Reading: Dave Grubnic preview

NHRA Top Fueler Dave Grubnic hopes Reading will be the rescuer of his round win drought

READING, Penn., (Sept. 12, 2006) -- 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."

-credit: kalittaracing.com