Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
Indianapolis, Ind.
(Sept. 1-6)
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David Grubnic Kalitta Air Top Fueler |
Reports: Monday Sunday Pre-race |
Indianapolis, Monday: Mac Tools flagship Top Fuel dragster driver Doug Kalitta drove his 7,000 + horsepower hot rod into the final round Monday at the 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, but was denied his first win at the "Big Go" by Tony Schumacher (4.62 seconds, 316.45 mph to 4.59 sec., 323.66 mph).
Doug remains second in NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Top Fuel championship points behind leader Schumacher.
Doug entered final eliminations as the No. 1 qualifier and defeated Bruce Litton in round one (4.74 sec., 313.15 mph to 7.08 sec., 126.35 mph). In round two, Doug was victorious over Clay Millican (4.65 sec., 315.78 mph to 4.73 sec., 299.86 mph). In the semifinals, Doug put Larry Dixon on the trailer (4.62 sec., 315.78 mph to 4.91 sec., 274.66 mph) to reach his first final round at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.
Doug's final round appearance was an amazing seventh consecutive NHRA national event title round showing for Kalitta Motorsports.
Doug's cousin and teammate Scott Kalitta, driver of the Mac Tools/Jesse James Top Fuel dragster entered eliminations from the No. 3 qualifying slot. Scott took an opening round victory over Andrew Cowin (4.66 sec., 320.81 mph to 4.94 sec., 287.35 mph). He then faced off against Brandon Bernstein in the second round. Scott took the win (4.65 sec., 317.57 mph to 6.26 sec., 152.35 mph) to set up a semi-final round showdown with Tony Schumacher. Schumacher got the win light (4.74 sec., 297.88 mph to 8.23sec., 87.36 mph) when Scott's race car lost traction on the hot quarter-mile track at IRP.
Scott moved up one spot from fifth to fourth in Top Fuel points with his semifinal showing.
Team Kalitta third dragster driver "Aussie Dave" Grubnic qualified his specially painted Stanley® FatMax® Top Fuel entry in the No. 9 spot. Unfortunately, he was unable to get by Millican in the first round (6.53 sec., 119.13 mph to 5.03 sec., 279.38 mph).
Grubnic dropped from fourth to fifth in Top Fuel points with his early departure.
Indianapolis, Sunday: Kalitta Motorsports three-car Top Fuel dragster team began their quest for the most coveted winner's circle in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series during qualifying at the 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park by taking No. 1, 3 and 9 slots on Monday's 16-car final eliminations ladder.
Doug Kalitta, driver of the bright red Mac Tools flagship hot rod, wowed the capacity crowd with a pace-setting run of 4.54 seconds at 320.51 mph in Friday night's lone qualifying session. The run remained the best of all five qualifying sessions during the weekend to give Doug the top spot. Doug's cousin and driver of the Mac Tools/Jesse James rail Scott Kalitta was close behind in the No. 3 spot with his blast down the famed quarter mile of 4.57 sec. at 318.99 mph. "Aussie Dave" Grubnic drove his specially painted Stanley FatMax dragster into the eliminations field with his pass of 4.63 sec. at 314.46 mph to land ninth.
Doug will face No. 16 qualifier Bruce Litton in the opening round of final eliminations Monday morning. Scott will match up with No. 14 qualifier Andrew Cowin while Grubnic rolls to the starting line first to meet No. 8 qualifier Clay Millican.
Indianapolis, pre-race: Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel driver "Aussie Dave" Grubnic will find it easy to measure up to the competition at this weekend's 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals as he will unveil a special, bright-yellow Stanley FatMax paint scheme on his Kalitta Motorsports dragster. Stanley's FatMax product line started five years ago with a 25-foot tape rule, which will be prominently featured on Grubnic's 6,000-horsepower hot rod.
The Connecticut-based Stanley Works group, the parent company to event sponsor Mac Tools, has certainly aligned themselves with a great racecar and driver. Grubnic has driven to four final-round appearances in the last six races and is considered one of the favorites to win drag racing's most prestigious event.
"I think we have an excellent chance at claiming this race and making Indy our first win," said Grubnic, who is 0-6 with a trophy on the line. "John Force has won more races and championships then anyone in the sport but he started 0-9 way back when. Tony Schumacher started 0-8. It is what it is. Certainly we have a car that can win. Force told me the other day that when he finally gave up and quit worrying about winning was when he finally won.
"To be honest, the performance and results of this team have absolutely overwhelmed me. To put a group of this caliber together in such a short amount of time this off-season speaks to the depths of talent within Kalitta Motorsports. I'm thrilled with what we've accomplished."
Grubnic, a 42-year-old journeyman Top Fuel driver, is in his first season behind the wheel of the third Kalitta team car. The fan favorite from Brisbane, Australia, has been driving nitro rails in the United States since 1995. He has been No.1 qualifier five times this season at consecutive events in Phoenix and Gainesville, at consecutive events in Atlanta and Chicago, and at the last tour stop in Memphis. He is currently fourth in the POWERade Top Fuel championship points.
"It's not just money and parts," Grubnic said. "The most important ingredient is people. This group, from top to bottom, is first rate. The sponsors we have in Mac Tools, Stanley, and Red Line Oil, they're all revved up and so positive about what we're doing together. The guys turning the wrenches are so committed. It's a real pleasure to be a part of it all. We have the right people in the right places."
Grubnic's Stanley FatMax dragster will accompany Kalitta Motorsports' two other Top Fuel entries, the Mac Tools dragster and the Mac Tools/Jesse James dragster, driven by cousins Doug and Scott Kalitta, respectively. This is a one-race deal for Grubnic as he will return to his Red Line Oil motif in two weeks at the 20th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pa.
"The Stanley FatMax car looks fantastic," Grubnic said. "We've been so fortunate this season to have developed some great sponsor partnerships and having Stanley and their FatMax brand on board with us in Indy is yet another fine example of that.
"It truly is a pleasure for me and my team to be able to race our car and represent a company of Stanley's caliber in the biggest race of the season. The CEO of Stanley, Mr. John Lundgren, will be at the race so we'd love to give him the Wally. That would be the perfect capper to the weekend."
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