SONOMA, Calif. – Native Australian Dave Grubnic, driver of the bright yellow, 8,000-horsepower DHL Top Fuel dragster, is hopeful that his visit to Northern California this weekend, will see an end to his 57-event streak without a victory as he and the rest of the competitors of the NHRA POWERade Drag racing Series compete at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., in the annual running of the FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, Calif.
Grubnic’s most recent visit to the winner’s circle was in Gainesville, Fla., in 2006. His most recent trip to the final round was during the second event of the 2008 POWERade Drag Racing Series in Phoenix.
Grubnic posted a runner-up finish in the Sonoma Valley in 2004 when he was defeated by his teammate Doug Kalitta in the final round. He also took home runner-up honors in Sonoma in 2001.
“Well, it’s been a while since we got a win, but our car DHL car is still one of the best cars on the tour,” Grubnic, a 45-year old resident of Ennis, Mont., said. “NHRA drag racing is ultra-competitive, especially in the Top Fuel class. I have all the confidence in Connie (Kalitta, team owner and crew chief) and everyone on our DHL team that we’ll get another win very soon, hopefully in Sonoma this time.”
Grubnic’s next elimination-round win will be the 150th of his 14-year Top Fuel career.
Grubnic is currently in 9th place in POWERade championship points.
Beginning with the 13th event in Denver, the NHRA instituted a new racing distance for the nitro-fueled classes of Funny Car and Top Fuel dragster to 1,000 ft., as opposed to the traditional distance of 1,320 ft., or a quarter of a mile, as a temporary safety solution to help the drivers of the world’s quickest and fastest racing safely bring their cars to a stop more efficiently. The unprecedented action is in response to the tragic death of Kalitta Motorsports’ Scott Kalitta, who died in a high-speed Funny Car qualifying accident in Englishtown, N.J., June 21.
Grubnic, unofficially, recorded the quickest 1,000-ft. elapsed time of the 2008 season, 3.783 sec., in Madison, Ill., in early May.
In early 2004, Grubnic was hired to drive for legendary team owner Connie “The Bounty Hunter” Kalitta and Kalitta Motorsports. In the fall of ‘04, Grubnic won the lucrative and coveted Budweiser Shootout in Las Vegas, becoming only the fourth driver in the special event’s history to win its $100,000 prize in his first attempt. Grubnic picked up an emotional first NHRA national event win in May, 2005 in Topeka, Kans., to become the first non-native North American to win a Top Fuel trophy.
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