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NHRA Drag Racing stars Scott Kalitta and Hillary Will will be taking part in two unique upcoming events to further support the United States military personnel serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. Both drivers and their race cars will be appearing at two of this country’s largest and most well-known military facilities.
The first event will be held at the “Home of the Fighter Pilot, ” Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas on Oct. 24, in advance of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Oct. 25-28. The second event will be held at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, near San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 5, following the final NHRA national event of the 2007 season at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona, Calif., Nov. 1-4.
Kalitta drives the bright yellow and red, 8,000-horsepower DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car for Kalitta Motorsports, a four-car, professional drag racing team based in Ypsilanti. Will is also a member of the Team Kalitta family. She drives the 325-mph Support Our Troops and Families Top Fuel dragster that is owned by Ken Black and managed by Kalitta Motorsports.
Both of the nitro-fueled racing machines will be on display from 11 a. m. until 1 p. m. at both locations respectively. The DHL Funny Car will also be started at noon during each appearance so the military personnel in attendance can experience a small dose of the excitement and power of NHRA racing. “This is a great friends- and-family event for the military and we encourage those interested in making the most of the opportunity to meet the team and see the vehicles up close and personal, ” said Gordon Steffens, director, Business Development, DHL Performance.
“This is a great way for us to show our service men and women how much we really appreciate them, ” Kalitta, a 45-year old resident of Palmetto, Fla., said. “I’m very happy that we are getting this exclusive opportunity to try to give something back to the people that help our great country remain free. ”
Kalitta is the son of team owner and drag racing legend Conrad “Connie” Kalitta. He returned to the Funny Car class 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 as well as 17 NHRA national event trophies, but got his first professional NHRA national event win under the carbon fiber canopy of a Funny Car in Houston in 1989.
Will, a 27-year old native of Fortuna, Calif., added, “I’m very excited to get to meet the great men and women who make great sacrifices to preserve our freedoms. The chance for us to visit with them and to let them experience a small part of what we do is an honor for our entire team. Hopefully, we’ll make some new NHRA drag racing fans while we’re there as well. ”
Will is a 2002 Magna Cum Laude Wheaton College graduate. She began her NHRA Top Fuel career in 2006 and was nominated for Rookie of the Year honors in her inaugural season behind the wheel of her race car in the sport’s fastest professional class. She won the IHRA World Nationals in 2006 and placed in the top ten in NHRA POWERade championship points last season.
The Mail Terminal Services Funny Car driven by Jack Beckman will also be on display. Mail Terminal Services, Kalitta Air, an air cargo company operated by Conrad Kalitta, and DHL, create a seamless supply chain that enables militarypersonnel stationed overseas to receive mail from the United States.
