NHRA Northwest Nationals Friday Qualifying Results: Near Record for Doug Kalitta
Under the electric atmosphere of Friday night lights at Pacific Raceways, veteran Top Fuel driver Doug Kalitta delivered a near-perfect pass that electrified the crowd and set the tone for the 36th annual Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals.
Kalitta powered his 12,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster down the strip in a stunning 3.671 seconds at 335.90 mph, narrowly missing his own track record of 3.670 seconds set in 2024. Though it was just one-thousandth of a second shy, the effort was more than enough to earn Kalitta the provisional No. 1 qualifier spot and the $4,000 Deecell Power Systems “After Dark Low Qualifier” award.
If his time holds through Saturday’s sessions, it would mark his sixth No. 1 qualifier of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season—yet another testament to his blistering form this year.
“We made a lot of changes just minutes before the run because of what we were seeing in the lanes,” Kalitta said after the pass. “Some guys were smoking the tires, and I wasn’t sure if we went too far the other way, but when the car left, I could feel it was really hauling. I didn’t know exactly what we ran, but I was definitely happy when I saw the number.”
Kalitta credited his seasoned team, including crew chief Alan Johnson and car chief Mac Savage, for giving him a machine capable of contending with the best under tricky nighttime conditions.
Trailing closely behind was teammate Shawn Langdon, who clocked a swift 3.689 at 332.92 mph, placing Kalitta Motorsports in dominant form early. Rounding out the top three was Brittany Force, whose 3.703-second pass came with an eye-popping 340.47 mph, setting a track speed record in the process.
J.R. Todd Navigates Chaos to Dominate in Funny Car
The Funny Car class had only one nitro session Friday night, and it was a wild one. The majority of drivers struggled to get clean runs in the cooler nighttime air, but J.R. Todd shined under pressure.
Behind the wheel of his DHL Toyota GR Supra, Todd muscled his way to a 3.901-second pass at 329.26 mph, one of only two sub-4-second runs in the session. His clean launch and smooth recovery from early tire shake earned him the top spot and the $4,000 Deecell After Dark Low Qualifier award.
“From the moment I hit the throttle, it was a handful,” Todd recounted. “It picked the nose up, I had to wrestle it straight, it shook a bit, and there’s a pretty gnarly bump out there. I honestly didn’t think it was going to hold together, but it did. It stuck.”
Todd, who’s still searching for his first No. 1 qualifier of the year, could very well secure it if his time holds—marking what would be the 15th of his Funny Car career.
Close behind is Chad Green, who ran a 3.928 at 329.75 mph, while Austin Prock faced technical issues and coasted to a 5.580-second pass, good for third but well off his usual pace.
Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn Duel in Pro Stock Thriller
The Pro Stock category delivered arguably the most dramatic action of the night. In a two-session showdown filled with tight competition, Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn traded track records like heavyweight boxers exchanging jabs.
After Glenn fired the first salvo with a track record of his own early in the day, Anderson responded with a thunderous 6.472-second run at 211.13 mph in the evening session. That blistering performance earned Anderson both the provisional top qualifier and the $2,500 Deecell After Dark award.
“We both laid down two excellent passes today,” said Anderson, who’s aiming for his first No. 1 spot of the season and the 137th of his legendary career. “The guys spent a lot of time testing Glenn’s car, and it’s paying off. But I think we’ve still got a bit more in ours. Getting the track record is cool, but what matters is Sunday. That low E.T. doesn’t win the trophy.”
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