Team Kalitta At A Glance – St. Louis; Kalitta Motorsports Building Momentum in NHRA Countdown to the Championship

Team Kalitta At A Glance – St. Louis; Kalitta Motorsports Building Momentum in NHRA Countdown to the Championship

MADISON, Ill., (Sept 25, 2014) – Kalitta Motorsports, the nitro-fueled, four-car NHRA drag racing team based in Ypsilanti, Mich., heads into this weekend’s, Sept. 26-28, 3rd annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill., just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, looking for win lights to continue building winning momentum in the 3rd of six events in the Countdown to the Championship.

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 two weeks ago.

All four Team Kalitta racers are currently in the top eight in Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship points in their respective classes. J.R. Todd, driver of the Optima Batteries/Advance Auto Parts Top Fuel dragster, has made the biggest move in points so far in the Countdown. He and his team, led by team owner, drag racing legend and crew chief Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta have jumped from 10th place to 5th place in the first two events of the Countdown.

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.

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 is tied for the most Top Fuel wins in St. Louis with three (2004, 2003 and 2001)
– Kalitta was a runner-up finisher in St. Louis in 2010
– Kalitta was the No. 1 qualifier in St. Louis in 2005
– Kalitta was the No. 10 qualifier in St. Louis last year (first round)
– 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 and Chicago
– 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

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

– The Optima Batteries/Advance Auto Parts team qualified No. 8 in St. Louis last year (semifinals)
– Todd was the runner-up finisher at the previous event in Dallas
– Todd has vaulted from 10th place in points to 5th place in the previous two events
– Todd has raced to three semi-final finishes so far this season (Charlotte 1, Topeka, and Chicago)
– 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 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. 9 qualifier in the St. Louis event last year (first round)
– DeJoria’s three NHRA national event wins in 2014 is tied for the most by any female in the Funny Car class in the sport’s history
– 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 won the event in St. Louis in 2009 and 2003
– Worsham was the No. 5 qualifier in the St. Louis event 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, including the previous event in Dallas, (Englishtown) and two semi-final finishes so far this season (Pomona and Houston)

Top Fuel
1 – Tony Schumacher (2296)
2 – Steve Torrence (2190)
3 – Doug Kalitta (2189)
4 – Shawn Langdon (2181)
5 – J.R. Todd (2168)
6 – Spencer Massey (2167)
7 – Khalid alBalooshi (2156)
8 – Antron Brown (2143)
9 – Richie Crampton (2085)
10 – Brittany Force (2053)

Funny Car
1 – John Force (2258)
2 – Robert Hight (2213)
3 – Matt Hagan (2209)
4 – Courtney Force (2197)
5 – Alexis DeJoria (2164)
5 – Ron Capps (2164)
7 – Tommy Johnson Jr. (2162)
8 – Del Worsham (2135)
9 – Tim Wilkerson (2123)
10 – Cruz Pedregon (2093)

Friday, Sept. 26

Nitro Qualifying Session 1 (FC-TF) – 3:30 PM (CT)
Nitro Qualifying Session 2 (FC-TF) – 6:00 PM (CT)

Saturday, Sept. 27

Nitro Qualifying Session 3 (TF-FC) – 2:00 PM (CT)
Nitro Qualifying Session 4 (TF-FC) – 4:30 PM (CT)

Sunday, Sept. 28

Nitro Eliminations Round 1 (TF-FC) – 11:00 AM (CT)
Nitro Eliminations Quarterfinals (TF-FC) – 1:00 PM (CT)
Nitro Eliminations Semifinals (TF-FC) – 2:30 PM (CT)
Nitro Eliminations Final Rounds (FC-TF) – 3:55 PM (CT)

09/28/2014 Qualifying – 3:30 AM – 5:00 AM ET/12:30 AM – 2:00 AM PT (ESPN2)

09/28/2014 Qualifying Re-air – 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET/12:00 PM – 1:00 PM PT (ESPN2)

09/28/2014 Eliminations – 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET/1:00 PM – 4:00 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
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TeamKalitta
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