Friday, March 29, 2024

Doug Kalitta forced into backup car at Maple Grove

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster driver Doug Kalitta had an explosion during Saturday’s qualifying at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania. As a result, Kalitta’s publicist Rob Goodman has confirmed a backup car will be used.

Goodman said that a truck is on its way to take the dragster back to Michigan. However, it will not be available for the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals next weekend at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina.

Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster driver Doug Kalitta drives his damaged car following an incident at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway
Doug Kalitta drives his damaged car following an incident at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway (Photo by NHRA)

Kalitta’s tire was shredded which caused damage to the right wing and chassis. The damaged car is expected to arrive back in Michigan today, according to Goodman.

READ MORE: Click here for our latest Racing coverage

“The tire did not fault – there was nothing wrong with the tire,” Kalitta Motorsports general manager Chad Head. “The car did not have any malfunctions on the run, but something caused the tire to explode; we do not know what caused the tire explosion.”

Kalitta is the No. 3 qualifier. However, since this is a new car, it may cause him problems in their match-up with Josh Hart.

The Michigan native went 3.696 at 331.45 during his best pass in qualifying. The Florida native went 3.798 at 327.90 on his birthday weekend at the track.

READ MORE: Click here for our latest Sports coverage

Kalitta will go back to an open cockpit during today’s eliminations. The backup car does not have a canopy like his normal car.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Follow Us on Social Media:

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, Tumblr, YouTube, and TruthSocial

Keep Independent Journalism Alive! Ad-free experience and Exclusive Premium-plus content.

Join our Paid Substack for additional content for $10 per month. This is ad-free content. We believe that what you read matters and great writing is valuable. Through Substack, writers can flourish by being paid directly by their readers.

Report a Correction or Typo

© 2007-2024 The Capital Sports Report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed.

Anthony Caruso III
Anthony Caruso IIIhttps://thecapitalsportsreport.com
Anthony Caruso III is the Publisher of The Capital Sports Report. He has been in the Journalism field since August 2002. Since that time, Mr. Caruso has covered many marquee events. This includes 13 Heisman Trophy ceremonies, 2 Little World Series events, and one Army-Navy College Football game.
Latest news
Related news

You cannot copy content of this page