2 "Doug Kalitta". NHRA. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  2. ↑ Glick, Shav (1998-01-30). "With the Kalittas, It's All in the Family". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
  3. ↑ "Doug Kalitta Infineon Wall of Fame inductee". Motorsport.com. 2008-07-21. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
  4. ↑ Staff, NHRA. "Doug Kalitta wins long-over first NHRA Top Fuel championship in dramatic style". NHRA. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
  5. ↑ Caldwell, Dave (2008-06-23). "The N.H.R.A. Races on After a Driver's Death". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
  6. ↑ "Memphis: Doug Kalitta preview". Motorsport.com. 2006-08-16. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
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