Mitchell Kalitta, representing the newest generation of one of drag racing’s most decorated families, is set to make his Top Alcohol Dragster debut at this weekend’s NHRA Brainerd Nationals in Minnesota behind the wheel of a Randy Meyer Racing A/Fuel Dragster.
Mitchell, the 22-year old son of two-time Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta, is following a path blazed not only by his fan-favorite father, but the late Scott Kalitta — also a two-time champion — and his great uncle, air cargo magnate and motorsports hall of famer Connie Kalitta.
“I have been involved in drag racing my entire life,” Kalitta says. “My dad has been driving Top Fuel since 1998, and I was born in 2001, so it is absolutely in my blood.”
Mitchell has been working behind the scenes on the team’s trio of nitro cars since 2015, assembling short blocks and washing parts. After a decade spent learning the ropes, he got behind the wheel at the U.S. Nationals a season ago in a Super Comp entry fielded by Kalitta Motorsports driver Shawn Langdon. Displaying talent perhaps beyond his years, he drove to victory in the Super Pro bracket racing portion of the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod in March. In the months since, he has been charting his path into the top level of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series with one of its greatest teachers in many-time world champion team owner Randy Meyer.
With Meyer’s seasoned guidance, Kalitta recently completed the licensing process in time to make his late-summer debut.
“I was very fortunate that Randy allowed me to make several laps at Dragway 42 with pretty much nobody there so I could get all the dumb mistakes out of the way before we went to Norwalk,” Kalitta says. “The first day we started running, Randy just let me go out there to see what it was like, and as the day went on I started making my way farther down the racetrack. By the end of testing, I felt very comfortable making full runs and pulling the chutes on time. It was honestly a dream come true.”
“I really enjoyed learning how to compete in the index classes because they taught me a lot about how to drag race,” Mitchell adds. “I’m excited for this new challenge because Top Alcohol Dragster is much more like the racing I grew up watching and being a part of. The class is incredibly competitive, the race format is identical to Top Fuel, and the driving procedures are very similar. I’ve been fortunate to learn from my dad, Shawn Langdon, and J.R. Todd, who have all shared advice along the way.”
Following Mitchell’s debut, the team will then turn its attention to the historic U.S. Nationals and then the NHRA’s inaugural visit to the Kalitta family’s home racetrack, for the Great Lakes Nationals at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan.
“I’ve probably been to the U.S. Nationals 20 times in my life, so the opportunity to race there is unbelievable,” Kalitta says. “It’s the crown jewel of drag racing. I’m also really looking forward to the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Great Lakes Nationals because it’s my hometown race and I’ll have a lot of family and friends there cheering me on.”
Mitchell will carry the familiar colors of Kalitta Air Careers at Brainerd, where he will be joined by 15 other elite Top Alcohol Dragster entries, including Randy Meyer Racing teammate Matthew Cummings, and another next-generation face, Melanie Johnson, the daughter of Doug Kalitta’s crew chief, Alan Johnson.
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