KB Racing LLC: Will has renewed confidence heading to St. Louis
F*OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE* *KB RACING LLC* *NHRA POWERADE DRAG RACING SERIES* *KB RACING LLC-owned, KALITTA MOTORSPORTS-managed TOP FUEL DRAGSTER* *HILLARY WILL (www.hillarywillrace.com) -- DRIVER* *JIM OBERHOFER (Jim O.) -- CREW CHIEF* *MEDIA CONTACT: Mickey Schultz* *PHONE: 425-557-8899* *E-MAIL: mschultz@bellsouth.net* *10TH ANNUAL NHRA O'REILLY MIDWEST NATIONALS* *GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY -- MADISON, ILL. (ST. LOUIS)* *JUNE 23-25, 2006* *Will has renewed confidence heading to St. Louis * MADISON, Ill. (June 22, 2006) -- Since advancing to the semifinal round at last weekend's event in Englishtown, N.J., Hillary Will has renewed confidence entering this weekend's 10th annual NHRA O'Reilly Midwest Nationals, which gets underway tomorrow at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. At the recently completed K&N Filters SuperNationals, Will drove her KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed dragster to the semifinal round, which was her best showing thus far in this her rookie season in Top Fuel. Immediately following the last event, Will, a serious contender for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award (Rookie of the Year), had her sights set on the St. Louis race, which marks the generally accepted midpoint to the 23-race 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule. "I have a lot of confidence going into St. Louis," she said. Will plans to use that confidence to continue her quest to advance into the top ten. Entering this weekend's event at Gateway International Raceway, Will holds the No. 11 position in the NHRA POWERade point standings. The 26-year-old Will, who calls Ypsilanti, Mich. home, now has 464 points, just 23 points out of the No. 10 spot. Qualifying and eliminations for this event are run in the late afternoon on into the evening. Qualifying for Will begins with two nitro fuel sessions on Friday, June 23, scheduled for 6 and 9 p.m. and concludes with two additional sessions on Saturday, June 24, at 3 and 8 p.m. Will then begins her quest for the O'Reilly Midwest Nationals Top Fuel title on Sunday, June 25, with eliminations for all professional classes beginning at 3 p.m. *All times are local St. Louis time (CT) and subject to change at anytime. * Qualifying highlights for 10th annual NHRA O'Reilly Midwest Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 on Saturday (June 24) from 10 p.m. until midnight. ESPN2 will also air same-day television coverage of eliminations from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. (Sunday, June 25 until early Monday morning, June 26). The elimination show repeats early Tuesday morning (June 27) 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, June 25, from 11:30 a.m. - 12 noon. *Television times are Eastern Time (ET) and subject to change at anytime. Check local listings.* /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 in 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. / ####