FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KALITTA MOTORSPORTS / KB RACING, LLC
2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Event 24 of 24
Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Pomona, Calif.
Nov. 13-16, 2008

Media Contact: Todd Myers
tmyers@kalittaracing.com



Hillary Will seeks career-best points finish at final NHRA event of 2008


POMONA, Calif., (Nov. 11, 2008) – No matter what the outcome of this weekend’s, Nov. 13-16, annual running of the Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.), Hillary Will, driver of the Palm Beach Int’l Raceway/KB Racing, LLC Top Fuel dragster, knows that she will finish the 2008 POWERade Drag Racing Series in the highest points position of her three-year career.

Will, the world’s fastest female, is currently in second place in POWERade points with only 41 points separating her position and Larry Dixon in fifth place. If Will and the Jim Oberhofer-led (crew chief) Palm Beach Int’l Raceway team qualify for the 16-car eliminations field, they will be guaranteed a top-five finish, a remarkable turnaround from the Ken and Kenny Black-owned team that finished last season in 13th place and in 10th in 2006.

“A top-five finish has such a nice ring to it, but our goal is to stay right where we are in second,” Will, a 28-year old native of Fortuna, Calif., said. “Second place in points is as high as we can finish off our great season, and we’re going to do everything in our power to do just that. Our team is awesome and every single one of them deserves it.

“Racing in my home state is always a thrill, but the mystique of racing in Pomona is something that’s hard to describe. We start the season in Pomona each year with so many expectations about the year to come and to finish up this season with a chance to finish second in points is very close to the expectations we had when we started. Sure, our goal was to win the championship, but we’ve accomplished so much this year, including winning our first event. No matter what happens, it will be our best effort, and we know we’ll know we tried our best.”

Will is currently the only female driver competing in the Top Fuel class.

Will became the fastest woman in the history of NHRA drag racing when she posted a 334.65-mph lap down the quarter-mile race track at the first of event of the 2008 season in Pomona. Will became the fastest female in the NHRA’s new 1,000-ft. era by crossing the track timers at 315.49 mph at the event in Richmond, Va.

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, who died in a high-speed Funny Car qualifying accident in Englishtown, N.J., June 21.

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 later that year. She finished the season in 10th place in Top Fuel championship points in ‘06. Will picked up an emotional first NHRA national event title in Topeka, Kan., June 1, 2008.

Qualifying for the Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals begins Thursday for the Nitro-fueled classes with one qualifying session at 2:30 p.m. (PT). Another qualifying session will follow on Friday at 2:30 p.m. Two more qualifying sessions take place Saturday at noon and 3:30 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.

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.

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