Native Australian Dave Grubnic, driver of the bright yellow, Nitro-fueled, 8,000-horsepower DHL Top Fuel dragster, and his DHL/Kalitta Motorsports teammate and native Canadian Jeff Arend, driver of the Nitro-fueled DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car, both have two of the top performing race cars in the NHRA POWERade Drag racing Series and both are hoping for a little luck this weekend, Oct. 30-Nov. 2, during the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“Our DHL dragster is capable of being the best car on the grounds at every show we go to,” Grubnic, a 46-year old resident of Ennis, Mont., said. “Connie (Kalitta, team owner and crew chief) certainly know how to make huge horsepower, but we’ve had some bad breaks this year with keeping our car consistent. Maybe this weekend we can cash in some luck in Vegas and take our car to the winner’s circle.”
Grubnic is in 10th place in POWERade points and in the NHRA Countdown to 1 postseason.
Arend, a 46-year old resident of San Dimas, Calif., echoed his teammate’s feelings and enthusiasm about this weekend’s event, “Our DHL Funny Car has been having some of the same issues that Dave and the DHL dragster team have had. We’ve really been able to turn our program around here near the end of the season and get a much better performing race car, but we, too, need to get more consistent.
“I really want to see an all yellow and red winner’s circle this weekend in Vegas. With a little help from Lady Luck, we just might make that happen.”
Both Grubnic and Arend will participate in the NHRA Fanfest, Thursday, Oct. 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. on the 3rd Street section of the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas. The event is open to the public, and admission is free. Arend will also be playing in the Speedway Children’s Charities fifth annual Cards for Kids Texas Hold ‘em poker tournament tonight at the Cannery Casino & Hotel.
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. He has one other event victory to date, the 2006 running of the famed Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
Kalitta Motorsports team owner and drag racing legend Connie Kalitta chose Arend to drive the DHL Toyota Solara mount in late July to help preserve the legacy of his legendary son, Scott Kalitta, who died as result of a high-speed Funny Car qualifying accident in Englishtown, N.J., June 21. Arend is a 13-year Funny Car veteran with one NHRA Funny Car national event win to his credit – Reading, Pa., 1996.
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