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TEMECULA, Calif. (June 25, 2008) – Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car driver Jerry Toliver continues to grieve for his friend and fellow Funny Car racer Scott Kalitta as he enters this weekend's Second Annual NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, the 12th stop on the 24-race 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series tour. Kalitta died from injuries sustained in a qualifying accident in Englishtown, N.J., last Saturday.
"We go into Norwalk with very heavy hearts and it's devastating," expressed a somber Toliver. "There's a dark cloud over drag racing right now that won't be lifted for quite some time. It's something that will be fresh on my mind when we enter Norwalk. We'll march on as Scott would have wished, and do the best job we can.
“We are racers and we love what we do and each time we go down the race track it is part of the healing process,” he added.
"Norwalk is a great facility. It's new on our circuit and this is only the second year we are racing there. It's going to be fun. I have done a lot of match racing there over the years and they have some great fans.
The Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge is starting to run consistently quicker as the NHRA series reaches the halfway point in Norwalk. "We made great strides with it in Englishtown," said Toliver, who is 16th in points. "The Rockstar Energy Drink car ran well and we qualified well (No. 11). We had a good first round, but unfortunately we lost by one-thousandth of a second. All said and done, the Rockstar boys are doing a fantastic job. We're looking for solid results in Norwalk."
JERRY TOLIVER QUICK FACTS:
* No. 16 in Funny Car point standings after 11 events in 2008
* DNQ'd at last year's event in Norwalk
* Made quickest run of the 2008 season in Joliet, Ill., 4.783 seconds
* Debuted new sponsor Rockstar Energy Drink at 2007 Las Vegas event
* Qualified second at 2008 season-opening Winternationals, tying for No. 1 with the quickest Funny Car run of the weekend (4.790 seconds)
* Joined Don Schumacher Racing for the 2008 season
* 19th in 2007 Funny Car point standings after running limited schedule (19 races)
* Returned to Funny Car competition in 2007 after two-year hiatus with new sponsor Rockstar Energy Drink
* Qualified in the top half of the field twice last season; had top speed of the event in Denver
* Made Funny Car debut in 1998 running 12 races with sponsorship from MAD Magazine
* Earned first Funny Car national event win over John Force at 1999 NHRA Finals at Pomona
* Won five races in 10 career final rounds as driver
* Won seven races in 14 final rounds as a team owner
* First top-10 season finish in 1999 (eighth)
* Finished career-high No. 3 in Funny Car points in 2000 with career-best three wins in seven final rounds
* Named Car Craft Magazine "Person of the Year" in 2000 for his contributions to drag racing
* Debuted WWF Get R.E.A.L (Respect, Education, Achievement, Leadership) National Youth Education Program in 2001
* Nephew of drag racing pioneers and Hall of Fame members, Art and Jack Chrisman
TOLIVER CARRIES HEAVY HEART INTO NORWALK
TEMECULA, Calif. (June 25, 2008) – Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car driver Jerry Toliver continues to grieve for his friend and fellow Funny Car racer Scott Kalitta as he enters this weekend's Second Annual NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, the 12th stop on the 24-race 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series tour. Kalitta died from injuries sustained in a qualifying accident in Englishtown, N.J., last Saturday.
"We go into Norwalk with very heavy hearts and it's devastating," expressed a somber Toliver. "There's a dark cloud over drag racing right now that won't be lifted for quite some time. It's something that will be fresh on my mind when we enter Norwalk. We'll march on as Scott would have wished, and do the best job we can.
“We are racers and we love what we do and each time we go down the race track it is part of the healing process,” he added.
"Norwalk is a great facility. It's new on our circuit and this is only the second year we are racing there. It's going to be fun. I have done a lot of match racing there over the years and they have some great fans.
The Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge is starting to run consistently quicker as the NHRA series reaches the halfway point in Norwalk. "We made great strides with it in Englishtown," said Toliver, who is 16th in points. "The Rockstar Energy Drink car ran well and we qualified well (No. 11). We had a good first round, but unfortunately we lost by one-thousandth of a second. All said and done, the Rockstar boys are doing a fantastic job. We're looking for solid results in Norwalk."
JERRY TOLIVER QUICK FACTS:
* No. 16 in Funny Car point standings after 11 events in 2008
* DNQ'd at last year's event in Norwalk
* Made quickest run of the 2008 season in Joliet, Ill., 4.783 seconds
* Debuted new sponsor Rockstar Energy Drink at 2007 Las Vegas event
* Qualified second at 2008 season-opening Winternationals, tying for No. 1 with the quickest Funny Car run of the weekend (4.790 seconds)
* Joined Don Schumacher Racing for the 2008 season
* 19th in 2007 Funny Car point standings after running limited schedule (19 races)
* Returned to Funny Car competition in 2007 after two-year hiatus with new sponsor Rockstar Energy Drink
* Qualified in the top half of the field twice last season; had top speed of the event in Denver
* Made Funny Car debut in 1998 running 12 races with sponsorship from MAD Magazine
* Earned first Funny Car national event win over John Force at 1999 NHRA Finals at Pomona
* Won five races in 10 career final rounds as driver
* Won seven races in 14 final rounds as a team owner
* First top-10 season finish in 1999 (eighth)
* Finished career-high No. 3 in Funny Car points in 2000 with career-best three wins in seven final rounds
* Named Car Craft Magazine "Person of the Year" in 2000 for his contributions to drag racing
* Debuted WWF Get R.E.A.L (Respect, Education, Achievement, Leadership) National Youth Education Program in 2001
* Nephew of drag racing pioneers and Hall of Fame members, Art and Jack Chrisman
