TOYOTA, KALITTA MOTORSPORTS SWEEP TOP FUEL CHALLENGES AT POMONA

Kalitta wins Top-Fuel Callout; Langdon wins #2Fast2Tasty Challenge

POMONA, Calif. (March 29, 2025) – Though they did not claim the top qualifying spot for the NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, Team Toyota had a very successful two days of qualifying in Top Fuel. Both days had high stakes involved with the postponed All-Star Callout on Friday and Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday. In the callout, Doug Kalitta captured victory and the bonus money that comes with it, posting a 3.657 elapsed time in the finals, which also gave him the No. 2 seed for tomorrow’s eliminations.

On Saturday, it was Shawn Langdon’s turn to contribute as he defeated Kalitta in the finals of the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, his second consecutive challenge win after also being triumphant in Phoenix. Langdon posted a 3.662 time and 338.68 mph speed – the fastest of the weekend – to earn the No. 3 seed for tomorrow. Langdon goes for his second straight victory after winning the Arizona Nationals last weekend in Phoenix.

A week after walking away from an on-track accident, Ron Capps powered his NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra to the No. 3 qualifier in Funny Car. Capps had an excellent two sessions on Friday, including a 3.830 elapsed time in the evening. His Toyota teammates, J.R. Todd and Bobby Bode will be the seventh and 15th seeds for tomorrow’s eliminations.

The NHRA Winternationals from In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip begin at 2 p.m. EST with live TV coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. EST on FS1.

Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip
NHRA Winternationals
Race 3 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS 

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DOUG KALITTA, Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

TF Qualifying Result: 2nd

Where did you and the team find that performance to win the All-Star callout?

“The guys gave me a great car – to be able to run that 3.65 after watching Brittany (Force) run the 3.64 a couple times was big. I knew we had that run in us, and I’m glad we were able to do it. I’m pretty fortunate for sure to have Alan (Johnson, crew chief), Mac Tools, Future Energy Solutions, SealMaster, Toyota and all the guys that help us with what we’re doing. We tried to run this event (the Callout) in Gainesville, but there’s no better place to bring it to than here (Pomona). I love running this place, and we’re just glad to get by Brittney, Antron (Brown) and Clay (Millican) – it was a fun day for sure. It’s been a while since we’ve raced on a Friday, so that was pretty cool with all the guys that were in it.”

SHAWN LANGDON, Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

TF Qualifying Result: 3rd

With this challenge win, why does everything seem to be clicking for your team right now?

“This Kalitta Air Careers Toyota team is just rolling right now. The way this car was running in Phoenix carried right over to this weekend. It’s honestly a great feeling to come back from a run and see the smile on Connie’s (Kalitta, team owner) face and the smiles on the guy’s faces. All their hard work is paying off. We had a rough couple of years, brought Brian (Husen, crew chief) on board last year, and started to see some good results initially. And then we were in the thick of it for majority of the year but kind of just missed the championship. We came out this year on fire again, and it feels like – between Doug’s (Kalitta) team and our team, one or the other’s getting there, right? It’s a great time to be a part of Team Kalitta.”

RON CAPPS, NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

FC Qualifying Result: 3rd

How would you assess these first two days and for race day tomorrow?

“Oh my gosh! If you wouldn’t have known what happened last weekend (accident in Phoenix), it would seem like a normal weekend for our NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra team. It’s a strange situation as there’s so much drama in rebuilding cars and the guys barely got any sleep all week to put together two great race cars – one being three-years-old (Capps’ 2022 Funny Car world championship car) that unloaded and went to No. 1 and stayed there, and we had a good chance at stealing it back (on Saturday). Ended up P3 with a great race car, in Pomona, one of the most historic race tracks and really, being one of the big ones to win (at). I feel like we have a really good race car. We always do, but, again, if you didn’t know what happened last week, you wouldn’t even know. I’m proud of the guys. It’s going to be a lot of fun tomorrow. Going to be cool conditions, overcast and probably quicker times than what we saw in qualifying which is insane to think. It’s going to be a lot of fun!”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships. 

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.