Doug Kalitta, driver of “Big Red”, the 8,000-horsepower Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster, thinks that this weekend’s, July 20-22, NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event, the Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals, at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Wash., just outside of Seattle, will be a perfect opportunity for him and the Mac Tools dragster team to break through for their first win of 2007.
“Our Mac Tools machine has been getting much more consistent lately, ” Kalitta, a 42-year old resident of Ann Arbor, Mich., said. “We’ve been going down the track with fewer and fewer problems over the past several races. I think this weekend in Seattle may finally be our time to shine this year.
“The weatherman is forecasting some cool temperatures for this weekend, so I’m sure the fans are going to get to see some really good times. We are looking forward to getting there and seeing what our Mac Tools car can do and hopefully put “Big Red” in the winner’s circle. ”
Kalitta has been runner-up for the Top Fuel title in Seattle three times in his 10-year career, 2003, 2000, and 1999. He was a semi-finalist in 2005.
This season the NHRA instituted the new Countdown to the Championship points system. Only the top eight in POWERade points after the first 17 national events will be allowed to vie for the season championship. This weekend’s event is the 14th of the season.
Going into this weekend’s event at Pacific Raceways, Kalitta is in 12th position in POWERade Top Fuel championship points. He is 88 points shy of 8th place.
Since winning the NHRA’s equivalent of Rookie of the Year, the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Road to the Future Award, after the 1998 drag racing season Kalitta has driven his dragster to 29 Top Fuel national event titles, which already ties him for sixth in career wins for the sport’s quickest and fastest class. In the past four NHRA seasons, Kalitta has solidified his place among the best Top Fuel pilots of all-time. Last season was arguably the best of his straight-line career. He won a career-high five national events in 2006 and led the POWERade points for almost the entire second half of the season. After finishing just 14 points shy of his first NHRA championship, Kalitta garnered his third career runner-up points finish in 2006. He was also points runner-up in 2003 and 2004.
The Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals begins Friday, July 20, for the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes with one qualifying session at 3:30 p. m. (PT), and then another qualifying session at 6:30 p. m. Two more qualifying sessions follow on Saturday at noon and 3:00 p. m. The top sixteen qualified cars will race Sunday in final eliminations beginning at 11:00 a. m.
All times and dates subject to change.
The Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals is the 14th of 23 national events in the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
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