Scott Kalitta, driver of the 8,000-horsepower, nitro-fueled Kalitta Air Toyota Solara Funny Car, hopes to maintain the momentum he and his team began building at the end of last year this weekend, Feb. 8-11, at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series 2007 season-opener, the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals, at record-setting Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona, Calif.
Kalitta and his team struggled throughout the 2006 NHRA season including six failures to qualify, one of which came at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals a year ago. Kalitta, who has 18 career NHRA national event wins, is doggedly determined to avenge his team’s failures from last season with better performances in 2007.
“We really started getting a handle on our Toyota at the end of last year, †Kalitta said. “We added Glenn Mikres (co-crew chief) to our team over the winter, and I think he and my dad (crew chief and car owner Connie Kalitta) will work great together to get everything where we need it to be to be competitive and to win some races.
“I hate losing and I know our (crew) guys do to, so we’re going to do what we have to do to get our car to win a lot more (elimination) rounds this year. â€
Kalitta returned to the ultra-competitive Funny Car last season after many successful years at the helm of a Top Fuel dragster. He won the NHRA Top Fuel World Championship in 1994 and 1995, but he got his first professional NHRA national event win under the carbon fiber canopy of a Funny Car in Houston in 1989.
The CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals begins Thursday, Feb. 8, for the Funny Car class with one qualifying session at 2:30 p. m. (PT). The next qualifying attempt will be made on Friday at 2:30 p. m. Two more qualifying sessions follow on Saturday at 12:30 p. m. and 3:30 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 CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals is the 1st of 23 national events in the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
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. His son Scott Kalitta drives the Kalitta Air Funny Car. Scott’s cousin, Connie’s nephew, Doug Kalitta drives the flagship Top Fuel dragster for Mac Tools. Native Australian Dave Grubnic drives the Zantrex-3 Top Fuel dragster, while Hillary Will drives the Kalitta Motorsports-managed and Ken Black-owned Top Fuel dragster.
Connie serves as head tuner for all Team Kalitta entries. He is assisted by crew chiefs Rahn Tobler (Mac Tools dragster), Jim Oberhofer (Hillary Will-driven dragster), Jon Oberhofer (Zantrex-3 dragster). Connie serves as crew chief on the Kalitta Air Funny Car with assistance from co-crew chief Glenn Mikres.
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