NHRA (LAS VEGAS) - Will out dueled by Dixon at SummitRacing.com

Hillary Will, driver of the KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed dragster, was out dueled by Larry Dixon in the opening round of eliminations at the eighth annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Will tried to overcome the advantage that Dixon gained at the starting line but ran out of race track. While Will was charging hard at the top end of the track, Dixon held on to nip Will and take the win light. Will crossed the finish line in 4.568 seconds, while Dixon recorded a 4.588 second elapsed time.

Will's crew chief, Jim Oberhofer, feels the team continues to make strides and hopes that the next race in Atlanta, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, will be the turnaround race for the KB Racing team this season.

"Performance continues to improve and we're headed in the right direction," said Jim O. "The way the car ran this weekend and some of the things we found out in the last couple of weeks will help us improve our elapsed times. We'll stay and test tomorrow, then head to Atlanta. Hopefully, everything will come together for us there."

TELEVISION: ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD will air same-day coverage of eliminations on tonight from 7-10 p.m. The elimination show repeats early Wednesday morning (April 18), from 4-6 a.m. Television times are ET and subject to change without notice. Check your local listing.

NEXT RACE: The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series now moves to the southeast and Commerce, Ga. for the 27th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, April 26-29.

KB RACING LLC is owned by Las Vegas businessmen Ken Black and his son Kenny Black. In the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, KB Racing LLC fields two Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTOs, one driven by Greg Anderson, a native of Duluth, Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and the other by Jason Line, a native of Wright, Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and a Top Fuel dragster, managed by Kalitta Motorsports, and driven by Hillary Will, a native of Fortuna, Calif. who now resides in Ypsilanti, Mich. Anderson won three consecutive POWERade Pro Stock Championships (2003-2005) and finished second in the point standings in 2006. Line, who finished second in points in his rookie season in 2004 and third in 2005, is the reigning 2006 POWERade Pro Stock Champion. Line was honored with the 2004 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, presented to the outstanding rookie in a professional category. Will finished No. 10 in her rookie season in Top Fuel in 2006 and was nominated for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. The Pro Stock shop of Anderson and Line is in Mooresville, N. C. and the Kalitta Motorsports racing operation is in Ypsilanti, Mich.

KALITTA MOTORSPORTS kalittaracing, owned by the legendary drag racer and successful businessman Connie Kalitta, fields, in addition to Will's Top Fuel dragster, three additional nitro fuel cars -- two Top Fuel Dragsters and a Funny Car. -- in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Doug Kalitta, Connie's nephew, drives the Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster, Australian Dave Grubnic handles the driving duties on the Zantrex-3 Top Fuel Dragster and Scott Kalitta, Connie's son and Doug's cousin, is behind the wheel of the Kalitta Air Funny Car.