FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KALITTA MOTORSPORTS
2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Event 1 of 24
CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Pomona, Calif.
Feb. 7-10, 2008

Media Contact: Todd Myers
tmyers@kalittaracing.com


Doug Kalitta, Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster – No. 14 qualifier, advanced to round one

Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools team suffer mechanical problems in Pomona

POMONA, Calif., (Feb. 10, 2008) – Sunday at the season-opening event of the 2008 POWERade Drag Racing Series, the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.), Doug Kalitta, driver of the “Big Red” Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster, saw his hopes of claiming his first Winternationals title trophy unexpectedly go up in tire smoke in round one because of a mechanical failure.

Kalitta, the No. 14 qualifier (4.615 seconds, 319.67 mph), faced off against his longtime nemesis and No. 3 qualifier Tony Schumacher in the opening stanza of final eliminations. Almost as soon as Kalitta stepped on the throttle of his 8,000-horsepower Mac Tools rail, a lever in the race car’s clutch mechanism broke and caused the car to over-rev. That in turn caused the dragster to immediately spin and smoke its big rear tires to give Schumacher an unchallenged win, 30.838 sec., 52.32 mph to 4.508 sec., 328.30 mph.

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, Kalitta 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, Kalitta 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, Kalitta 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.

The CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals was the 1st of 24 national events in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.


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. His son, Scott Kalitta, drives the DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car. Scott’s cousin, Connie’s nephew, Doug Kalitta drives the flagship Top Fuel dragster for Mac Tools. Native Australian Dave Grubnic drives the Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel dragster, while Hillary Will drives the Ken Black-owned and Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel dragster.

Connie serves as head tuner for all Team Kalitta entries. He is assisted by crew chiefs Jim Oberhofer (Hillary Will-driven dragster) and Jon Oberhofer (Mac Tools dragster). Connie serves as crew chief on the DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car with assistance from co-crew chief Glenn Mikres and as the crew chief on the Kalitta Motorsports dragster with assistance from co-crew chief James Riola.

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