The entire NHRA industry is preparing for their marquee event: The U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Following this event, the field will reset for the ten driver, six race Countdown to the Championship. Two drivers enter the weekend vying for the Top Fuel Regular Season Championship, Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon.
Notably, these are the two drivers for Kalitta Motorsports, who have dominated the 2026 Top Fuel season. In 13 events so far, the Michigan-based team has won eight of them.
Meet the Drivers
Doug Kalitta is a two-time Top Fuel champion (2023 and 2025) and 63-time Top Fuel winner. The 62-year-old started his career as a dirt racer, but moved to drag racing in 1998 and has been winning ever since. This season, Kalitta has four victories. Additionally, he has secured seven total final round appearances, four number one qualifying times, and five Mission #2Fast2Tasty victories.
“Connie [Kalitta, team owner] has had my back for years. It’s just incredible to have someone like him supporting you,” Kalitta said on his strong season. “It’s been a dream come true for me. You definitely have to cherish things because they don’t come easy. It’s just an incredible team effort.”
Kalitta’s third consecutive victory at Behrend propelled him to a 67 point lead on teammate Shawn Langdon. Langdon is a 24-time Top Fuel winner and the 2013 champion. Like his teammate, the 43-year-old has four victories and seven total final round appearances. Langdon outranks his teammate with five number one qualifying times to four, but only has four Mission #2Fast2Taste victories to Kalitta’s five.
“It’s obviously very important to do…well at Indy to set yourself up for the countdown,” Langdon said. “We’re kind of full steam ahead with everything at this point. Our plan is to go out there, do the best we can with everything and try to win the regular-season championship”
Looking Forward
Kalitta and Langdon are two of the four drivers mathematically locked in to the Countdown for the Championship. On top of the previously written battle for the Regular Season Championship, both drivers are looking for their second U.S. Nationals crown. Kalitta secured the victory in 2019 with Langdon winning the next season.
Additionally to Top Fuel, the team has one Funny Car entry. J.R. Todd, fourteen-time Funny Car winner and 2018 series champion, pilots the entry. So far this season, Todd has one win, two finals appearances, and sits fourth in points. In order for Kalitta Motorsports to sweep the Regular Season titles, Todd will need to gain 22 points on Matt Hagan in the U.S. Nationals. A third U.S. Nationals win would go a long way to help.
“We’ve had a really good car all year long; we just stumbled a little there in the middle of the season,” Todd said following his Seattle victory. “Now I think we’re getting back to where we need to be. You can’t take anybody lightly in Funny Car. Dickie and Todd (Crew Chiefs Dickie Venables and Todd Smith) do a really good job of racing smart – not throwing down every run; they race the conditions and the track.”
Kalitta elaborated on the team’s strengths entering the Countdown.
“Alan has this car dialed in, and we’re fortunate to have him on this team,” Kalitta said. “This is really the time of the year he really focuses on making it happen. It’s going to be exciting, and I’m looking forward to hopefully continuing what we’re doing as a team. We’re clicking right now, but it’s not going to be easy by any means.”
