Championship Drag Racing

O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals
Memphis, Tenn.
(Aug. 20-22)

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Scott Kalitta Jesse James Mac Tools Top Fueler

Reports: Sunday Saturday Pre-race

Memphis, Sunday: Scott Kalitta, driver of the Mac Tools/Jesse James Top Fuel dragster, took his 7,000-plus horsepower hot rod into the final round at the O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park Sunday, but was denied his second victory of the 2004 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series by Larry Dixon (7.055 seconds, 121.99 mph to 4.660 at 311.70 mph).

The final round appearance in Memphis gives Kalitta Motorsports, which also includes Top Fuel drivers Doug Kalitta and "Aussie Dave" Grubnic, six consecutive final round showings. The streak began with Doug and Grubnic both reaching the final at St. Louis in June.

Scott, 42, defeated Joe Hartley in round one of final eliminations to set up a second round match-up with Brandon Bernstein. In his 12th career event at Memphis, Scott made it to the semifinals for the first time when he won a close race (4.703 at 308.35 mph to 4.731 at 305.42 mph) over Bernstein to set up his 33rd career final round appearance.

Scott remains fifth in Top Fuel championship points. He qualified fourth for the event.

Scott's teammate and No. 2 qualifier Doug, driver of the Mac Tools flagship dragster, was upset in round one by No. 15 qualifier Scott Weis. Doug remains second in points, 141 behind leader Tony Schumacher, who lost in the second round.

"Aussie Dave" Grubnic, driver of the Red Line Oil Top Fuel machine defeated Scott Palmer in round one, but lost by a very narrow margin to Clay Millican in round two.

Grubnic qualified No.1 for the event, his fifth low qualifying performance of 2004. He remains fourth in points.

Memphis, Saturday: By virtue of his faster speed, Red Line Oil Top Fuel dragster driver "Aussie Dave" Grubnic took the No. 1 qualifying position away from his Kalitta Motorsports teammate Doug Kalitta, driver of the Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster, in the fourth and final qualifying session at the O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park, the 17th national event on the 23-event, $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series trail.

Grubnic and Doug Kalitta both ran identical 4.580-second laps down the quarter mile dragstrip, but Grubnic's blazing speed of 315.34 mph was faster than Doug's 309.63 mph. Doug established his mark early in the session, but was just barely slighted by Grubnic's Red Line Oil hot rod near the end of the session.

"This is such an awesome team," Grubnic said. "It's a tribute to all my guys and Connie (Kalitta, team owner and crew chief) and everyone on our whole Kalitta Motorsports team. We changed a lot of things on our Red Line Oil car before that last run and it obviously worked. Tim Kerrigan (Red Line Oil owner and president) is here with us this weekend, so it's great to have him here when we perform well."

This is Grubnic's fifth No. 1 qualifying spot of the 2004 NHRA season. The likable native Australian got his first career No. 1 qualifier in Memphis in 1999. He will face No. 16 qualifier Scott Palmer in the first round of Sunday's final eliminations. No. 2 qualifier Doug Kalitta will match up with No. 15 Scott Weis.

Scott Kalitta, driver of the Mac Tools/Jesse James Top Fuel dragster, qualified in the No. 4 position with a final qualifying session run of 4.582 sec., 317.94 mph. He will roll to the starting line in round one of eliminations against No. 13 qualifier Joe Hartley.

Memphis, pre-race: This Friday, Aug. 20, is a milestone day for Doug Kalitta that does not involve racing statistics -- He turns 40. Doug and his Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel dragster teammates Scott Kalitta and "Aussie Dave" Grubnic are hoping to celebrate his birthday on Sunday in the birthplace of rock 'n' roll with a win by any of them at this weekend's O' Reilly Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park.

The Top Fuel championship runner-up in 2003 Doug, driver of the bright red Mac Tools flagship rail, has 18 career national event victories with three so far this season (Chicago 1, St. Louis and Sonoma) in six final-round appearances. He is cousin to teammate Scott Kalitta and nephew of team owner, crew chief and drag racing legend Connie "the Bounty Hunter" Kalitta. Doug's entry is overseen by co-crew chief Rahn Tobler, who helped wrench wife Shirley Muldowney's race cars to three NHRA championships until her retirement in 2003. Doug holds the quickest (4.420 sec. - Chicago 1, 2004) and fastest (335.57 mph - Las Vegas 1, 2004) marks in NHRA history. He currently sits in second in championship points, 122 off of the lead.

Two-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion (1994-1995) Scott , 42, driver of the radically painted red and black Mac Tools/Jesse James dragster, has 16 career national event victories (15 Top Fuel, 1 Funny Car), with his lone win this season so far coming in Denver. Kalitta Motorsports team manager Jim Oberhofer serves as co-crew chief on Scott's fan-favorite hot rod. Scott, the son of Connie, is currently fifth in championship points, 397 shy of the lead. After a multi-year retirement, Scott returned to the Top Fuel ranks in 2003 at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

Journeyman racer "Aussie Dave" Grubnic, 42, pilots the third dragster from Kalitta Motorsports. Grubnic's Red Line Oil machine has made the final round in four of the past five events. Jim Oberhofer's younger brother Jon has the responsibilities of co-crew chief on Grubnic's race car. Jon is in his rookie season at the position. Grubnic, a native of Brisbane, Australia, has reached the final round six times in his ten-year career but has yet to take home a title trophy. He now sits in fourth position in points, 324 from the lead. His first career No. 1 qualifying effort came in Memphis in 1999.

In the past five NHRA national events, Kalitta Motorsports' three race cars have made an incredible seven final round appearances.