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NORWALK, Ohio (June 26, 2007) – After advancing to the semifinals at the last race, Hillary Will, driver of the 8000-plus horsepower Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel dragster, hopes the new found momentum carries her to winner’s circle at the Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, which unfolds June 28-July 1 at the newly renovated track owned by Bill Bader and family in Norwalk, Ohio.
The strong showing at last weekend’s event in Englishtown, N.J. brought Will to within 51 points of eighth position in the first segment of the season-long Countdown to the Championship. Another strong showing at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals could continue to move up Will and her crew up in the NHRA POWERade point standing to their goal of a top eight finish after the first 17 races that comprise the Countdown to Eight. (For a brief description of the Countdown to the Championship, see below.)
“We are ready to have some fun at Norwalk and win some rounds,” said the 26-year-old driver, who now calls Ypsilanti, Mich., where the Kalitta Motorsports shop is located, home. “Going to the semifinals last weekend was just what our team needed to kick off the upcoming six races in six weeks swing. In addition, we qualified well and we took out the POWERade point leader, so our team is confident and upbeat going into Norwalk.
“We proved last year that we know how to win at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park because we won the Top Fuel IHRA World Nationals. It would be extra special for our KB Racing team to come away with another victory there. Since we are only a two hour drive away from Norwalk, we feel this is our home track.
“A lot of the members of my team are bringing their families. It would be awesome to win four rounds on Sunday in front of them and be able to include everyone in the winner's circle celebrations.
Since Summit Racing Equipment is an associate sponsor on Will’s KB Racing LLC-owned dragster and with Summit’s headquarters in Tallmadge, Ohio, just a short drive from the Norwalk track, Will also indicated that she can invite all the management and employee that attend the race to her victory celebration. That’s going to be one crowded winner’s circle.
The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals is the second of six races in a row that span from the east coast to the west coast. Last weekend the KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed team journeyed to Englishtown, N.J., then moved to Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, for this weekend’s event. Next it’s on to Bristol, Tenn., after which the team heads west for the Western Swing: Denver, Seattle and Sonoma, Calif., in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.
QUALIFYING: Nitro fuel cars begin qualifying for the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals on Friday, June 29, with two sessions at 5 and 8 p.m. (Funny Car is up first, followed by Top Fuel in both sessions). Qualifying for nitro fuel cars then concludes on Saturday, June 30, with two sessions at 1 and 3:30 p.m. (Top Fuel starts the sessions, followed by Funny Car). Final eliminations for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals begin for all teams at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 1. All qualifying and eliminations times are local Norwalk time (ET) and subject to change.
TELEVISION: Qualifying highlights for the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD on Saturday (June 30) beginning at 10 p.m. and concluding at midnight. ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD will also air same-day coverage of eliminations on Sunday (July 1) from 8-11 p.m. The elimination show repeats early Wednesday morning, July 4, from 4-6 a.m. Also, be sure to tune into NHRA Race Day, the show which provides the drag racing fan with the latest information about the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals installment of NHRA Race Day can be seen on Sunday (July 1) on ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD from 11-11:30 a.m. Television times are ET and subject to change without notice. Check your local listing.
COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP: In its simplest form, the Countdown breaks the $50 million, 23-event NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season up into three distinct segments: the 17-race Countdown to 8, the four-race Countdown to 4 and the two-race Countdown to 1.
After the 17 regular season races, all teams will continue vying for points, with full fields, but only the top eight drivers continue to vie for the championship in the four-race second segment. The top four drivers after the four-race playoff then move to the third and final segment that will be run over the final two races – the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals in Las Vegas and the NHRA Auto Club Finals in Pomona. While all teams will continue vying for points, with full fields, only one of the four can be crowned the 2007 NHRA POWERade champion.
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 (Kalitta Motorsports), 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 DHL Funny Car.
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT: Since 1968 Summit Racing Equipment (Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts | 800-230-3030), headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio, has been the leader in high performance, offering a huge selection of parts for virtually everyone from racers to street rodders, muscle car enthusiasts, off-roaders, and sport compact fans. Summit does business based on a simple formula: give our customers the parts they want, at a fair price, ship those parts fast, and back them with the best customer service on the planet. Summit Racing Equipment services its customers from three warehouses in Tallmadge, Ohio, Sparks, Nev., and McDonough, Ga. Summit Racing Equipment is the primary marketing partner of KB Racing LLC, which fields the Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTOs driven by three-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson and reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Jason Line. Summit Racing Equipment is also an associate sponsor on the KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel Dragster of Hillary Will.
It will be a crowded winner’s circle if Hillary Will can win four rounds
NORWALK, Ohio (June 26, 2007) – After advancing to the semifinals at the last race, Hillary Will, driver of the 8000-plus horsepower Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel dragster, hopes the new found momentum carries her to winner’s circle at the Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, which unfolds June 28-July 1 at the newly renovated track owned by Bill Bader and family in Norwalk, Ohio.
The strong showing at last weekend’s event in Englishtown, N.J. brought Will to within 51 points of eighth position in the first segment of the season-long Countdown to the Championship. Another strong showing at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals could continue to move up Will and her crew up in the NHRA POWERade point standing to their goal of a top eight finish after the first 17 races that comprise the Countdown to Eight. (For a brief description of the Countdown to the Championship, see below.)
“We are ready to have some fun at Norwalk and win some rounds,” said the 26-year-old driver, who now calls Ypsilanti, Mich., where the Kalitta Motorsports shop is located, home. “Going to the semifinals last weekend was just what our team needed to kick off the upcoming six races in six weeks swing. In addition, we qualified well and we took out the POWERade point leader, so our team is confident and upbeat going into Norwalk.
“We proved last year that we know how to win at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park because we won the Top Fuel IHRA World Nationals. It would be extra special for our KB Racing team to come away with another victory there. Since we are only a two hour drive away from Norwalk, we feel this is our home track.
“A lot of the members of my team are bringing their families. It would be awesome to win four rounds on Sunday in front of them and be able to include everyone in the winner's circle celebrations.
Since Summit Racing Equipment is an associate sponsor on Will’s KB Racing LLC-owned dragster and with Summit’s headquarters in Tallmadge, Ohio, just a short drive from the Norwalk track, Will also indicated that she can invite all the management and employee that attend the race to her victory celebration. That’s going to be one crowded winner’s circle.
The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals is the second of six races in a row that span from the east coast to the west coast. Last weekend the KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed team journeyed to Englishtown, N.J., then moved to Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, for this weekend’s event. Next it’s on to Bristol, Tenn., after which the team heads west for the Western Swing: Denver, Seattle and Sonoma, Calif., in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.
QUALIFYING: Nitro fuel cars begin qualifying for the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals on Friday, June 29, with two sessions at 5 and 8 p.m. (Funny Car is up first, followed by Top Fuel in both sessions). Qualifying for nitro fuel cars then concludes on Saturday, June 30, with two sessions at 1 and 3:30 p.m. (Top Fuel starts the sessions, followed by Funny Car). Final eliminations for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals begin for all teams at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 1. All qualifying and eliminations times are local Norwalk time (ET) and subject to change.
TELEVISION: Qualifying highlights for the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD on Saturday (June 30) beginning at 10 p.m. and concluding at midnight. ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD will also air same-day coverage of eliminations on Sunday (July 1) from 8-11 p.m. The elimination show repeats early Wednesday morning, July 4, from 4-6 a.m. Also, be sure to tune into NHRA Race Day, the show which provides the drag racing fan with the latest information about the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals installment of NHRA Race Day can be seen on Sunday (July 1) on ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD from 11-11:30 a.m. Television times are ET and subject to change without notice. Check your local listing.
COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP: In its simplest form, the Countdown breaks the $50 million, 23-event NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season up into three distinct segments: the 17-race Countdown to 8, the four-race Countdown to 4 and the two-race Countdown to 1.
After the 17 regular season races, all teams will continue vying for points, with full fields, but only the top eight drivers continue to vie for the championship in the four-race second segment. The top four drivers after the four-race playoff then move to the third and final segment that will be run over the final two races – the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals in Las Vegas and the NHRA Auto Club Finals in Pomona. While all teams will continue vying for points, with full fields, only one of the four can be crowned the 2007 NHRA POWERade champion.
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 (Kalitta Motorsports), 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 DHL Funny Car.
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT: Since 1968 Summit Racing Equipment (Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts | 800-230-3030), headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio, has been the leader in high performance, offering a huge selection of parts for virtually everyone from racers to street rodders, muscle car enthusiasts, off-roaders, and sport compact fans. Summit does business based on a simple formula: give our customers the parts they want, at a fair price, ship those parts fast, and back them with the best customer service on the planet. Summit Racing Equipment services its customers from three warehouses in Tallmadge, Ohio, Sparks, Nev., and McDonough, Ga. Summit Racing Equipment is the primary marketing partner of KB Racing LLC, which fields the Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTOs driven by three-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson and reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Jason Line. Summit Racing Equipment is also an associate sponsor on the KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel Dragster of Hillary Will.
