Kalitta Motorsports, Clean Harbors to call attention to NHRA trackside sustainability efforts this season
Gainesville, Fla. (March 9, 2022) – Kalitta Motorsports and Clean Harbors, along with its Safety-Kleen subsidiary, are teaming up to give increased visibility to environmental sustainability this year at several NHRA tracks.
Drag racing world champion and team owner Connie Kalitta was a pioneer in sustainable practices – seeking better ways to minimize the sport’s environmental impact as early as the 1960s. In the 80s, Kalitta was pleased to become one of Safety-Kleen’s first oil recycling customers.
Beginning this weekend at Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., fans, employees and customers alike will see the Kalitta Motorsports and Clean Harbors commitment to sustainable practices firsthand in the form of a Clean Harbors hospitality tent in Kalitta’s pit side area.
The Clean Harbors tent will also stand tall at Kalitta’s pit area for the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals, the New England Nationals in Epping, N.H., the Mile-High Nationals in Denver, the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, the Carolina Nationals in Charlotte, and the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals and Stampede of Speed outside of Dallas.
“This affiliation gives us and Kalitta the opportunity to outwardly display the importance of sustainability in racing,” said Clean Harbors Motorsports Manager Drew Patey. “Together, we’re working toward a greener sport.”
Safety-Kleen operates the three largest oil re-refineries in the United States, collecting and processing more than 220 million gallons of oil per year. Throughout the years, Kalitta Motorsports has run multiple race cars at nearly every NHRA national event. As such, Kalitta has had a hand in recycling and reclaiming hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil as they have raced to multiple world championships and national event victories.
“Connie was at the forefront of recycling and reclaiming oil in the early 70s before anyone was even talking about recycling,” said Chad Head, Kalitta Motorsports general manager. “We have been working with Safety-Kleen for years to make sure we are collecting and recycling as much oil as safely as possible. We have 24 parts cleaning units throughout the team, fabrication, and manufacturing departments within our 50,000 sq. ft. facility.”
Kalitta Motorsports will also provide Safety-Kleen branding on the back door of the race team support trailers as well as a logo on both of Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel entries. Through their relationship with Safety-Kleen, Kalitta Motorsports has evolved and upgraded their recycling and sustainability program as new technologies and products become available. The team is continually looking at ways to re-use as many liquids and materials as possible from both a cost savings and environmental impact standpoint.
“This kind of recycling effort makes a huge difference on so many levels,” added Patey. “We’re excited to expand this all-around beneficial relationship and increase awareness at NHRA tracks.”
About Kalitta Motorsports
Based in Ypsilanti, Mich., Kalitta Motorsports is a Top Fuel and Funny Car drag racing team in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Camping World Drag Racing Series. The team was founded and is owned by drag racing icon Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta. For more than 60 years, Connie has been involved in the sport as a driver, tuner, and an owner. Kalitta Motorsports is one of the most successful teams in the history of auto racing with seven world championships and over 100 national event titles in five different professional drag racing sanctioning bodies since it was established by Connie in 1959.About Clean Harbors
Clean Harbors (NYSE: CLH) is North America’s leading provider of environmental and industrial services. The Company serves a diverse customer base, including a majority of Fortune 500 companies. Its customer base spans a number of industries, including chemical, energy and manufacturing, as well as numerous government agencies. These customers rely on Clean Harbors to deliver a broad range of services such as end-to-end hazardous waste management, emergency spill response, industrial cleaning and maintenance, and recycling services. Through its Safety-Kleen subsidiary, Clean Harbors also is North America’s largest re-refiner and recycler of used oil and a leading provider of parts washers and environmental services to commercial, industrial and automotive customers. Founded in 1980 and based in Massachusetts, Clean Harbors operates in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and India. For more information, visit http://www.cleanharbors.com.
