FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KALITTA MOTORSPORTS
2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Event 23 of 24
ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas, Nev.
Oct. 30-Nov. 2, 2008

Media Contact: Todd Myers
tmyers@kalittaracing.com



Dave Grubnic, DHL Dragster – No. 10 qualifier (3.874 sec., 308.99 mph), advanced to quarterfinals

Jeff Arend, DHL Funny Car – No. 15 qualifier (4.115 sec., 302.08 mph), advanced to round one


Team DHL posts mixed results in Las Vegas


LAS VEGAS, (Nov. 2, 2008) – Native Australian Dave Grubnic, driver of the bright yellow, Nitro-fueled, 8,000-horsepower DHL Top Fuel dragster, and his DHL/Kalitta Motorsports teammate and native Canadian Jeff Arend, driver of the Nitro-fueled DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car, both saw their hopes of taking home an event win dashed early during eliminations Sunday of the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Grubnic, a 46-year old resident of Ennis, Mont., and the No. 10 qualifier (3.874 sec., 308.99 mph), garnered the 10th round win of the season for his DHL dragster team by defeating No. 7 qualifier J.R. Todd in the first round of Sunday’s 16-car Top Fuel eliminations, 3.976 seconds, 297.81 mph to 4.068 sec., 307.65 mph.

In the quarterfinals, Grubnic and his opponent, Antron Brown, both made great efforts “going the grand”, but it was Brown that saw the win light, 3.874 sec., 309.49 mph to 3.839 sec., 317.19 mph.

Grubnic remains in 10th place in POWERade points and in the NHRA Countdown to 1 postseason.

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.

Arend, a 46-year old resident of San Dimas, Calif., and the No. 15 qualifier (4.115 sec., 302.08 mph), and 14-time world champion John Force, the No. 2 qualifier, delighted the sold-out crowd at The Strip with a terrific side-by-side race in the opening round of Funny Car. Arend posted a highly respectable reaction time of .082 sec., but Force had a near-psychic “chop at the tree” - .029 sec., and that was the difference at the finish line as Force picked up the holeshot win, 4.141 sec., 305.22 mph to 4.178 sec., 295.21 mph.

Kalitta Motorsports team owner and drag racing legend Connie Kalitta chose Arend to drive the DHL Toyota Solara mount in late July to help preserve the legacy of his legendary son, Scott Kalitta, who died as result of a high-speed Funny Car qualifying accident in Englishtown, N.J., June 21. Arend is a 13-year Funny Car veteran with one NHRA Funny Car national event win to his credit – Reading, Pa., 1996.


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.