KALITTA MOTORSPORTS
2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Event 20 of 24
O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals
Texas Motorplex
Ennis, Texas
Sept. 18-21, 2008
Media Contact: Todd Myers
tmyers@kalittaracing.com
Mac Tools driver Doug Kalitta is amped to go to 11 in Dallas
ENNIS, Texas, (Sept. 18, 2008) – For Doug Kalitta, driver of the “Big Red”, Nitro-fueled, 8,000-horsepower Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster, winning races and making a run at the season championship with his Mac Tools team are far more important ideals than personal accomplishments and numbers next to his name on a stats sheet. Although, at this weekend’s, Sept. 18-21, annual running of the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas, just a few miles south of the Dallas city limits sign, Kalitta does have one special record that he and his team hope to crank up the volume on in the Lone Star State.
Since his Top Fuel career began in 1998 with the Road to the Future Award, Kalitta has at least one event win in each season of the past decade, but has of yet been able to notch a victory in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. With only five events remaining this year, Kalitta, who has 30 Top Fuel trophies to his credit, is confident that he and the Mac Tools team will extend the win streak to 11 before the season ends in Pomona, Calif., in November.
“Yeah, it’s getting down to crunch time,” Kalitta, a 44-year old resident of Ann Arbor, Mich., said. “Really, all the stats mean very little to me. I just want our Mac Tools team to go out and run the best we can week after week. When you can keep that winning attitude going, all of the records, and numbers, and stats just fall into place.
“Sure, I would like to see the streak get to 11, but only because that would mean if we win we will be that much closer to winning the championship.”
Kalitta is in 9th place in POWERade championship points and in the NHRA Countdown to 1. He is 178 away from the points lead.
Kalitta took home the Top Fuel title trophy from Dallas in 2002.
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, which will be observed for the remainder of the 2008 season, 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.
In the past five NHRA seasons, Doug 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.
Qualifying for the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals begins Friday for the Nitro-fueled classes with two qualifying sessions at 3:45 p.m. (CT) and 6:30 p.m. Two more qualifying sessions take place Saturday at noon and 3:15 p.m. The top 16 qualified cars will race Sunday in final eliminations beginning at 11:00 a.m.
All times and dates subject to change.
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.