KALITTA MOTORSPORTS / KB RACING, LLC
2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Event 4 of 24
O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals
Houston Raceway Park
Baytown, Tex.
March 28-30, 2008
Media Contact: Todd Myers
tmyers@kalittaracing.com
Hillary Will and the KB Racing, LLC team going for the gold in Houston
HOUSTON, (March 26, 2008) – This weekend’s, March 28-30, annual running of the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Tex., just a few miles out of the Houston city limits, will hopefully be a landmark event for two reasons for rising Top Fuel star Hillary Will, driver of the 8,000-horsepower KB Racing, LLC Top Fuel dragster.
The event in South Texas will be the 50th professional event for Will. She and her team are hoping that it will also be the site of their first trip to the Top Fuel winner’s circle at a NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event. Top Fuel is the quickest and fastest racing class in drag racing with speeds often over 330 mph.
“I can’t believe we’ve already raced in 50 events in Top Fuel,” Will, a 27-year old native of Fortuna, Calif., said. “It seems like yesterday that I was getting strapped into the car to get my Top Fuel license.
“My team works so hard to give me a good car so I want to get our first win for them most of all. We had a great race in Gainesville (previous event) where we made it to the semifinals, so hopefully we can carry that momentum with us into Houston and get our first win.”
Will is currently in 7th place in 2008 POWERade Top Fuel championship points.
A former standout in the Top Alcohol Dragster class, Will moved up to the quickest and fastest NHRA professional class, Top Fuel, in 2006 behind the wheel of a newly formed team owned by Las Vegas businessman Ken Black and managed by Kalitta Motorsports, the multi-car team founded and owned by drag racing icon Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta. She won her first Top Fuel event trophy in Norwalk (IHRA) in her rookie season and made her first NHRA final-round appearance in Memphis. She finished the season in tenth place in Top Fuel championship points in ‘06.
The O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals begins Friday for the nitro-fueled classes with two qualifying sessions at 3:00 p.m. (CT) and 6:00 p.m. Two more qualifying opportunities take place Saturday at noon and 3:00 p.m. The top sixteen qualified cars will race Sunday in final eliminations beginning at 11:00 a.m.
All times and dates subject to change.
The O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals is the 4th 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, K2M, and Toyota.
For more info about Kalitta Motorsports, please visit www.teamkalitta.com.
About KB Racing, LLC
KB Racing, LLC is owned by Las Vegas businessmen Ken Black and his son Kenny Black. In the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, KB Racing, LLC fields two Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock entries, one driven by Greg Anderson and the other by Jason Line, and a Top Fuel dragster, managed by Kalitta Motorsports and driven by Hillary Will.