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CHANDLER, Ariz. - After making a race of her match up against Whit Bazemore, Hillary Will lost a close race to the former Funny Car turned Top Fuel driver at the 23rd annual NHRA Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals being run this weekend at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Ariz., just outside Phoenix.
Will gained a slight lead at the green light but the power of the Lee Beard-tuned dragster, driven by Bazemore, was too much this day for Will's KB Racing-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Attac-built dragster.
Will ran a respectable elapsed time of 4.589 seconds at 321.88, giving Bazemore all he could handle. Bazemore covered the quarter-mile track in 4.513 seconds at 326.95 mph.
"The KB Racing dragster was on a good run," said Will. "I didn't see him (Bazemore) the whole time, so it surprised me when his win light came on. The team is disappointed. Our season has not gone the way we had hoped."
The early season adversity - an accident at Las Vegas and a mechanical problem at the season-opening race in Pomona - is behind the team.
"Those misfortunes were behind us before we came to Phoenix," said Will. "We're going to stay here in Phoenix and test. My crew chief Jim O wanted us running in the 40s (4.40 second range). I know we can run those types of numbers and that we're going to be competitive at the next race."
TELEVISION: ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD will air same-day coverage of eliminations for the 23rd annual NHRA Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals, the second of 23-national events on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, tonight, Sunday (Feb.25), from 7-10 p.m. The elimination show repeats early Wednesday morning, Feb. 28, from 4-6 a.m. Television times are ET and subject to change without notice. Check your local listing.
NEXT RACE: The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series now moves to Gainesville, Fla., for the 38th annual NHRA ACDelco Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, March 15-18.
KB RACING LLC is owned by Las Vegas businessmen Ken Black and his son Kenny Black. In the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, KB Racing LLC fields two Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTOs, one driven by Greg Anderson, a native of Duluth, Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and the other by Jason Line, a native of Wright, Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and a Top Fuel dragster, managed by Kalitta Motorsports, and driven by Hillary Will, a native of Fortuna, Calif. who now resides in Ypsilanti, Mich. Anderson won three consecutive POWERade Pro Stock Championships (2003-2005) and finished second in the point standings in 2006. Line, who finished second in points in his rookie season in 2004 and third in 2005, is the reigning 2006 POWERade Pro Stock Champion. Line was honored with the 2004 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, presented to the outstanding rookie in a professional category. Will finished No. 10 in her rookie season in Top Fuel in 2006 and was nominated for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. The Pro Stock shop of Anderson and Line is in Mooresville, N. C. and the Kalitta Motorsports racing operation is in Ypsilanti, Mich.
KALITTA MOTORSPORTS (www.kalittaracing.com), owned by the legendary drag racer and successful businessman Connie Kalitta, fields, in addition to Will's Top Fuel dragster, three additional nitro fuel cars -- two Top Fuel Dragsters and a Funny Car. -- in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Doug Kalitta, Connie's nephew, drives the Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster, Australian Dave Grubnic handles the driving duties on the Zantrex-3 Top Fuel Dragster and Scott Kalitta, Connie's son and Doug's cousin, is behind the wheel of the Kalitta Air Funny Car.
Hillary Will Turned Back in Good Drag Race at Firebird
CHANDLER, Ariz. - After making a race of her match up against Whit Bazemore, Hillary Will lost a close race to the former Funny Car turned Top Fuel driver at the 23rd annual NHRA Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals being run this weekend at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Ariz., just outside Phoenix.
Will gained a slight lead at the green light but the power of the Lee Beard-tuned dragster, driven by Bazemore, was too much this day for Will's KB Racing-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Attac-built dragster.
Will ran a respectable elapsed time of 4.589 seconds at 321.88, giving Bazemore all he could handle. Bazemore covered the quarter-mile track in 4.513 seconds at 326.95 mph.
"The KB Racing dragster was on a good run," said Will. "I didn't see him (Bazemore) the whole time, so it surprised me when his win light came on. The team is disappointed. Our season has not gone the way we had hoped."
The early season adversity - an accident at Las Vegas and a mechanical problem at the season-opening race in Pomona - is behind the team.
"Those misfortunes were behind us before we came to Phoenix," said Will. "We're going to stay here in Phoenix and test. My crew chief Jim O wanted us running in the 40s (4.40 second range). I know we can run those types of numbers and that we're going to be competitive at the next race."
TELEVISION: ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD will air same-day coverage of eliminations for the 23rd annual NHRA Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals, the second of 23-national events on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, tonight, Sunday (Feb.25), from 7-10 p.m. The elimination show repeats early Wednesday morning, Feb. 28, from 4-6 a.m. Television times are ET and subject to change without notice. Check your local listing.
NEXT RACE: The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series now moves to Gainesville, Fla., for the 38th annual NHRA ACDelco Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, March 15-18.
KB RACING LLC is owned by Las Vegas businessmen Ken Black and his son Kenny Black. In the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, KB Racing LLC fields two Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTOs, one driven by Greg Anderson, a native of Duluth, Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and the other by Jason Line, a native of Wright, Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and a Top Fuel dragster, managed by Kalitta Motorsports, and driven by Hillary Will, a native of Fortuna, Calif. who now resides in Ypsilanti, Mich. Anderson won three consecutive POWERade Pro Stock Championships (2003-2005) and finished second in the point standings in 2006. Line, who finished second in points in his rookie season in 2004 and third in 2005, is the reigning 2006 POWERade Pro Stock Champion. Line was honored with the 2004 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, presented to the outstanding rookie in a professional category. Will finished No. 10 in her rookie season in Top Fuel in 2006 and was nominated for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. The Pro Stock shop of Anderson and Line is in Mooresville, N. C. and the Kalitta Motorsports racing operation is in Ypsilanti, Mich.
KALITTA MOTORSPORTS (www.kalittaracing.com), owned by the legendary drag racer and successful businessman Connie Kalitta, fields, in addition to Will's Top Fuel dragster, three additional nitro fuel cars -- two Top Fuel Dragsters and a Funny Car. -- in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Doug Kalitta, Connie's nephew, drives the Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster, Australian Dave Grubnic handles the driving duties on the Zantrex-3 Top Fuel Dragster and Scott Kalitta, Connie's son and Doug's cousin, is behind the wheel of the Kalitta Air Funny Car.
