FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KALITTA MOTORSPORTS
2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Event 11 of 24
Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Englishtown, N.J.
June 19-22, 2008

Media Contact: Todd Myers
tmyers@kalittaracing.com



Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools team eye Englishtown for breakout win

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J., (June 18, 2008) –This weekend, June 19-22, Doug Kalitta, driver of the “Big Red” Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster, will vie for his third Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals title trophy and his first of the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series at legendary Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J.

Kalitta and his Mac Tools team were victorious in Englishtown in 2000 and again in 2003. So far in 2008, Kalitta has reached three semi-final rounds and one quarter-final round. He currently resides in 8th place in POWERade Top Fuel championship points.

“We’ve had some success in Englishtown, so maybe it will happen for us again this year,” Kalitta, a 43-year old resident of Ann Arbor, Mich., said. “Our Mac Tools dragster has been consistently improving in performance all year long, but we just aren’t getting the round wins to show for it. I’m sure that will change. Our Mac Tools team is the best in the business, so I’m confident that we’ll get a race win very soon. Hopefully, it will be this weekend.”

Since winning the NHRA’s equivalent of Rookie of the Year, the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Road to the Future Award after the 1998 drag racing season, Kalitta has driven his dragster to 30 Top Fuel national event titles, which places him in sixth in career wins for the sport’s quickest and fastest class. In the past five NHRA seasons, Kalitta has solidified his place among the best Top Fuel pilots of all-time. In 2006, he won a career-high five national events in 2006 and led the POWERade points for almost the entire second half of the season. After finishing just 14 points shy of his first NHRA championship, Kalitta garnered his third career runner-up points finish in 2006. He was also points runner-up in 2003 and 2004. In 2007, he won one event – the event held in Richmond, Va.

The Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals begins Friday for the nitro-fueled classes with two qualifying sessions at 4:00 p.m. (ET) and 7:00 p.m. Two more qualifying opportunities take place Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The top sixteen qualified cars will race Sunday in final eliminations beginning at 11:00 a.m.

All times and dates subject to change.

The Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals is the 11th of 24 national events in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.


About Kalitta Motorsports

Based in Ypsilanti, Michigan, Kalitta Motorsports is a Top Fuel and Funny Car drag racing team in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) POWERade Drag Racing Series. The racing operation was started in 1959 by now legendary drag racer and team owner Connie "the Bounty Hunter" Kalitta. His son, Scott Kalitta, drives the DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car. Scott's cousin, Connie's nephew, Doug Kalitta drives the flagship Top Fuel dragster for Mac Tools. Native Australian Dave Grubnic drives the DHL Top Fuel dragster, while Hillary Will drives the Ken Black-owned and Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel dragster.

Connie serves as head tuner for all Team Kalitta entries. He is assisted by crew chiefs Jim Oberhofer (KB Racing, LLC dragster), Jon Oberhofer (Mac Tools dragster co-crew chief), and Richard Hogan (Mac Tools dragster co-crew chief). Connie serves as crew chief on the DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car with assistance from co-crew chief Glenn Mikres and as the crew chief on the DHL dragster with assistance from co-crew chief James Riola.

Associate sponsors on all Kalitta Motorsports' race cars include Mac Tools, Red Line Oil, Summit Racing Equipment, Technicoat Companies, K2M, and Toyota.