Words compiled from team press releases by Kay Burk - Photos by Ron Lewis

TOP FUEL

Doug Kalitta, driver of the 8,000-horsepower, nitro-fueled Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster for Kalitta Motorsports, won his first Top Fuel title trophy of the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Sunday, July 25, at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Col., just outside of downtown Denver, at the 31st annual running of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals.

The win in Denver is also Kalitta’s first at the famed Bandimere Raceway after runner-up finishes at the track last season, 2003, 2001, and 1999. He now has 32 Top Fuel event wins in 63 final-round appearances in his storied 13-year Top Fuel career. Kalitta’s most recent event win prior to Denver was in Pomona, Calif., at last year’s season-opening Winternationals event 17 months ago. Kalitta has four runner-up finishes in 2010 – Pomona 1, Phoenix, Charlotte, N.C., and most recently in St. Louis.

Kalitta qualified his Kalitta Air rail in the No. 2 position for Sunday’s eliminations with a great high-altitude run of 3.962 seconds at 308.21 mph in qualifying. He defeated Terry McMillen in the first round of eliminations by running the best lap of the weekend for the Kalitta Air team, 3.920 seconds at 311.63 mph to 4.066/289.38.

Kalitta raced against Steve Torrence in the quarterfinals. Torrence had traction problems on the hot and tricky Bandimere Speedway 1,000-ft. course, but Kalitta had no problems in his lane to get the win with the quickest elapsed time of the round, 3.936/310.48 to 4.341/252.57.

In the semifinals, Kalitta took on part-time NHRA competitor Rod Fuller. Again, Kalitta and the Kalitta Air team posted the quickest mark of the round in vanquishing Fuller with a 3.967 at 306.40 mph to 4.007/302.82, to set up a final-round meeting with Brandon Bernstein.