Team Kalitta At A Glance – Reading; Favorable Weather Forecast Has Team Kalitta Drivers Looking to Set Records

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READING, Pa., (Oct. 1, 2014) – Kalitta Motorsports, the nitro-fueled, four-car NHRA drag racing team based in Ypsilanti, Mich., is “champing at the bit” to get on the track at Maple Grove Raceway this weekend, Oct. 3-5, for the 30th Annual NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pa.

At a facility already known for some of the quickest and fastest runs in NHRA history, this weekend’s weather forecast for racing at Maple Grove has set the table for records to be reset with cool temperatures that nitro race cars thrive on (link) –

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/reading-pa/19601/weekend-weather/330291

For the first time in the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship “playoffs” era, all four Team Kalitta drivers and teams will have the opportunity to race for the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series points championship in their respective classes. All four Team Kalitta race cars finished in the top 10 in Mello Yello championship points during the “regular season” to qualify for the six-event Countdown to the Championship, which began in Charlotte last month.

All four Team Kalitta racers are currently in the top eight in Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship points in their respective classes. Doug Kalitta, driver of the Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster, is in 5th place in Top Fuel, 87 points away from the leader. J.R. Todd, driver of the Optima Batteries/Advance Auto Parts Top Fuel dragster, is 109 points back in 6th place. In Funny Car, Alexis DeJoria, driver of the Patrón XO Café Toyota Camry Funny Car, holds the No. 7 spot, 148 points away from the lead, and Del Worsham, driver of the DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car, is in 8th place, 151 points back.

Team Kalitta nitro race cars have six event wins and have appeared in a team-record 20 championship rounds so far in the 24-event 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule of events this year.

The late Scott Kalitta, son of team owner and drag racing legend Connie Kalitta, won twice in Reading, 1994 and 1995 in Top Fuel.

Team Kalitta Drivers At A Glance:



Doug Kalitta – Driver of the Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster:

HOMETOWN: Ann Arbor, Mich.
CREW CHIEF: Jim Oberhofer
CAREER WINS: 35
CAREER FINAL ROUNDS: 77
CAREER BEST E.T.: 3.713 seconds
CAREER BEST SPEED: 331.45 mph

– Kalitta won the Top Fuel title trophy in Reading in 2002
– Kalitta was the No. 1 qualifier in Reading in 2004
– Kalitta was the No. 6 qualifier in Reading last year (semifinals)
– Kalitta recorded the fastest speed at the Reading event last year (326.63 mph)
– Kalitta has garnered two event wins so far this season (Seattle and Gainesville)
– Kalitta has raced to seven runner-up finishes so far this season (Pomona, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Englishtown, Bristol, Epping and Brainerd)
– Kalitta was the No. 1 qualifier for Top Fuel eliminations in Pomona, Phoenix, Atlanta, Englishtown, Chicago and St. Louis
– Kalitta won the event in Seattle in August, which tied him with NHRA drag racing legend Don Garlits for fifth on the all-time NHRA Top Fuel wins list (35)
– Kalitta won the 500th Top Fuel elimination round of his career in Epping in June, a feat accomplished by only 16 professional drivers in NHRA history
– Kalitta is the nephew of team owner and drag racing legend Connie Kalitta



J.R. Todd – Driver of the Optima Batteries/Advance Auto Parts Top Fuel Dragster:

HOMETOWN: Lawrenceburg, Ind.
CREW CHIEF: Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta
CAREER WINS: 7
CAREER FINAL ROUNDS: 11
CAREER BEST E.T.: 3.747 seconds
CAREER BEST SPEED: 325.30 mph

– Todd won the Top Fuel title trophy in Reading in 2006
– The Optima Batteries/Advance Auto Parts team qualified No. 10 in Reading last year (first round)
– Todd has jumped from 10th place in points to 6th place in the previous three events
– Todd raced to a runner-up finish in Dallas last month
– Todd won the event in Denver in July, his first win of 2014 and his first with Kalitta Motorsports; First win in six years
– Todd has raced to three semi-final finishes so far this season (Charlotte 1, Topeka, and Chicago)
– Todd set a career-best elapsed time mark in June in Topeka (3.747 sec.)
– Todd joined Team Kalitta in March as the full-time driver of the Optima Batteries/Advance Auto Parts Top Fueler



Alexis DeJoria – Driver of the Patrón XO Café Toyota Camry Funny Car:

HOMETOWN: Austin, Texas
CREW CHIEF: Tommy DeLago
CAREER WINS: 3
CAREER FINAL ROUNDS: 5
CAREER BEST E.T.: 3.997 seconds
CAREER BEST SPEED: 319.07 mph

– DeJoria has garnered three event wins so far this season including the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, the most prestigious drag racing event in the world (Phoenix and Las Vegas)
– DeJoria was the No. 14 qualifier in the Reading event last year (quarterfinals)
– DeJoria posted at least semi-final finishes at four consecutive events (Sonoma, Seattle, Brainerd and Indy)
– DeJoria earned her first No. 1 qualifying position of her career in Atlanta in May; She also qualified No. 1 for the Charlotte 2 event



Del Worsham – Driver of the DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car:

HOMETOWN: Chino Hills, Calif.
CREW CHIEFS: Nick Boninfante and Jon Oberhofer
CAREER WINS: 33 (TF: 8 FC: 25)
CAREER FINAL ROUNDS: 53 (TF: 11 FC: 42)
CAREER BEST E.T.: 3.992 seconds
CAREER BEST SPEED: 321.88 mph

– Worsham was the runner-up finisher in Reading in 2011 (Top Fuel)
– Worsham was the No. 10 qualifier in Reading last year (semifinals)
– Worsham has been No. 1 qualifier three times this year so far (Norwalk, Bristol and Houston)
– Worsham recorded his career best elapsed time, 3.992 sec., in Bristol in June
– Worsham has raced to two runner-up finishes (Dallas and Englishtown) and two semi-final finishes so far this season (Pomona and Houston)



Top Fuel

1 – Tony Schumacher (2337)
2 – Shawn Langdon (2280)
3 – Steve Torrence (2266)
4 – Antron Brown (2257)
5 – Doug Kalitta (2250)
6 – J.R. Todd (2228)
7 – Spencer Massey (2199)
8 – Khalid alBalooshi (2188)
9 – Richie Crampton (2125)
10 – Brittany Force (2085)

Funny Car

1 – John Force (2344)
2 – Courtney Force (2314)
3 – Matt Hagagn (2302)
4 – Robert Hight (2253)
5 – Ron Capps (2218)
6 – Tommy Johnson Jr. (2216)
7 – Alexis DeJoria (2196)
8 – Del Worsham (2193)
9 – Tim Wilkerson (2155)
10 – Cruz Pedregon (2135)



Friday, Oct. 3

Nitro Qualifying Session 1 (FC-TF) – 2:00 PM (ET)
Nitro Qualifying Session 2 (FC-TF) – 5:00 PM (ET)

Saturday, Oct. 4

Nitro Qualifying Session 3 (TF-FC) – NOON (ET)
Nitro Qualifying Session 4 (TF-FC) – 3:00 PM (ET)

Sunday, Oct. 5

Nitro Eliminations Round 1 (TF-FC) – 11:00 AM (ET)
Nitro Eliminations Quarterfinals (TF-FC) – 1:00 PM (ET)
Nitro Eliminations Semifinals (TF-FC) – 2:30 PM (ET)
Nitro Eliminations Final Rounds (FC-TF) – 3:45 PM (ET)



10/05/2014 Qualifing – 3:30 AM – 5:00 AM ET/12:30 AM – 2:00 AM PT (ESPN2)
10/05/2014 Qualifying Re-air – 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET/1:30 PM – 3:00 PM PT (ESPN2)
10/05/2014 Eliminations – 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM ET/5:00 PM – 8:00 PM PT (ESPN2)

About Kalitta Motorsports:

Based in Ypsilanti, Michigan, Kalitta Motorsports is a Top Fuel and Funny Car nitro drag racing team in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The team was founded by drag racing pioneer and auto racing legend Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta. For more than half of a century, Kalitta has been involved in the world’s quickest and fastest motor sport as a driver, tuner, and as an owner. Kalitta Motorsports is one of the most successful teams in the history of auto racing with five world championships and over 50 national event titles in five different professional drag racing sanctioning bodies since it was established by Kalitta in 1959.

Connie’s nephew, Doug Kalitta, pilots the Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster for Team Kalitta. Former Top Fuel world champion Del Worsham drives the DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car. Alexis DeJoria, the world’s quickest female Funny Car racer, drives the Patrón XO Café Toyota Camry Funny Car, and J.R. Todd, the first African-American to win an NHRA Top Fuel event, drives the OPTIMA Batteries/Advance Auto Parts Top Fuel dragster.

Jim Oberhofer, crew chief, and Troy Fasching, assistant crew chief, guide the Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster team. Crew chief Nick Boninfante and co-crew chief Jon Oberhofer tune the DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car. Tommy DeLago, crew chief, and Glen Huszar, co-crew chief, make the calls on the Patrón XO Café Toyota Camry Funny Car, and Connie Kalitta serves as crew chief on the OPTIMA Batteries/Advance Auto Parts Top Fuel dragster with help from assistant crew chief James Riola.

Valued partners of Kalitta Motorsports include Mac Tools, DHL, Optima Batteries, Patrón XO Café, Red Line Oil, Summit Racing Equipment, Technicoat, and SealMaster.

For more info about Kalitta Motorsports including exclusive content such as videos, photos and more, please visit #KalittaStrong online –

Website: www.teamkalitta.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KalittaMotorsports
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TeamKalitta
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TeamKalitta
Instagram: www.instagram.com/TeamKalitta

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