Doug Kalitta set a zMAX Dragway record in the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals to claim his first Top Fuel victory this year and the 60th of his career.
Kalitta’s final run at 342.98 mph broke the record of 341.59 mph set by Brittany Force in April 2025. It also is the third fastest run in Top Fuel history. Kalitta now possesses the speed and e.t. record at zMAX Dragway. He set the dragway’s e.t. record of 3.646 in April 2025.
“It’s really exciting to keep getting those records,” Kalitta said after claiming his third zMAX victory. “When you’re driving the car, you can tell it’s really running fast and you’re hoping for the best.”
Taking second in Sunday’s final quad was Kalitta’s teammate Shawn Langdon who posted a 3.727 e.t. to Kalitta’s 3.692 e.t. Langdon was the event’s top qualifier and had low e.t. of the event at 3.673. Finishing third in the final quad was Leah Pruett, with Tony Stewart taking fourth.
.@Doug_Kalitta WINS the #4WideNats and resets the track speed record at 342.98mph. 🔥 @Revchem_ • @mobil1racing • @MacTools38 • @NHRA • #KalittaCareers • @daycoofficial • @FifthThird • @SealMasterNet • @SoundGearHear •
📺 Tune in to @fs1 at 7pm ET pic.twitter.com/iuMzGH8i61
— Kalitta Motorsports (@TeamKalitta) April 26, 2026
Langdon almost didn’t get a chance to advance into the final round. When he pulled into his lane for his semifinal run, his dragster broke a front heim. NHRA gave the team time to fix it, and he ended up winning his quad with a 3.748 e.t., 329.02 mph.
In the day’s final run, Kalitta was third off the line put his powerful dragster chased down his competitors for the victory. Langdon owned the starting line advantage and the power in his Kalitta Motorsports dragster allowed him to hold on for the holeshot win over Pruett. Langdon’s reaction time was .052 to Pruett’s .095. Stewart was second off the line but smoked the tires.
Kalitta defined a 4-wide event as a “crapshoot.”
“Actually, I had been hitting the tree pretty good all weekend and for whatever reason, that was my worst light of the weekend,” Kalitta said about his final run. “The lineup we had in the final was an incredibly close race all the way across. They don’t come easy. That’s one thing for sure.”
Kalitta said 88-year-old Connie Kalitta didn’t make it to the Concord, North Carolina, track but “I’m sure he’s pretty proud of what we accomplished.”
“zMAX is the nicest facility that we run at, so to be able to win here is a big deal,” Kalitta said.
Ron Capps claimed Funny Car honors, while Matt Hartford took Pro Stock.