NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Kalitta Motorsports and Clean Harbors, along with its Safety-Kleen subsidiary, will be joining forces to highlight increased visibility to environmental sustainability at this weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals. 

The Clean Harbors logo will be prominently featured on Doug Kalitta’s Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster as well as Shawn Langdon’s DHL Top Fuel dragster. Additionally, a large contingent of Clean Harbors and Safety-Kleen employees and customers will enjoy the Kalitta Motorsports VIP hospitality experience at New England Dragway.

“Connie [Kalitta] was at the forefront of recycling and reclaiming oil in the early '70s before anyone was even talking about recycling,” said Chad Head, Kalitta Motorsports general manager. “We have been working with Safety-Kleen for years to make sure we are collecting and recycling as much oil as safely as possible. We have 24 parts cleaning units throughout the team, fabrication, and manufacturing departments within our 50,000-square-foot facility.” 

Recently, representatives from Safety-Kleen toured the Kalitta Motorsports shop in Ypsilanti, Mich., offering suggestions on continued sustainability opportunities, and they also evaluated the team’s current processes, which they recognized as industry-leading and above average. Kalitta was a pioneer in sustainable practices, seeking better ways to minimize the sport’s environmental impact as early as the 1960s. In the ‘80s, Kalitta was pleased to become one of Safety-Kleen’s first oil recycling customers.

“This affiliation gives us and Kalitta the opportunity to outwardly display the importance of sustainability in racing,” said Clean Harbors Motorsports Manager Drew Patey. “Together, we’re working toward a greener sport.”

Today, Clean Harbors, North America’s leading provider of environmental services, continues to provide oil recycling and sustainable parts washer services to the Kalitta Motorsports. Through its Safety-Kleen subsidiary, Clean Harbors is the largest re-refiner and recycler of used oil in the United States and a leading provider of parts washers and sustainable services to commercial, industrial and automotive customers. 

Safety-Kleen operates the three largest oil re-refineries in the United States, collecting and processing more than 220 million gallons of oil per year. Throughout the years, Kalitta Motorsports has run multiple race cars at nearly every NHRA national event. As such, Kalitta has had a hand in recycling and reclaiming hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil as they have raced to multiple world championships and national event victories.

“This kind of recycling effort makes a huge difference on so many levels,” added Patey. “We’re excited to expand this all-around beneficial relationship and increase awareness at NHRA tracks.”