RECAP/PHOTOS: Doug Kalitta, Ron Capps Top Charts In Saturday Qualifying At Rockingham Dragway

by Hunter Thomas September 26, 2026 0 comments

Story By Matthew Thomerson/TheFourthTurn.com

ROCKINGHAM, NC – Doug Kalitta and Ron Capps were atop the charts at the end of Saturday’s sold out qualifying session ahead of Sunday’s inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock.

Friday saw the first of three qualifying sessions for the pro categories, with Kalitta starting off on top with an ET of 3.682 seconds at 338.09 mph. He also picked up the Last Driver Standing bonus as well.

That success held up into Saturday, as the two-time Top Fuel champion’s Friday time remained on top to give him his sixth No.1 qualifier of the season, and 72nd of his career. This outing is all the more important with just five races to go in the season, especially with Kalitta just 11 points behind teammate Shawn Langdon in the Countdown to the Championship standings.

“Hopefully tomorrow we can have some luck here,” Kalitta said. “Shawn and Brian (Husen, crew chief) are tough. Brian and Alan Johnson (Kalitta’s crew chief) have been working really closely together still. They probably both still have some secrets up their sleeves that they’re not sharing but it’s a cool rivalry to watch because you know Brian and Alan have won a lot of races, a lot of championships together, and Brian was definitely paying attention because he’s having a good year for sure.”

In Funny Car, it was once again one of the heavyweights, three-time champion Capps, securing another No.1 qualifier with an ET of 3.870 seconds at 330.40 mph. It’s Capps 41st career No.1 qualifier, as he seeks his fourth win of the season Sunday.

“I was just so proud of ‘Guido’ (crew chief Dean Antonelli) and our guys,” Capps said. “I understand those points are monumental. We have a chance to run [points leader] Matt Hagan in round two, which would be huge, but you can’t look that far ahead. I’m going to have to race them all, and we’re going to win a championship.”

The Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle divisions each featured exciting sessions as well, with Matt Hartford securing a third straight No.1 qualifier in Pro Stock with a 6.476 second run at 212.87 mph. Angie Smith secured the top spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle, with a run of 6.674 seconds at 201.61 mph.

Notably, all the No.1 qualifiers runs held from Friday in NHRA’s return to Rockingham Dragway.

Catch the eliminations for all the pro categories Sunday, starting at 11 a.m. ET.

Below are photos TheFourthTurn.com’s Hunter Thomas snapped throughout the day at The Rock.