Native Canadian Jeff Arend, driver of the bright yellow and red-striped, 8,000-horsepower DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car, and his DHL/Kalitta Motorsports team have a little extra motivation to visit the winner’s circle this weekend, March 27-29, at the annual running of the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas, just a few miles from downtown Houston.
In 1989, the late Scott Kalitta, drag racing legend and son of team owner Connie Kalitta, won the only Funny Car “Wally” (trophy) in the 50-year history of Kalitta Motorsports at the Houston event. Team Kalitta has over 50 Top Fuel class trophies on its mantle, but only one for a Funny Car victory.
Arend joined Kalitta Motorsports last year to assume the driving duties of the DHL entry after the tragic death of Scott as the result of injuries he suffered in a high-speed racing accident in June in New Jersey.
“Getting a win in Houston this weekend would be very special to us and everyone that loves NHRA drag racing and Kalitta Motorsports,” Arend, a 46-year old resident of San Dimas, Calif., said. “Twenty years ago Scott took the Kalitta Flying Services Funny Car all the way to a win at HRP. It would mean so much to this team to be able to repeat that fete 20 years later for him. We’ll all have a little extra spring in our steps this weekend to try to make that happen.”
Arend is a 14-year Funny Car veteran with one NHRA Funny Car national event win to his credit – Reading, Pa., 1996. He is married to Windy, and they have a daughter, Jenna, 9.
In 2009, Kalitta Motorsports is celebrating 50 years of drag racing by team owner and drag racing legend Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta. Over the past 50 years, Connie, who has been involved in the sport as a driver, tuner, and as an owner, has dedicated unequalled amounts of time and resources to building one of the most successful teams in the history of auto racing. Kalitta Motorsports has won five world championships and over 50 national event titles in five different drag racing sanctioning bodies since it was established by Connie in 1959.
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