COMMERCE, Ga., (May 12, 2011) – Native Australian David Grubnic, driver of the 8,000-horsepower, nitro-fueled Candlewood Suites Top Fuel dragster, is anxious to get his “new” 300+mph dragster on the 1000-ft. drag strip at Atlanta Dragway this weekend, May 13 – 15, for the annual running of the NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga., just a few miles from the Atlanta city limits.
This weekend in Atlanta, Grubnic and his Kalitta Motorsports team will debut the Top Fuel dragster of primary sponsor Candlewood Suites, IHG’s (InterContinental Hotels Group) midscale extended-stay brand.
Candlewood Suites joined Kalitta Motorsports, one of the most accomplished teams in the history of NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Professional Drag Racing, in 2011 as a major associate and primary sponsor for the team in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. This sponsorship is IHG’s first for the NHRA circuit.
“When we contemplated a relationship with Kalitta Motorsports, it became clear that their core fan base aligns with the Candlewood Suites target customer,” said Del Ross, vice president, U.S. Sales and Marketing, IHG. “This partnership gives us the unique opportunity to encourage NHRA fans that may not have stayed at Candlewood Suites before to give us a try. We know that once they stay with us, they’ll love us.
“Our Candlewood Suites Top Fueler looks fast and I can’t wait to get it on the track in Atlanta,” Grubnic, a 48-year old resident of Ennis, Mont., said. “Our new partnership with IHG and Candlewood Suites is such a great fit. We are extremely honored to race for them this weekend and in the future.
“We are making some big strides with our race car and I’m optimistic we will see that performance pay dividends this weekend in Atlanta.”
Grubnic, a quarterfinalist at the previous event in Houston two weeks ago, is currently in 11th place in Full Throttle championship points, only 24 points away from the top ten.
Candlewood Suites will also serve as the primary sponsor on the Grubnic-driven Top Fueler at three more events in 2011 –
• Route 66 NHRA Nationals, Chicago, IL—July 7-10, 2011
• Mac Tools US Nationals, Indianapolis, IN—August 31-September 5, 2011
• NHRA Arizona Nationals, Phoenix, AZ—October 14-16, 2011
Event Schedule
The NHRA Southern Nationals begin Friday for the nitro-fueled classes with two qualifying sessions at 4:30 p.m. (ET) and 7:00 p.m. Two more qualifying attempts will take place on Saturday at 11:45 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. The top 16 qualified cars in each pro class will race Sunday in final eliminations beginning at 11:00 a.m.
Times and dates subject to change.
TV Schedule
5/14/2011 Qualifying – 7:00 PM-9:30 PM (ET) ESPN2
5/15/2011 Eliminations – 7:00 PM-10:00 PM (ET) ESPN2
Times and dates subject to change.
About Kalitta Motorsports
Based in Ypsilanti, Mich., Kalitta Motorsports is a Top Fuel and Funny Car drag racing team in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. The team was founded and is owned by drag racing icon Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta. For more than 50 years, Connie has been involved in the sport as a driver, tuner, and an owner. Kalitta Motorsports is one of the most successful teams in the history of auto racing with five world championships and over 50 national event titles in five different professional drag racing sanctioning bodies since it was established by Connie in 1959.
Jeff Arend drives the DHL Funny Car for the team. Connie’s nephew, Doug Kalitta, drives the Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster entry while Dave Grubnic drives the team’s second Top Fueler under the banner of Kalitta Air as well. Connie serves as head tuner for all Team Kalitta entries. He is assisted by crew chief Jim Oberhofer and assistant crew chief Troy Fasching on Doug’s Top Fueler and by co-crew chiefs Jon Oberhofer and Nick Boninfante on the DHL Funny Car. Connie serves as crew chief on the Grubnic-driven racer with help from assistant crew chief James Riola.
Associate sponsors on Kalitta Motorsports’ race cars include Candlewood Suites, ROCKY Boots, Red Line Oil, Technicoat Companies, OPTIMA Batteries, JEGS, and Mac Tools.
For more info about Kalitta Motorsports including exclusive content such as videos, photos and more, please visit www.teamkalitta.com. Follow Us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TeamKalitta. Like Us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KalittaMotorsports. Check out videos about Team Kalitta on our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/TeamKalitta