The NHRA Brainerd Nationals have been very good to Doug Kalitta over the past two seasons, and the reigning Top Fuel world champion is doing everything possible to keep that relationship going.
Kalitta completed a dominant two days of qualifying Saturday at Brainerd International Raceway by securing the No. 1 qualifying position, winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, and taking over the NHRA Top Fuel points lead. He was the quickest Top Fuel dragster in all four qualifying sessions as his late-season surge continued.
J.R. Todd and Greg Anderson joined Kalitta as Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge winners, while Funny Car rookie Jordan Vandergriff and reigning Pro Stock world champion Dallas Glenn finished qualifying at the top of their respective categories.
Doug Kalitta Sweeps The Top Fuel Qualifying Bonus Points
If you want to see what momentum looks like in Top Fuel, take a look at Kalitta’s Mac Tools dragster.
Kalitta entered Brainerd following back-to-back victories at Sonoma and Seattle, and the defending Brainerd winner never surrendered control of the Top Fuel field during qualifying. After leading Friday, Kalitta turned things up another notch Saturday. His Mac Tools dragster blasted to a 3.673-second pass at 332.26 mph to open the day, securing his fourth No. 1 qualifier of 2026 and the 70th of his NHRA career.
More importantly, Kalitta made the quickest run during all four qualifying sessions, allowing him to collect every available qualifying bonus point.
“The guys got me running well, and I couldn’t be prouder,” Kalitta said. “We’re digging hard. This place is really special. My family has done really well here over the years, and I’d definitely like to keep it going.
“Getting the win here last year, the expectations are high to try to do it again. With the momentum we’ve got going, hopefully we can just keep it rolling. Brainerd’s been good to us so far. Alan (Johnson, crew chief) has got my car running well, and all my guys are working their tails off. We’re hungry to do as well as we can, and I’m definitely looking forward to tomorrow.”
Those bonus points proved especially valuable. Kalitta moved past Kalitta Motorsports teammate Shawn Langdon and into the Top Fuel points lead. Rookie Maddi Gordon qualified second with a 3.695 at 336.99 mph, while Langdon’s 3.730 at 331.20 mph put him third.
Kalitta Adds Another Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Victory
Simply dominating qualifying wasn’t enough for Kalitta.
He also picked up his fifth Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory of the season by defeating Josh Hart in the final round of Saturday’s bonus race. Kalitta recorded another strong run, covering the Brainerd International Raceway track in 3.726 seconds at 329.50 mph.
Between qualifying points, Mission Challenge success, and his recent race victories, Kalitta is stacking up points at a critical time. With the Countdown to the Championship approaching, the reigning world champion and crew chief Alan Johnson appear to be finding their best performance when it matters most.
J.R. Todd Gives Kalitta Motorsports A Saturday Double
Kalitta Motorsports’ Saturday success wasn’t limited to Top Fuel.
J.R. Todd captured the Funny Car Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge with a holeshot victory over defending world champion Austin Prock. Prock had the quicker car in the final, running 3.933 at 323.81 mph compared to Todd’s 3.938 at 321.88 mph. Todd, however, cut a .051 reaction time and used his starting-line advantage to turn on the win light.
It was Todd’s second Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory of the season and continued an impressive stretch for the Kalitta Motorsports nitro teams after Todd and Kalitta swept the Funny Car and Top Fuel victories at Seattle.
Todd believes there might be something to learn from how he approaches Saturday’s bonus races.
“I always say my mindset is different on Saturday than Sunday, but clearly I need to take that mindset into race day,” Todd said. “I just went up there and tried to hit the Tree as hard as I could. “I don’t want to let my guys down. I say it all the time: They bust their butts and work really hard, and the only way you can pay them back is by turning on win lights.
“Hopefully I can do that again tomorrow when it really counts.”
Jordan Vandergriff Steals The Funny Car No. 1 Qualifier
Jordan Vandergriff waited until the final qualifying session to make his biggest move of the weekend.
The John Force Racing rookie powered the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car to a stout 3.879 at 323.50 mph, jumping all the way to the top of the qualifying sheet. The run earned Vandergriff his third No. 1 qualifier of the 2026 season.
That’s another significant accomplishment in what has already become a breakout rookie campaign for Vandergriff. He’s proven he can win races and contend near the front of the championship standings, and now he’s continuing to add qualifying success to the list.
“I stepped on the gas and thought, ‘This thing is going pretty good.’ When I got to the finish line, I knew it felt quicker than anything I’d run all weekend. Turns out it was quicker than everybody,” Vandergriff said.
“That’s a credit to my guys — Chris Cunningham, Jason Bunker and this Cornwell Quality Tools team. They worked hard last night. I don’t know what changes they made because I just drive it, but whatever they did worked, and now we’ve got this yellow hat.”
Vandergriff needed every bit of that 3.879 to secure the top spot. Prock was right behind him with a 3.881 at 327.19 mph, while Matt Hagan qualified third after posting a 3.899 at 326.40 mph.
Greg Anderson Wins The Mission Challenge At Brainerd
Greg Anderson grew up racing at Brainerd International Raceway, so any win at the Minnesota track carries some extra significance. Anderson added another one Saturday by defeating KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn in the final of the Pro Stock Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.
The six-time world champion ran a 6.555 at 209.04 mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro to earn his third Mission Challenge victory of the season.
Anderson didn’t expect to see the win light against Glenn.
“I definitely felt like the underdog going up there. He’d been just a tick faster all weekend and I figured he was going to outrun me,” Anderson said. “I thought I was going to have to make the best run I’d made all weekend and I probably made the worst run I’d made all weekend. I did not expect that win light to come on.
“Anytime you get around Dallas Glenn, that just makes you better. I know what he is. I know what that guy is capable of every time he goes to the starting line. We’re very proud of the day we had today.”
Dallas Glenn Takes The Pro Stock No. 1 Qualifier
Glenn might have lost the Mission Challenge final, but he still walked away from Saturday with the No. 1 qualifying position.
The reigning Pro Stock world champion made his best run during Q3, wheeling his RAD Torque Systems Camaro to a 6.535 at 208.10 mph. It earned Glenn his second No. 1 qualifier of the 2026 season.
“The Q3 run was a really, really nice run. It felt fantastic all the way through,” Glenn said. “I definitely wanted Q4 to feel like that, too, but I think they were trying some stuff and probably need to go back the other direction. I’m sure they’ll look at everything and we’ll make a good run tomorrow.”
Anderson finished qualifying second, while Greg Stanfield grabbed the third position with a 6.550 at 208.55 mph. Glenn’s reward for qualifying No. 1 won’t be an easy first-round matchup. He’ll face five-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. when eliminations begin. Glenn will be trying to win at Brainerd for the third time in four seasons.
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