At the beginning of the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, Kalitta Motorsports’ Conrad “Connie” Kalitta, team owner and drag racing legend, announced that he was putting Dave Grubnic behind the wheel of his Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster to compete in at least one half of the 23-event schedule. Kalitta announced today that Grubnic and the Kalitta Air team will continue to compete and vie for a coveted spot in the NHRA Top Fuel Countdown to 1.
 
After competing in the first 14 events this season, Grubnic and the Kalitta Air team find themselves in 11th place in Full Throttle Top Fuel championship points, a mere six points away from being in the top ten. Only the top ten in points are eligible for the NHRA’s version of “playoffs”, the Countdown to 1, which begins at the prestigious Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis in early September, leaving only four events on the schedule to garner points for drag racing’s “post season”.

At the beginning of the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, Kalitta Motorsports’ Conrad “Connie” Kalitta, team owner and drag racing legend, announced that he was putting Dave Grubnic behind the wheel of his Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster to compete in at least one half of the 23-event schedule. Kalitta announced today that Grubnic and the Kalitta Air team will continue to compete and vie for a coveted spot in the NHRA Top Fuel Countdown to 1.
 
After competing in the first 14 events this season, Grubnic and the Kalitta Air team find themselves in 11th place in Full Throttle Top Fuel championship points, a mere six points away from being in the top ten. Only the top ten in points are eligible for the NHRA’s version of “playoffs”, the Countdown to 1, which begins at the prestigious Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis in early September, leaving only four events on the schedule to garner points for drag racing’s “post season”.
 
Kalitta, who also serves as crew chief on the Grubnic-driven Kalitta Air dragster, said the decision to keep competing with the Kalitta Air rail was an easy choice to make.
 
“I’m having a lot of fun tuning the car,” Kalitta, nicknamed “the Bounty Hunter” in his driving days, said. “We’ve got a great shot at getting in the top ten and competing for the championship so that’s what we’re going to do. It’s a no-brainer.”
 
Grubnic, a 46-year old native of Australia and resident of Ennis, Mont., is understandably excited about the “bonus time” he gets to drive the 8,000-horsepower, nitro-fueled Kalitta Air race car.
 
“I have the utmost respect and admiration for Connie and I would’ve supported his decision either way, but I must say I’m really glad he chose to keep going,” Grubnic, the only non-native of North America to win an NHRA Top Fuel event, said. “Driving for Connie and Kalitta Motorsports is truly an honor.
 
“I’m very optimistic about our chances of getting in the top ten. Our Kalitta Air car has been getting much more consistent of late and we’re going to need that consistency to get in the Countdown. We’re all confident we can do it.”
 
Grubnic and the Kalitta Air team, along with his Kalitta Motorsports teammates Doug Kalitta, driver of another Kalitta Air Top Fueler, and Jeff Arend, driver of the DHL Funny Car, will next compete in the NHRA’s “Western Swing”, three events in three consecutive weekends beginning in Seattle, July 9-11, then to Sonoma, Calif.,  and Denver.