NHRA
Dallas: Doug Kalitta preview
Speed record holder Doug Kalitta leads Team Kalitta to Dallas Dallas, Tex., Oct. 7, 2003 -- After setting the NHRA national speed record (333.00 mph) for a Top Fuel dragster two weeks ago during qualifying in Joliet, Ill., Doug Kalitta and the Mac ...
Published: Oct 9, 2003, 1:32 PM
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Speed record holder Doug Kalitta leads Team Kalitta to Dallas
Dallas, Tex., Oct. 7, 2003 -- After setting the NHRA national speed record (333.00 mph) for a Top Fuel dragster two weeks ago during qualifying in Joliet, Ill., Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools dragster team have endured bad luck and a freak starting line incident at the most recent national event in Reading, Penn. This weekend when the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series goes to the O'Reilly Fall Nationals in Dallas, Tex., Doug, holder of 15 national event victories, and his team hope to reverse their recent misfortune. Doug's Kalitta Motorsports teammate and driver of the Mac Tools/Jesse James Top Fuel dragster Scott Kalitta is also looking forward to getting back to his winning ways after coming out of retirement in August. 14-time national event winner Scott won back-to-back NHRA Top Fuel championships for Kalitta Motorsports in 1994 and 1995.
"We have had our share of ups and downs lately," Doug Kalitta said. "Losing in the second round at Joliet after running the 4.42 (seconds, the quickest elapsed time in NHRA history) in qualifying was tough. That deal in Reading was really odd (referring to his Mac Tools dragster's backfire before starting the car for round one of eliminations). We're not sure what happened. Evidently, there was enough compression in the number seven cylinder to ignite before we even put a spark to it. We went through our normal routine to turn the motor over before starting and it just boomed."
"Our Mac Tools team is resilient. We have three races remaining this year, and we would like to finish the season positively. We know that catching Dixon (championship points leader Larry Dixon) is not likely going to happen, but we would like to finish the year strong and keep our second place standing in the points."
Scott Kalitta is also hoping for a strong finish to the 2003 campaign by picking up a couple of trophies before the season ends at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., Nov. 9.
"Our new Mac Tools/ Jesse James dragster team is gelling great. Our performance is right up there with Doug's car, so we will be in contention to win one or two before we're done."
Scott and Doug will make their first of four scheduled qualifying runs for the O'Reilly Fall Nationals Friday at approximately 3:30 p.m. on the all-concrete quarter-mile drag strip of the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Tex., just south of Dallas.
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