Keeping up with Doug Kalitta isn't an easy task.

Between a hectic daily schedule running his Ypsilanti-based charter airline business and spending his weekends working to maintain his standing as one of the National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel drivers, free moments are few.

The two worlds of Doug Kalitta often become one. His eye for detail and calm demeanor he has honed a pilot carries over to his time behind the wheel of his dragster, an important component of keeping Kalitta in the thick of the NHRA's Full Throttle points standings.

A sizable portion of Kalitta's mission is personal because of what his last name has meant within the drag racing universe over the past 50 years.

Kalitta is the nephew of drag racing legend Connie "The Bounty Hunter" Kalitta, who won 10 NHRA national events between 1967 and 1994 and who remains an integral cog in the family's racing and airline interests.

Doug Kalitta last won a national Top Fuel event in 2009, adding to his collection of 31 victories that rank him sixth all-time. Three times, he has finished as the Top Fuel points runner-up and his streak of finishing in the Top 10 in the points standings extends over the past 10 years.

This season, Kalitta senses something different. He has experienced more success in the early stages of the year than he has before. He ranks third in the Top Fuel standings after a series of solid weekend performances. Each weekend showing builds confidence, making Kalitta feel like his team may be on the brink of breaking out and making a run at a Top Fuel season championship.

"One of the things about having a championship-caliber team is you need great ownership - which we have, you need a great driver, which I believe we have and you also need luck along the way," Kalitta's crew chief Jim Oberhofer said. "We've had some of that to begin the year, and that just makes everything positive." Part of Kalitta's early success is linked to off-season changes that were made in his car's set up. Kalitta's crew worked with Alan Johnson, a top-notch crew chief who runs a performance engineering outfit that determined a change in Kalitta's fuel system could impact his weekend success.

Making a fuel system switch changed the way Kalitta's team approached the weekend. It also changed the way the clutch system worked, the way engine combinations performed and, in turn, how Kalitta was able to perform once he got in the car.

"We're just working at things, trying to make it consistent," Kalitta said. "We're obviously trying to keep it running up front."

Last weekend in Las Vegas, Kalitta reached the semifinals in the Full Throttle division before seeing his run at a title end in a loss to eventual champion and points leader Larry Dixon. Despite not leaving the event without claiming a championship, another step in the right direction provided evidence to Kalitta and Oberhofer that they are on the right track.

Competing for championships is part of the Kalitta way, giving Kalitta plenty of incentive to live up to the family name. Last year, Connie Kalitta celebrated his 50th year in the NHRA, a milestone that gave Doug Kalitta reason to push for a points title.

"The goal for sure is for me to actually bring home a championship for him with my car," Kalitta said. "That's a big motivating factor for me and my team. (Connie) has been up there for a quite a few years and he has a reputation for running good and I'm definitely up for the challenge of keeping that (car) running up front and so pretty much is motivated to win races."

Kalitta had 458 points heading into next weekend's Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta. He trails Dixon and Cory McClenathan who are separated by a point at the top of the top fuel standings. The top 10 drivers advance to a six-event Countdown playoff series, which helps establish the season championship.

Kalitta has positioned himself early on to be in that grouping. But he knows if he wants to make a run at Dixon and McClenathan, he needs to keep running well, especially as the year progresses.

"We certainly want to be running up front, and that's certainly what we all work real hard to accomplish," he said.

Oberhofer, who is in his 23rd year with Kalitta Motorsports, sees a lot of Connie Kalitta in Doug. They both share the same work ethic and both don't deal well with not meeting expectations.

Doug Kalitta said he doesn't feel pressure to win because of what his uncle has accomplished in the sport, but instead uses the family name as motivation for him to build his own legacy. He also continues to pursue victories in memory of his cousin, the late Scott Kalitta, who was killed in a horrific, fiery accident in 2008 and who, according to Doug, "would be real proud of us if we could win."

So far, it appears to be working - not only on the track, but in every aspect of keeping up the family name in both drag racing and business.

"When you have the last name Kalitta, you're full-steam ahead on everything," Oberhofer said. "They don't understand the word 'can't.' You don't go up to them and say, 'Connie or Doug, we can't do that.' They don't understand that. They have a mentality that you can do anything no matter what."

Jeff Arnold covers sports for AnnArbor.com and can be reached at (734) 623-2554 or by e-mail at jeffarnold@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeffreyparnold.