TOP FUEL

Doug Kalitta, driver of the Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster, picked up his second win of the season. It was a wire-to-wire job for the Mac Tools team. Kalitta reset the track record in qualifying with a 3.731-second pass that earned him his first number one qualifying spot of the season and the second of his legendary career at Norwalk.

However, he had never picked up a victory at the track that is closest to Kalitta Motorsports headquarters. That was not on the top of the mind of crew chief Jim Oberhofer. The Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster was consistent throughout the day running 3.774 seconds in the first round to defeat Chris Karamesines and 3.846 seconds to knock out Steve Torrence in the second round.

The semifinal draw put him against the hungry Clay Millican. Millican (shown) had a solid number, but could not compete with Kalitta's class-best reaction time and 3.849-second run.

Antron Brown would be the final person in the way of Team Kalitta, but he again proved no match for the Mac Tools team. Oberhofer tuned the Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster all the way up to a 3.823-second pass to easily defeat Brown.

"I am honored to drive this Mac Tools dragster," said Kalitta. "What a great way to celebrate, so close to our home and the home base for so many of our sponsors, Mac Tools, SealMaster and Summit Racing. They gave me the tune-up to win all day and I am so excited to be able to celebrate with my family and friends."

Kalitta moves from sixth to third in the series point standings with the victory.

Antron Brown and his Matco Tools Top Fuel team, led by Ohio native crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald, extended their points lead in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

It was another strong weekend for the Top Fuel team that has logged the most category wins since 2009 as Brown qualified the Matco-backed rail in the No. 3 position at 3.739 seconds on Saturday evening under the lights at the Northern Ohio facility.

About 13 hours after the Matco Tools/U.S. Army team completed qualifying at Summit Racing Motorsports Park, Brown bested Terry McMillen, Brittany Force and DSR teammate and eight-time series champion Tony Schumacher before a dropped cylinder in the final round against Doug Kalitta ended Brown's day with his second runner-up finish of the season.

"All of our Matco guys did such a great job this weekend and especially today with the fast turnarounds for live TV (on ESPN)," Brown said after his 92nd career final round. "Lord knows that's how it goes sometimes. We went out there and were running good and it just dropped a hole. The car had a great 60-foot time and it didn't make it to 330 feet before it dropped that cylinder.

"Those Kalitta boys with Doug and Jim O (Oberhofer) ran great and got the win today. They ran some phenomenal numbers this weekend and our hats are off to them. This Matco Tools, U.S. Army, Toyota dragster team is gonna keep on pushing. We'll keep on plugging and go to Chicago and build on the leaps and bounds we made this weekend at Norwalk. The car was responding the way Brian and Mark wanted it to, which is great. We'll work on this and be better."