Top Fuel’s Doug Kalitta after another Big Weekend at Stampede of Speed and Texas NHRA FallNationals

ENNIS, TX – October 8, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Top Fuel standout Doug Kalitta has had an ideal start to the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, advancing to the final round at the first three playoff races.

Heading to Texas Motorplex this weekend with a commanding points lead, Kalitta would love to keep that streak going to close out the main event of the 10-day Stampede of Speed, the 40th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals.

The massive event starts the second half of the playoffs in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and Kalitta is in the driver’s seat, holding an 86-point lead over Justin Ashley with three races remaining.

Kalitta won the most recent race in St. Louis and a second straight victory would make the veteran a strong favorite to clinch a second world title. He’s also thrilled to return to Texas Motorplex in his 12,000-horsepower Mobil DELVAC 100th Anniversary dragster, focused on putting on a great show at the can’t-miss event.

“What Billy Meyer and his family have put together down there, it’s just an incredible race. It’s going to be epic, as it always is,” Kalitta said. “We will do our normal thing and show up on Friday, and we will definitely be hitting the ground running there. With that concrete track, it’s pretty forgiving and it usually bodes well with our tune-up. It’s a humbling sport, so you just have to keep your head down and just keep trying to get the win lights to come on.”

In 2024, Ashley (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won the Wally and the coveted Texas Motorplex cowboy hat. For this year’s race, the winners will receive a special, one-time only navy cowboy hat to commemorate the special 40th anniversary of the event.

The event will be broadcast on FS1 and FOX, with eliminations taking place on FOX on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 2 or 4:30 p.m. ET, depending on local listings.

The race, the 18th of 20 this year, starts with a bang with two qualifying rounds on Friday and the highly-anticipated “JEGS Friday Night Live,” featuring the popular “Battle for the Saddle.” It puts more than $40,000 in bonus money on the line for drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle. The low qualifier under the lights on Friday night will net Top Fuel and Funny Car stars $15,000 each in bonus money, with $7,500 going to the quickest qualifier in Pro Stock and $5,000 in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

As part of the Friday night festivities, fans are encouraged to wear black and yellow as part of a special “Black and Yellow Bash,” adding another thrilling aspect to “JEGS Friday Night Live” and the weekend’s 40th anniversary celebration.

Kalitta will be one of the marquee attractions throughout the weekend as he looks for a fourth win this season against a loaded field that includes Ashley, teammate Shawn Langdon, regular-season champion Tony Stewart, reigning world champ Antron Brown, Clay Millican and Brittany Force, who is retiring from full-time racing at the end of the year.

Kalitta, though, remains focused on just his team and what they can accomplish this weekend with a second world title within reach.

“The points can swing out here. It’s all about getting as many as you can,” Kalitta said. “For me, staying ahead would be nice. We’re very fortunate right now, but we’ll see how it shakes out. Being ahead is definitely where we want to stay, but it’s going to take every point you can possibly get with the Top Fuel group; everybody’s running strong. We try not to get too caught up in the points thing; it’ll catch up to itself at the end of the day, so we just have to focus on getting the job done.”

Hagan won his fifth NHRA FallNationals Funny Car event last season over Ron Capps. Reigning champ Austin Prock leads the points after winning eight races this year, but Hagan has closed the gap to 20 points following his St. Louis win. Others to watch include Jack Beckman, Daniel Wilkerson, Paul Lee and Reading winner Cruz Pedregon.

Five-time world champ Coughlin won at Texas Motorplex last season when he defeated Greg Anderson, who claimed his sixth Pro Stock world title in 2024. This season has been dominated by Anderson and Dallas Glenn, who is the points leader. Glenn has six wins in 2025, including two playoff races, while Anderson is right behind after his St. Louis triumph.

Two-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champ Herrera won his second straight NHRA FallNationals last season over the six-time champ Matt Smith. Herrera moved to second in points following his St. Louis win, trailing teammate Richard Gadson by 29 points.

The Texas NHRA FallNationals will also feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, which includes some of the sport’s top drivers and begins racing on Wednesday, Oct. 8. The event is preceded by a Division 4 race in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at the historic facility. The weekend will include the finale of the exciting Holley EFI Factory X category and the Jr. Dragster Shootout.

Fans will also be treated to the JEG’s Allstars event, which pits sportsman racers from across the country against each other for the ultimate drag racing battle, beginning on Friday, Oct. 10. The popular competition moved to the famed Texas Motorplex in 2023, the unique specialty race is back as a major highlight of the 2025 Stampede of Speed as one of most highly-anticipated sportsman events of the year.

Leading into the race weekend, fans can take part in several events as part of the massive 10-day Stampede for Speed festival. That includes the NHRA Divisional race (October 6-7), Stampede of Speed Shootout (October 7), and the popular NHRA FanFest at Railyard Park in downtown Waxahachie (October 9), where fans can meet and get autographs from all the top stars in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and the JEGS Allstars participants.

At the track, fans will be invited to the Nitro Alley Stage in the pits for Nitro School, meet and greets, music and much more. Race fans at Texas Motorplex can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce and celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday after racing concludes, where fans can congratulate the event winners.

Fans with reserved tickets with a pit pass get access to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction. They can see their favorite teams in action and servicing their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers and more. They can also visit NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create an exciting atmosphere that includes interactive displays, merchandise and food.

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:15 and 7 p.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 10, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 12 and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10 a.m. CT on Sunday, Oct. 12. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, leading into eliminations on FOX at either 2 or 4:30 p.m. ET (check local listings).

To purchase tickets to the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, call 800-668-6775 or visit tickets.texasmotorplex.com. For info about NHRA, visit www.nhra.com.

About Mission Foods

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Source: National Hot Rod Association 

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