Fri, 4 Sep 2009, 08:34 PM Team DHL Set to Go Big at the "Big Go" in Indy

Courtesy of Todd Myers

CLERMONT, Ind. -- Jeff Arend, driver of the bright yellow, nitro-fueled, 8,000-horsepower DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car, is hoping to build on the momentum he and his DHL team garnered at the previous event in Reading, Pa., going into this weekend's most celebrated drag racing event in the world, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.

Arend scored his first round-win since joining the Kalitta Motorsports/DHL Funny Car team last season during the opening round of eliminations in the Keystone State to set up a quarter-final finish.

"It's a really good feeling going into Indy knowing that we finally picked up a round-win at the last race," Arend, a 46-year old resident of San Dimas, Calif., said. "We did some testing with our DHL Funny Car in Indy last week and we ran some of the best (interval) numbers we've seen from our car all year, so we're really pumped up going into this weekend."

Arend, a native Canadian, has 25 round-wins in his career. He is married to Windy, and they have a daughter, Jenna, 9.

Native Australian Dave Grubnic, driver of the DHL-branded Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel dragster, will race with Indy's rail contingent this weekend. Like his teammate Arend, Grubnic also raced to the quarterfinals in Reading.

Grubnic, a 46-year old resident of Ennis, Mont., has two NHRA national event wins in 14 final round appearances in his 14-year Top Fuel career. In May, 2005, he became the first racer born outside of North America to win an NHRA Top Fuel event.

Event Schedule
Due to the Labor Day Holiday, the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indy begin today for the nitro-fueled classes with a qualifying session at 7:00 p.m. (ET) and again on Saturday at 1:45 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Sunday qualifying sessions will take place at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. for nitro cars. The top 16 qualified cars in each pro class will race Monday in final eliminations beginning at 11:00 a.m.
Times and dates subject to change.

The event in Indianapolis is the 18th of 24 national events in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

ESPN2 TV Schedule
9/6 - Qualifying: 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (ET)
9/6 - Qualifying: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
9/7 - Eliminations: 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
9/11 - Repeat Eliminations: 3:00 a.m. - 5:00 a.m.

Times and dates subject to change.

About Kalitta Motorsports
Based in Ypsilanti, Mich., Kalitta Motorsports is a Top Fuel and Funny Car drag racing team in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. 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.

Jeff Arend drives the DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car for the team while Connie's nephew, Doug Kalitta, drives the No. 50 Top Fuel dragster entry. Connie serves as head tuner for both Team Kalitta entries. He is assisted by crew chief Jim Oberhofer and assistant crew chief Troy Fasching on Doug's Top Fueler and by co-crew chiefs Jon Oberhofer and Nick Boninfante on the DHL Funny Car.

Associate sponsors on Kalitta Motorsports' race cars include Red Line Oil, Summit Racing Equipment, Technicoat Companies, Rocky Boots, Toyota, and Mac Tools.

For more info about Kalitta Motorsports, please visit http://www.teamkalitta.com

Follow Team Kalitta on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TeamKalitta

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kalitta

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