FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KALITTA MOTORSPORTS
2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Event 16 of 24
Brainerd Int’l Raceway
Brainerd, Minn.
Aug. 7-10, 2008

Media Contact: Todd Myers
tmyers@kalittaracing.com


Doug Kalitta, driver of the Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster, qualified No. 12 (4.013 seconds, 297.61 mph) – advanced to the semifinals

Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools team race to the semifinals in Brainerd


BRAINERD, Minn., (Aug. 10, 2008) – Doug Kalitta, driver of the “Big Red”, nitro-fueled, 8,000-horsepower Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster, posted his fourth semi-final finish of the season Sunday during final eliminations of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series national event at Brainerd Int’l Raceway in Brainerd, Minn.

Kalitta, the No. 12 qualifier (4.013 seconds, 297.61 mph), was the underdog going into his first round battle with the No. 5 qualifier Doug Herbert (3.901 sec., 306.60 mph), driver of a rival tool company-sponsored entry. Kalitta got off the starting line first and led the race wire-to-wire to get the upset victory with his best lap, so far, of the weekend, 3.972 sec., 305.22 to 3.980 sec., 280.66 mph.

In the quarterfinals, Kalitta and the Mac Tools team made an even quicker lap to defeat J.R. Todd, 3.968 sec., 303.91 mph to 4.980 sec., 157.74 mph, to set up their entry into the semifinals.

In the semifinals, Kalitta faced off against the driver of the Alan Johnson-tuned dragster. Kalitta’s Mac Tools rail began losing valuable traction just before half-track, and that kept him from getting a shot at the win over his opponent, 4.222 sec., 229.90 mph to 3.885 sec., 310.33 mph.

Kalitta’s trip to the semifinals in Brainerd was his first trip to the semis since he accomplished the same feat in St. Louis in early May.

“We really wanted a chance to get a win, but we’re definitely satisfied with our performance,” Kalitta, a 43-year old resident of Ann Arbor, Mich., said. “We’ve been struggling to get some round wins lately, so today was a good boost.”

Kalitta moves up one position in POWERade championship points from 10th to 9th. Only the top ten pro drivers in points in their respective classes will be eligible for the 2008 Countdown to the Championship – Countdown to 1 that begins at the 19th event in Concord, N.C. Kalitta is 16 points ahead of the driver in 10th position, his Kalitta Motorsports teammate Dave Grubnic, and 29 points ahead of the driver in 11th position.

Beginning with the 13th event in Denver, the NHRA instituted a new racing distance for the nitro-fueled classes of Funny Car and Top Fuel dragster to 1,000 ft., as opposed to the traditional distance of 1,320 ft., or a quarter of a mile, as a temporary safety solution to help the drivers of the world’s quickest and fastest racing safely bring their cars to a stop more efficiently. The unprecedented action is in response to the tragic death of Kalitta Motorsports’ Scott Kalitta, Doug’s cousin, who died in a high-speed Funny Car qualifying accident in Englishtown, N.J., June 21.

Doug, unofficially, recorded the quickest 1,000-ft. elapsed time in NHRA history, 3.758 sec., in Joliet, Ill., in 2004.

Since winning the NHRA’s equivalent of Rookie of the Year, the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Road to the Future Award after the 1998 drag racing season, Doug has driven his dragster to 30 Top Fuel national event titles, which places him in sixth in career wins for the sport’s quickest and fastest class. In the past five NHRA seasons, he has solidified his place among the best Top Fuel pilots of all-time. In 2006, he won a career-high five national events in 2006 and led the POWERade points for almost the entire second half of the season. After finishing just 14 points shy of his first NHRA championship, Doug garnered his third career runner-up points finish in 2006. He was also points runner-up in 2003 and 2004. In 2007, he won one event – the event held in Richmond, Va.


About Kalitta Motorsports

Based in Ypsilanti, Michigan, Kalitta Motorsports is a Top Fuel and Funny Car drag racing team in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) POWERade Drag Racing Series. The racing operation was started in 1959 by now legendary drag racer and team owner Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta. Connie’s nephew, Doug Kalitta drives the flagship Top Fuel dragster for Mac Tools. Native Australian Dave Grubnic drives the DHL Top Fuel dragster, Jeff Arend drives the DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car, and Hillary Will drives the Ken Black-owned and Kalitta Motorsports-managed KB Racing, LLC Top Fuel dragster.

Connie serves as head tuner for all Team Kalitta entries. He is assisted by crew chiefs Jim Oberhofer (KB Racing, LLC dragster) and Glenn Mikres (DHL Funny Car). Connie serves as crew chief on the DHL dragster with assistance from co-crew chief James Riola. Jon Oberhofer and Nick Boninfante are co-crew chiefs on the Mac Tools dragster.

Associate sponsors on all Kalitta Motorsports’ race cars include Mac Tools, Red Line Oil, Summit Racing Equipment, Technicoat Companies, K2M, and Toyota.