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


Dave Grubnic, driver of the DHL Top Fuel dragster, qualified No. 6 (3.910 seconds, 306.19 mph) – advanced to round one

Dave Grubnic and the DHL team upset in Brainerd


BRAINERD, Minn., (Aug. 10, 2008) – Native Australian Dave Grubnic, driver of the bright yellow, 8,000-horsepower DHL Top Fuel dragster, qualified in the top-half of the field for Sunday’s final eliminations of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series national event at Brainerd Int’l Raceway in Brainerd, Minn., but unfortunately made an early exit in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Grubnic, the No. 6 qualifier (3.910 seconds, 306.19 mph) for Sunday’s 16-car eliminations field, rolled to the starting line to face his opponent and No. 11 qualifier Bob Vandergriff, Jr. (3.988 sec., 290.88 mph) in the opening round. Grubnic was out of the gate first (.082 seconds to .113 seconds) and looked on his way to winning the 150th round win of his career, but the DHL charge began to ever so slightly lose traction near the finish line and that allowed his opponent to go around him for the win, 3.989 sec., 276.86 mph to 3.910 sec., 310.70 mph.

Grubnic is now in 10th place in POWERade championship points. 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. Grubnic is just 13 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, who died in a high-speed Funny Car qualifying accident in Englishtown, N.J., June 21.

Grubnic, unofficially, recorded the quickest 1,000-ft. elapsed time of the 2008 season, 3.783 sec., in Madison, Ill., in early May.

In early 2004, Grubnic was hired to drive for legendary team owner Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta and Kalitta Motorsports. In the fall of ‘04, Grubnic won the lucrative and coveted Budweiser Shootout in Las Vegas, becoming only the fourth driver in the special event's history to win its $100,000 prize in his first attempt. Grubnic picked up an emotional first NHRA national event win in May, 2005 in Topeka, Kans., to become the first non-native North American to win a Top Fuel trophy. He has one other event victory to date, the 2006 running of the famed Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.


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.