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NORWALK, Ohio (July 1, 2007) – At the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals Hillary Will bid for the winner’s circle was cut short by a safety issue.
In the opening round Will powered by Clay Millican, stopping the finish line clock in 4.608 seconds, her quickest run of the weekend. Millican recorded a time of 4.682 seconds in a losing effort.
Then in the second round against Whit Bazemore an issue with one of the big Goodyears on Will’s KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel dragster ended her day.
“We found a bubble on one of the rear tires on Hillary’s car,” said team owner Ken Black. “We did the burnout but had no intention of sending her down the track. In a deal like this you can only hopes the opponent fouls. Safety of drivers is the prime concern. I’m glad the problem was found before a small item developed into something that could have tragic results. The NHRA was built on safety and no one associated with KB Racing or any other team would put one of our drivers in a situation that is unsafe.”
Bazemore went on to cover the Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park quarter-mile track in 4.597 seconds.
NEXT RACE: It’s on to the third race of six in a row as the POWERade Drag Racing Series now moves to Bristol , Tenn. , for the race that was postponed in May. The NHRA O’Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals unfolds July 6-8 at Bristol Dragway.
TELEVISION: ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD will air same-day coverage of eliminations for the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals tonight, Sunday (July 1) from 8-11 p.m. The elimination show repeats early Wednesday morning, July 4, from 4-6 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 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.
Safety issue ends Hillary Will day
NORWALK, Ohio (July 1, 2007) – At the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals Hillary Will bid for the winner’s circle was cut short by a safety issue.
In the opening round Will powered by Clay Millican, stopping the finish line clock in 4.608 seconds, her quickest run of the weekend. Millican recorded a time of 4.682 seconds in a losing effort.
Then in the second round against Whit Bazemore an issue with one of the big Goodyears on Will’s KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel dragster ended her day.
“We found a bubble on one of the rear tires on Hillary’s car,” said team owner Ken Black. “We did the burnout but had no intention of sending her down the track. In a deal like this you can only hopes the opponent fouls. Safety of drivers is the prime concern. I’m glad the problem was found before a small item developed into something that could have tragic results. The NHRA was built on safety and no one associated with KB Racing or any other team would put one of our drivers in a situation that is unsafe.”
Bazemore went on to cover the Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park quarter-mile track in 4.597 seconds.
NEXT RACE: It’s on to the third race of six in a row as the POWERade Drag Racing Series now moves to Bristol , Tenn. , for the race that was postponed in May. The NHRA O’Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals unfolds July 6-8 at Bristol Dragway.
TELEVISION: ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD will air same-day coverage of eliminations for the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals tonight, Sunday (July 1) from 8-11 p.m. The elimination show repeats early Wednesday morning, July 4, from 4-6 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 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.
