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Toyota (NYSE: TM, 7203T) said today that Doug Kalitta officially secured his second NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel World Championship. For Kalitta this was his second world title in the last three seasons.
“Yeah, this [clinching the championship before race day] is definitely a lot easier than 2023. It always seemed to come down to the last race, last day, but we had a nice string of runs throughout the Countdown. Alan [Johnson, crew chief] and my whole Mac Tools Toyota team have had my car going down the track. It’s been really nice, and just getting good, solid runs. 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.”
Doug Kalitta’s Season at a Glance
- Kalitta’s four victories through the first 19 races in the 2025 NHRA season came at Sonoma Raceway (July), Brainerd International Raceway (August), World Wide Technology Raceway (Madison, Illinois; in September) and the Texas Motorplex (October).
- Kalitta’s four wins put him at 59 for his career, placing him fourth on the all-time Top Fuel wins list. He also currently sits 12th in all-time NHRA victories.
- Kalitta earned a Top Fuel-leading nine No. 1 qualifying positions this season, giving him 67 for his career and placing him seventh on the all-time NHRA No. 1 qualifiers list.
- Kalitta earned 39 round wins through the first 19 races this season.
- Kalitta also earned five victories in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and was victorious in the Top Fuel All-Star Callout at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in March.
- Kalitta is now the 13th NHRA Top Fuel driver to have won at least two world championships, also claiming the championship in 2023.
- This championship is the sixth for Kalitta Motorsports, and the team’s fourth in Top Fuel. It also fueled Toyota’s second consecutive triumph in the NHRA Manufacturers Cup championship.
- Kalitta’s 2025 championship adds to Toyota’s legacy in NHRA Top Fuel racing, accompanying his 2023 title, along with Larry Dixon (2010); Del Worsham (2011); Antron Brown (2012, 2015, 2016, 2024); and Shawn Langdon (2013).
“The championship run is about two parts of the season. You have the regular season and then, the Countdown to the Championship. The regular season, we tried to prepare ourselves to be at our best when the Countdown started. We were pretty much on a roll and we ended up having that incident in Reading (Maple Grove Raceway) that set us back a little bit. But we came back and got those two wins (at Gateway and Ennis) that set us up for this. Everything we worked on throughout the year played out how we envisioned it, and we got the job done!,” said Alan Johnson, Kalitta Motorsports crew chief of the Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Doug Kalitta is NHRA Top Fuel Champion Again
Click for more.
Toyota (NYSE: TM, 7203T) said today that Doug Kalitta officially secured his second NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel World Championship. For Kalitta this was his second world title in the last three seasons.
“Yeah, this [clinching the championship before race day] is definitely a lot easier than 2023. It always seemed to come down to the last race, last day, but we had a nice string of runs throughout the Countdown. Alan [Johnson, crew chief] and my whole Mac Tools Toyota team have had my car going down the track. It’s been really nice, and just getting good, solid runs. 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.”
Doug Kalitta’s Season at a Glance
“The championship run is about two parts of the season. You have the regular season and then, the Countdown to the Championship. The regular season, we tried to prepare ourselves to be at our best when the Countdown started. We were pretty much on a roll and we ended up having that incident in Reading (Maple Grove Raceway) that set us back a little bit. But we came back and got those two wins (at Gateway and Ennis) that set us up for this. Everything we worked on throughout the year played out how we envisioned it, and we got the job done!,” said Alan Johnson, Kalitta Motorsports crew chief of the Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.