Getting Off the "Big Bump" the Goal for Dave Grubnic and the DHL team in Reading
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/d_grubnic.jpg" alt="d_grubnic"align="right"borders="0" />
MOHNTON, Pa. -- Native Australian Dave Grubnic, driver of the bright yellow, nitro-fueled, 8,000-horsepower DHL Top Fuel dragster, is hoping that he and his DHL team can deliver a victory to possibly eliminate their precarious points position this weekend, Aug. 14-17, at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.
In drag racing "the bump spot" typically refers to the driver that is provisionally qualified in the No. 16 position because of the possible peril that driver faces by being bumped out of the 16-car final eliminations field. For Grubnic and the DHL dragster team, the Big Bump that hunts them now is not 16th; it's 10th.
Grubnic is currently in 10th place in POWERade championship points. Only the top ten pro drivers in points in their respective classes will be eligible for the 2008 Countdown to the Championship - Countdown to 1 that begins at the 19th event in Concord, N.C. Grubnic is just 13 points ahead of the driver in 11th position. The event in Reading is the 17th event.
Last year, Grubnic and his team were in position to get the last position in the Countdown "playoffs", but were knocked out of contention in the final qualifying event (Reading) and missed the Countdown by only three points.
"Well, here we go again with remnants of last year's Countdown," Grubnic, a 46-year old resident of Ennis, Mont., said. "We were knocked out by a mere few points last year and that was a big let down. Right now, I feel like we're being attacked by a pack of point-hungry wolves, and we have two chooses - Go hide behind a rock or come out swinging with everything we've got and that's exactly what Connie (Kalitta, crew chief, team owner and drag racing legend) and the DHL team is going to do.
"Our entire Kalitta Motorsports team has been through so much strife this year that it's almost unbelievable, but it has made us all so much tougher. I can guarantee you that this team will not be knocked out without a tremendous fight."
Grubnic's next elimination-round win will be the 150th of his 14-year Top Fuel career.
Beginning with the 13th event in Denver, the NHRA instituted a new racing distance for the nitro-fueled classes of Funny Car and Top Fuel dragster to 1,000 ft., as opposed to the traditional distance of 1,320 ft., or a quarter of a mile, as a temporary safety solution to help the drivers of the world's quickest and fastest racing safely bring their cars to a stop more efficiently. The unprecedented action is in response to the tragic death of Kalitta Motorsports' Scott Kalitta, who died in a high-speed Funny Car qualifying accident in Englishtown, N.J., June 21.
Grubnic, unofficially, recorded the quickest 1,000-ft. elapsed time of the 2008 season, 3.783 sec., in Madison, Ill., in early May.
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.
Qualifying begins Friday for the nitro-fueled classes with two sessions at 3:30 p.m. (ET) and 6:30 p.m. Two more qualifying opportunities take place Saturday at noon and 3:00 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.
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. Connie's nephew, Doug Kalitta drives the flagship Top Fuel dragster for Mac Tools. Native Australian Dave Grubnic drives the DHL Top Fuel dragster, Jeff Arend drives the DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car, and Hillary Will drives the Ken Black-owned and Kalitta Motorsports-managed KB Racing, LLC 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) and Glenn Mikres (DHL Funny Car). Connie serves as crew chief on the DHL dragster with assistance from co-crew chief James Riola. Jon Oberhofer and Nick Boninfante are co-crew chiefs on the Mac Tools dragster.
Associate sponsors on all Kalitta Motorsports' race cars include Mac Tools, Red Line Oil, Summit Racing Equipment, Technicoat Companies, K2M, and Toyota.
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/d_grubnic.jpg" alt="d_grubnic"align="right"borders="0" />
MOHNTON, Pa. -- Native Australian Dave Grubnic, driver of the bright yellow, nitro-fueled, 8,000-horsepower DHL Top Fuel dragster, is hoping that he and his DHL team can deliver a victory to possibly eliminate their precarious points position this weekend, Aug. 14-17, at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.
In drag racing "the bump spot" typically refers to the driver that is provisionally qualified in the No. 16 position because of the possible peril that driver faces by being bumped out of the 16-car final eliminations field. For Grubnic and the DHL dragster team, the Big Bump that hunts them now is not 16th; it's 10th.
Grubnic is currently in 10th place in POWERade championship points. Only the top ten pro drivers in points in their respective classes will be eligible for the 2008 Countdown to the Championship - Countdown to 1 that begins at the 19th event in Concord, N.C. Grubnic is just 13 points ahead of the driver in 11th position. The event in Reading is the 17th event.
Last year, Grubnic and his team were in position to get the last position in the Countdown "playoffs", but were knocked out of contention in the final qualifying event (Reading) and missed the Countdown by only three points.
"Well, here we go again with remnants of last year's Countdown," Grubnic, a 46-year old resident of Ennis, Mont., said. "We were knocked out by a mere few points last year and that was a big let down. Right now, I feel like we're being attacked by a pack of point-hungry wolves, and we have two chooses - Go hide behind a rock or come out swinging with everything we've got and that's exactly what Connie (Kalitta, crew chief, team owner and drag racing legend) and the DHL team is going to do.
"Our entire Kalitta Motorsports team has been through so much strife this year that it's almost unbelievable, but it has made us all so much tougher. I can guarantee you that this team will not be knocked out without a tremendous fight."
Grubnic's next elimination-round win will be the 150th of his 14-year Top Fuel career.
Beginning with the 13th event in Denver, the NHRA instituted a new racing distance for the nitro-fueled classes of Funny Car and Top Fuel dragster to 1,000 ft., as opposed to the traditional distance of 1,320 ft., or a quarter of a mile, as a temporary safety solution to help the drivers of the world's quickest and fastest racing safely bring their cars to a stop more efficiently. The unprecedented action is in response to the tragic death of Kalitta Motorsports' Scott Kalitta, who died in a high-speed Funny Car qualifying accident in Englishtown, N.J., June 21.
Grubnic, unofficially, recorded the quickest 1,000-ft. elapsed time of the 2008 season, 3.783 sec., in Madison, Ill., in early May.
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.
Qualifying begins Friday for the nitro-fueled classes with two sessions at 3:30 p.m. (ET) and 6:30 p.m. Two more qualifying opportunities take place Saturday at noon and 3:00 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.
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. Connie's nephew, Doug Kalitta drives the flagship Top Fuel dragster for Mac Tools. Native Australian Dave Grubnic drives the DHL Top Fuel dragster, Jeff Arend drives the DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car, and Hillary Will drives the Ken Black-owned and Kalitta Motorsports-managed KB Racing, LLC 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) and Glenn Mikres (DHL Funny Car). Connie serves as crew chief on the DHL dragster with assistance from co-crew chief James Riola. Jon Oberhofer and Nick Boninfante are co-crew chiefs on the Mac Tools dragster.
Associate sponsors on all Kalitta Motorsports' race cars include Mac Tools, Red Line Oil, Summit Racing Equipment, Technicoat Companies, K2M, and Toyota.
