KB Racing LLC: Will runner-up to Kalitta teammate at Memphis
*FOR 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 19th ANNUAL NHRA O'REILLY MID-SOUTH NATIONALS MEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK -- MEMPHIS, TENN. AUGUST 18-20, 2006 (Eliminations: Run August 20 and 21) Qualifying: No. 13 (4.696 seconds at 310.27) Eliminations: Round 1: Will (4.823/295.72) def. Melanie Troxel (5.543/180.70) Round 2: Will (4.675/313.58) def. Scott Palmer (5.671/167.47) Round 3 (semifinals): Will (4.657/313.29) def. Morgan Lucas (6.493/129.94) Round 3 (final): Will (4.644/312.13) runner-up to Doug Kalitta (4.604/313.95) * *Will runner-up to Kalitta teammate at Memphis* MILLINGTON, Tenn. (August 21, 2006) -- It was worth waiting an extra day, as Hillary Will, driver of the KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel Dragster, finished runner-up to Kalitta Motorsports teammate Doug Kalitta at the 19th annual NHRA O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals. After one round of eliminations was run yesterday, inclement weather postponed the remainder of eliminations to today. Temperatures were in the low to mid-seventies at race time today, compared to the oppressive heat and humidity of the previous three days when the thermometer was registering triple digits. Yesterday before weather settled over Memphis Motorsports Park (MMP) in Memphis, Tenn., Will turned back Melanie Troxel in the opening round. Today en route to the final round against Kalitta, Will defeated Scott Palmer in round two and Morgan Lucas in the semifinals. In the finals Will was away first, but at the finish line stripe it was Kalitta. Will gained an advantage of 28 hundredths of a second at the start. The rookie driver covered the MMP quarter-mile in 4.644 seconds at 312.13 mph. Kalitta ran an elapsed time of 4.604 seconds at a speed of 313.95 mph. The margin of victory for Kalitta was just 12 hundredths of a second, about six feet. It was the first final round for Will in her short professional career since moving to the Top Fuel ranks at the season-opening NHRA Winternationals in February. The runner-up appearance solidified Will's hold on the ninth position in the POWERade Top Fuel point standings. She now has 801 points. The 26-year-old Will, a resident of Ypsilanti, Mich., who grew up in Northern California, is one of the leading candidates for the for the prestigious Rookie of the Year title, the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. /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./ ####