KB Racing LLC: Hillary Will Qualified No. 14
KB RACING LLC-owned, KALITTA MOTORSPORTS-managed TOP FUEL DRAGSTER HILLARY WILL (www.hillarywillrace.com) -- DRIVER JIM OBERHOFER (Jim O.) - CREW CHIEF 19th ANNUAL NHRA O'REILLY SPRING NATIONALS HOUSTON RACEWAY PARK - HOUSTON (BAYTOWN) TEXAS MARCH 31-APRIL 2, 2006 QUALIFYING: Friday, Session 1: 4.645 seconds at 319.67 mph (#7) Friday, Session 2: 4.971 seconds at 221.89 mph (#11) Saturday, Session 1: 4.660 seconds at 298.27 mph (#11) Saturday, Session 2: 4.660seconds at 326.32 mph (#14) Hillary Will faces Doug Herbert in tomorrow's eliminations Qualified No. 14 BAYTOWN, Texas (April 1, 2006) - With qualifying now in the NHRA history books, Hillary Will qualified No. 14 on the final qualifying ladder for the 19th annual NHRA O'Reilly Auto Parts Nationals being held this weekend at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas, near Houston. "We're not happy with our qualifying this weekend," said Will following the four qualifying sessions. "We're a much better car than we've showed here this weekend and we definitely have the team and crew to be able to compete with the best out here. It's disappointing. We've found a few things that should make us a better car for tomorrow and we'll be ready." On Friday, in the opening session Will covered the Houston Raceway Park quarter-mile in her KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel dragster in 4.645 seconds. It was a good opening pass for Will even though the car made a slight sashay as it neared the top end of the track. In the evening session on Friday, the dragster was on a good pass but made a hard left and Will wisely shut the car down and coasted through the finish line timing lights, recording a pass of 4.971 seconds. The rookie driver, in only her fourth professional race, handled both passes like a seasoned veteran. As the first pro session started on Saturday, concern surfaced about the condition of the track. There were some good runs, but they were few and far between. A number of things played a part in crew chiefs' consternation over the racing surface - heat, humidity and water seepage. Only five of the 20 Top Fuel cars that ran in Saturday's first session ran in the four-second range. Will had one of the good passes, running a 4.660. In the final qualifying sessions, Will crossed the finish line strip in 4.660 seconds once again and ended the day in the No. 14 position. Will faces Doug Herbert in the opening round tomorrow. Herbert qualified No. 3 with a pass of 4.537 seconds at 310.27. This will be the first time that Will goes against Herbert in competition. Will begins her quest for the O'Reilly Auto Parts Nationals Top Fuel title on Sunday, April 2, with eliminations for all classes beginning at 11 a.m. All times are local Houston time (CT) and subject to change at anytime. Note: Daylight Savings Time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday morning, April 2. Qualifying highlights for the 19th annual NHRA O'Reilly Auto Parts Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 on Saturday evening (April 1) from 8-10 p.m. ESPN2 will also air same-day television coverage of eliminations from 4 until 7 p.m. on Sunday (April 2). The elimination show repeats early Wednesday morning (April 5) from 2:30-4:30 a.m. Also, tune in to NHRA2Day on ESPN2, the weekly show that gives you the latest information about the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. NHRA2Day can be seen on Sunday morning, April 2, from 11:30 a.m. - 12 noon. Television times are Eastern Time (ET) and subject to change at anytime. Check local listings. Note: Daylight Savings Time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday morning, April 2. KB Racing LLC is owned by Las Vegas businessmen Ken Black and Kenny Black. KB Racing LLC fields the Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel dragster driven by rookie driver Hillary Will. Autolite Spark Plugs, Calico Coatings, Findlay Automotive, Mac Tools, Red Line Oil, Summit Racing Equipment and the Technicoat Companies are associate marketing partners for 2006. In addition to Hillary Will's Top Fuel Dragster, KB Racing LLC also fields two Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTOs, driven by Greg Anderson and Jason Line on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Anderson has won three consecutive POWERade Pro Stock Championships (2003-2005). Line finished third in the 2005 POWERade point standings and was honored with the 2004 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future award, presented to the most outstanding rookie in a professional category. Kalitta Motorsports (www.kalittaracing.com), owned by the legendary drag racer and successful businessman Connie Kalitta, will field, in addition to Will's dragster, three additional nitro fuel cars - two Top Fuel dragsters and a Funny Car - in 2006 on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Doug Kalitta will drive the Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster, David Grubnic will handle the driving duties on the StriVectin-SD Top Fuel Dragster and Scott Kalitta moves from Top Fuel to the Kalitta Air Funny Car for 2006.