By Mark Armijo
Doug Kalitta can fly. In the air and on the ground.
Kalitta, a Learjet pilot at age 21 and now president of Kalitta Charters, is off to a flying start at the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.
Kalitta, in the Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster, is the No. 1 seed entering today’s final eliminations, an award for collaring the pole position with a bullet qualifying pass measured at 3.735 seconds and 327.74 mph. No surprise there. Kalitta, 49, was the top qualifier at the Mello Yello series season opener two weeks ago in Pomona, Calif., and also posted the event’s top elapsed time, speed and reaction time. What Kalitta couldn’t do was bottle it into a win, instead losing in the finals to Khalid alBalooshi.
Kalitta is hopeful this week’s final act provides a happier ending.
“Qualifying (No. 1) is a good start,” said Kalitta, the 1994 U.S. Auto Club sprint-car champion. “We’ve just got to keep our heads down and do the best we can. We really want to make this a great year.
“We really thought we had it at Pomona. It was close. But that’s drag racing. There’s always another race.”
Kalitta, at least, can sleep well knowing at times he has performed well at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park (formerly Firebird International Raceway).
He was runner-up in 2010 and 2004, and he won the 2001 race.
He also was last year’s top quali- What: Second event in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. When: Today. Gates open at 7:30 a.m.; pro sessions start at 11 a.m. Where: Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, I-10 and Wild Horse Pass Boulevard, Chandler. Tickets/information: racewildhorse.com.
520-796-5601 or fier but was upset in the first round by Spencer Massey.
Kalitta, who Funny Car driver Ron Capps said is NHRA’s best driver never to win a championship (runner-up in 2003, 2004 and 2006), gets No. 16 Scott Palmer in the first round.
John Force failed to better Friday’s track-record pass (3.990, 317.79) during Saturday’s final two Funny Car qualifying sessions, but the good news for him is no one else could, either.
Like Kalitta, who also posted his top blast Friday, Force now has two straight poles to start the season and a record 148 in his career.
He faces Jeff Diehl in the first round.
“At Pomona, we had the magic and got down every run,” said Force, who like Kalitta smoked the tires on both runs Saturday. “To be honest, we don’t have the magic this week.”
But Chris McGaha (6.530, 210.60), 34, feels magical. He topped the Pro Stock qualifying ladder, his first No. 1 position in 35 career starts, and is anxious to get started today.
“My dad has been (No. 1) before in (sportsman racing), but I never could go fast enough,” McGaha said. “The only time I’ve ever been Number 1 is in junior dragster (about 20 years ago).
“But if we can continue to make good runs, I’m feeling very, very confident.”