By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
The Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster team has struggled this season. A change had to be made with the team.
Legendary drag racer Connie Kalitta, the owner of the team, has decided to part ways with crew chief Rob Flynn. He has been replaced with tuner Aaron Brooks.
The veteran tuner may be in the role for the rest of the season. His first race with the team is this weekend at the 10th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals.
With Brooks tuning the 11,000-horsepower Dragster, Kalitta is presently fifth on the first day of the event near St. Louis. The Saline, Michigan pilot went 3.747 at 325.14 mph.
Brooks will attempt to get Kalitta back on track on Sunday during elimination. While the ladder has not been set yet, Kalitta has lost two straight races in the first round.
The former title contender is in the midst of one of the worst seasons of his career. He is presently 10th with 2,064 points as of the conclusion of the DeWalt NHRA Carolina Nationals.
Kalitta, who also dabbled as an airplane pilot, is 10-15 this season. He has two runner-up finishes.
However, he has not appeared in a final round since the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park on May 24th. He was defeated by Steve Torrence in the final round.
Speaking of Torrence, he defeated Kalitta in the first round of the DeWalt NHRA Carolina Nationals. Kalitta has lost two straight races in the first round.
The Mac Tools pilot has lost seven times in the first round this season. He’s also lost five times in the quarterfinals.
Kalitta was as high as fifth in the points standings following Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals presented by Pennzoil. However, he has been stuck in 10th place since the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas.
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