NHRA Top Fueler Dave Grubnic Hopes Reading Will Be The Rescuer of His Round Win Drought
StriVectin-SD Top Fuel dragster driver and native Australian Dave Grubnic is looking for freedom from the second-round blues as he and the rest of the stars of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series make their annual visit to Reading, Penn., this weekend, Sept. 14-17, for the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at famed Maple Grove Raceway, which lies just over 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
Grubnic and his pink and black, 330-mph racing rail have not progressed past the second round of final eliminations in the previous four NHRA national events this season, and he has yet to get past the second round at Maple Grove Raceway in his career. Grubnic is hoping that despite his Aussie heritage he can get some quarter-mile emancipation from his quarter-final doldrums this weekend near the cradle of U.S. liberty.
"We've just had some terrible luck lately," Grubnic said. "We've had a couple of little mechanical glitches recently, but all-in-all our car has been running great. We just can't seem to catch a break lately. That happens in our sport sometimes, and we all know that so none of us on my StriVectin-SD team are hanging our heads about it. Reading has not historically been good to me either. There's not a better time than now to go some rounds and go to the winner's circle at Maple Grove to break both slumps."
In early 2004, Grubnic, a 43-year old resident of Ennis, Mont., was hired to drive for Kalitta Motorsports after several years of driving for teams with minimal funding. Since joining Team Kalitta, Grubnic, now in his 12th season as a Top Fuel driver, has posted consecutive top-five championship points finishes. In 2004, he won the lucrative and coveted Budweiser Shootout in Las Vegas, becoming only the fourth driver in the special event's 20-year history to win its $100,000 prize in his first attempt. In May, 2005, in Topeka, Kans., he became the first non-native North American to win an NHRA national event in Top Fuel. He also won the prestigious Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., in March of this year.
The Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals begins Friday, Sept. 15, for the Top Fuel class with two qualifying sessions at 3:00 p.m. (ET) and 6:00 p.m. Two more qualifying sessions follow on Saturday at noon and 3:00 p.m.
The top 16 qualified cars will race Sunday in final eliminations beginning at 11:00 a.m.
All times and dates subject to change.
The Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals is the 19th of 23 national events in the 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
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. His son Scott Kalitta drives the Kalitta Air Funny Car. Scott's cousin, Connie's nephew, Doug Kalitta drives the flagship Top Fuel dragster for Mac Tools. Native Australian Dave Grubnic drives the StriVectin-SD Top Fuel dragster, while Hillary Will drives the Kalitta Motorsports-managed and Ken Black-owned Top Fuel dragster.
Connie serves as head tuner for all Team Kalitta entries. He is assisted by crew chiefs Rahn Tobler (Mac Tools dragster), Jim Oberhofer (Hillary Will-driven dragster), Jon Oberhofer (StriVectin-SD dragster). Connie serves as crew chief on the Kalitta Air Funny Car.
Associate sponsors on all Kalitta Motorsports' race cars include Red Line Oil, Summit Racing Equipment, Technicoat Companies, Zantrex-3 and Fischer Honda.
