Team Kalitta Bristol Qualifying Report; Worsham Becomes DHL’s First No. 1 Qualifier in Funny Car

THE RESULTS:

Del Worsham: Driver of the DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car

Q1: 4.136 seconds, 302.82 mph
Q2: 4.008 seconds, 314.83 mph (Three bonus points for quickest of the session)
Q3: 6.909 seconds, 97.27 mph
Q4: 6.638 seconds, 95.79 mph

Qualifies: 1st – Worsham’s 4.008-second run in the second qualifying session is the quickest Funny Car run of the year so far in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, and is the ninth quickest of all time. The mark is also a career-best and Bristol Dragway track record for Worsham. The No. 1 spot for Worsham is the sixth of his career in Funny Car and 13th of his nitro racing career. The last and only other time a Kalitta Motorsports Funny Car qualified No. 1 was in Baton Rouge, La., in 1988 with the late Scott Kalitta in the driver’s seat. Worsham’s previous No. 1 Funny Car qualifier was with Al-Anabi Racing during the spring event in Las Vegas in 2010 (2011 Finals in Pomona, Calif., in Top Fuel).

David Grubnic – Driver of the Optima Batteries/Advance Auto Parts Top Fuel Dragster
Q1: 3.922 seconds, 305.77 mph
Q2: 3.792 seconds, 321.12 mph
Q3: 5.418 seconds, 122.50 mph
Q4: 3.933 seconds, 308.64 mph

Qualifies: 4th

Doug Kalitta – Driver of the Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster
Q1: 3.837 seconds, 317.72 mph (One bonus point for third quickest of the session)
Q2: 4.976 seconds, 145.88 mph
Q3: 4.836 seconds, 155.29 mph
Q4: 4.003 seconds, 277.43 mph

Qualifies: 11th

Alexis DeJoria: Driver of the Tequila Patron Toyota Camry Funny Car
Q1: 4.142 seconds, 302.21 mph
Q2: 4.096 seconds, 312.42 mph
Q3: 7.066 seconds, 95.05 mph
Q4: 5.937 seconds, 117.59 mph

Qualifies: 8th

THE COMPETITION:

Top Fuel:
4) David Grubnic vs. 13) Morgan Lucas
11) Doug Kalitta vs. 6) Khalid alBalooshi

Funny Car:
1) Del Worsham vs. 16) Robert Hight
8) Alexis DeJoria vs. 9) Jeff Arend

QUOTABLE:

Del Worsham, driver of the DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car:
“I can’t say enough about how hard Jon “O” (Oberhofer, co-crew chief) and Nicky (Boninfante, crew chief) have been working to get our DHL Toyota Camry running as good as it is. I’m really happy for them and the rest of our DHL team and for Connie (Kalitta, team owner) to get the No. 1 spot. It’s been 25 years since a Kalitta Funny Car was the No. 1 qualifier, and I’m really happy just to be a part of it.”

“We’ve got a really tough match up in round one tomorrow against Hight. We’re good friends away from the track and spend a lot of time together. Robert is a super-competitive guy, and I’m sure he’ll be wanting to beat me as much as anybody else when it’s race day.”