NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

He's won the world championship and the NHRA U.S. Nationals. He's won the NHRA Winternationals and the NHRA Gatornationals. In fact, Doug Kalitta has won at every dragstrip on the current NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series except one — New England Dragway, home of this weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals — and the reigning world champion hopes to complete the list with what would be his 54th career victory.

“Yeah, it’s the only track where I haven’t won, so it would be really nice to check that one off the list,” Kalitta said. “That would be a real tribute to all my guys who have been with me through the years – and that’s a pretty good list of great people. I’m pretty optimistic we have a good shot to get to the final, get another crack at it, and hopefully check that last box. It’s a beautiful area, and we’re hungry to go rounds, so we’re looking forward to getting there to get started.”

Kalitta, who has won at 22 NHRA national event venues, including six that are no longer on the schedule, has enjoyed his most success at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, a key stop that includes the crucial season finale and for the years the season opener. He's also enjoyed great success in Sonoma, site of his first career win back in 1998.

Kalitta enters the NHRA New England Nationals in third place in the Top Fuel points standings. Last season, he clicked off his long-awaited 50th win and later won his highly anticipated first season championship. Now, with his first title defense well underway and a 2024 victory already under his belt, the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Famer looks to collect his first career win at New England Dragway.

Kalitta raced to a runner-up finish at the 2014 installment of the New England Nationals in his best showing to date. The No. 2 qualifier took out Terry McMillen, Khalid AlBalooshi, and Richie Crampton before dropping a close final round to Tony Schumacher.

Regardless of the team’s on-track performance, New England Dragway is a Team Kalitta favorite for another very important event, Eddie’s Lobsterfest — a New Hampshire staple for Team Kalitta. After Scott Kalitta passed away in a 2008 racing accident in Englishtown, N.J., the team debuted this event in 2009 in memory of Scott naming it after one of his nicknames. When NHRA stopped racing in Englishtown, Eddie’s Lobsterfest moved to New England Dragway.

“We’re really fortunate with our friendship, through Mac Tools, and now he has his own business, with Joe Poulin, and his wife, Donna; they’re good friends from a heck of a family,” Kalitta added. “Over the years, Joe would always send us lobsters for wins. It was kind of a friendship thing we had going on. Then after Scott passed, we switched it to this Lobsterfest thing. Joe was always nice enough to come with his family to cook and have this gathering with all the team members who knew Scott. 

“We have a nice tradition with this get-together. It’s good food, it’s good company, and it’s something Connie [team owner Connie Kalitta] definitely looks forward to. We get together and drink a Coors Light because that’s what Scott used to always drink. I’m not a big cigar person, but that’s the other thing. Scott used to smoke these Swisher Sweet cigars, so that’s also part of it. Jon-O [DHL Funny Car co-crew chief Jon Oberhofer] is typically the guy who gets up and says something about Scott – whatever comes to mind – so hopefully he’ll do that again this year. Everybody just enjoys the evening.”