Scott Kalitta: “I think we’re ready to go out there and pick up a Wally (trophy)”
Sonoma, Calif.
Jul 25, 2007
Kalitta Racing
At this weekend’s, July 27-29, annual running of the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway in the scenic wine country of Sonoma, Calif., Scott Kalitta, driver of the bright yellow and red, 7,000-horsepower DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car, is hoping to continue the progress that he and his DHL team have started building toward their first win of 2007.
“We just keep getting better and better, ” Kalitta, a 45-year old resident of Palmetto, Fla., said. “Last week in Seattle was a fluke. The blower belt broke and that cost us a first-round win. Those things happen though. You just have to put it behind you and move on.
“Our car has been going down the race track better almost every time we make a lap now. We have learned a lot as this season has progressed, and I think we’re ready to go out there and pick up a Wally (trophy). ”
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 in Sonoma is the 15th of the season.
Kalitta is currently 16th in POWERade championship points. He is 166 points shy of 8th place.
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.
Kalitta won the Sonoma Top Fuel title once in his rail career in 1994.
The Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals begins Friday, July 27, for the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes with one qualifying session at 4:30 p. m. (PT), and then another qualifying session at 8:00 p. m. Two more qualifying sessions follow on Saturday at 12:30 p. m. and 2:45 p. m. The top sixteen qualified cars will race Sunday in final eliminations beginning at noon.
All times and dates subject to change.
The Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals is the 15th of 23 national events in the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
