Kalitta, driver of the No. 50 Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel dragster, scored a runner-up finish at the previous event in Denver last weekend, his third final round showing of the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, after qualifying his 8,000-horsepower dragster in a season-high No. 6 starting spot for eliminations.

"We had a great weekend in Denver, now we have to keep it going," Kalitta, a 12-year NHRA veteran and 44-year old resident of Ann Arbor, Mich., said. "Our dragster obviously responded the way we wanted to after the changes we made before Denver, so we're pretty happy right now. We'll try to seal the deal with a win this weekend in Seattle."

Kalitta was a runner-up finisher in Seattle in 2003 and 2000.

Kalitta's trip to the winner's circle at the season-opening Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., in February was his first victory since the fall of 2007. He has 31 career Top Fuel wins in 57 final-round appearances. Kalitta has finished in the top ten in Full Throttle Top Fuel championship points in every season of his drag racing career. He is currently in 9th place in Full Throttle championship points. He is married to Josie, and they have a son, Mitchell, 8, and a daughter, Avery, 5.

Arend, driver of the bright yellow DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car, also posted a season-best qualifying effort in Denver, No. 9, and he hopes that he and his DHL team can continue to climb the performance ladder with a more consistent race car.

"Our DHL Toyota is getting more fun to drive with every event that goes by," Arend, a 46-year old resident of San Dimas, Calif., said. "We've made some huge strides this year so far with the consistency and performance of our Funny Car. Our entire is working well together and gaining confidence in our car and ourselves. It's an exciting time on our DHL team right now, but it's going to be really exciting when we start clicking off some wins soon."

Arend, a native Canadian, has 24 round-wins in his career and 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.

Event Schedule
The NHRA Northwest Nationals begins Friday for the nitro-fueled classes with two qualifying sessions at 3:30 p.m. (PT) and 6:00 p.m. Two more qualifying opportunities take place Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. The top 16 qualified cars in each pro class will race Sunday in final eliminations beginning at 11:00 a.m.

Times and dates subject to change.

The NHRA Northwest Nationals is the 14th of 24 national events in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

ESPN2 TV Schedule
7/18 - Qualifying: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (ET)
7/19 - Eliminations: 9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
7/22 - Repeat Eliminations: 3:30 a.m. - 5:30 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

Courtesy of Todd Myers