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CLERMONT, Ind. -- Even though Doug Kalitta and his Red Line Oil Top Fuel dragster team did not fare as well as they had hoped at this past weekend's annual running of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Kalitta, a 31-time NHRA Top Fuel national event winner, is optimistic about this season's final six events, and he has his speedy sights set on contending for the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle championship. By qualifying for the event in Indy, Kalitta solidified his place in the NHRA "playoffs", the Countdown to 1, in the No. 9 position. Now, the points have been reset and Kalitta is only 100 points away from the Top Fuel lead, compared to a difference of 675 points before the "postseason" re-tally. Also, by making this season's Countdown to 1, Kalitta guarantees himself another top-ten finish in championship points, a fete he has incredibly accomplished in every season of his Top Fuel driving career which began with his Rookie of the Year award-winning season in 1998. "Indy was pretty disappointing, but getting a spot in the Countdown certainly helps heal those wounds," Kalitta, a 45-year old resident of Ann Arbor, Mich., "We were really confident going into race day that we had a great chance at winning the whole thing, but it just didn't turn out that way. "Getting in the Countdown to 1 is great for our entire Kalitta Motorsports team. We were basically given 575 points and we're going to try to take advantage of that gift." Kalitta qualified the Red Line Oil dragster in the top-half of Indy's elite 16-car Top Fuel field in the No. 6 position (3.862 seconds 315.12 mph), however he was unexpectedly thwarted an opportunity to win the prestigious event title with a first round loss. Kalitta's teammate, Jeff Arend, driver of the bright yellow, nitro-fueled, 8,000-horsepower DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car, recorded his second consecutive quarter-final finish in Indianapolis. Arend qualified his DHL flopper entry in the No. 10 (4.141 sec., 301.87 mph) slot for Monday's eliminations in Funny Car. In round one, Arend delivered a win light by taking out Jerry Toliver, 4.174 sec., 301.47 mph to 4.194 sec., 294.56 mph. In the Funny Car quarterfinals, Arend matched up with Ashley Force Hood. The two coupe competitors gave the huge crowd at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis a thrilling side-by-side race to the 1,000-ft. finish line, but at the stripe it was Force Hood who got the win to end Arend's race day, 4.204 sec., 300.53 mph to 4.171 sec., 303.91 mph. Arend, a native Canadian, now has 26 round-wins in his career. Dave Grubnic, driver of the DHL-branded Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel dragster, qualified his rail in the No. 11 (3.902 sec., 313.07 mph) starting spot in Indy. He was defeated in round one of eliminations by Cory McClenathan, 5.370 sec., 187.44 mph to 4.421 sec., 222.58 mph. The event in Indianapolis was the 18th of 24 national events in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
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About Kalitta Motorsports 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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