Kalitta Motorsports will participate in Norwalk event

After the tragic death of their teammate and family member, NHRA Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta, last Saturday, the remaining Kalitta Motorsports drivers, Doug Kalitta, Dave Grubnic, and Hillary Will, and their teams will compete this weekend, June 26-29, at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

"We're a race team, and that's what we do," said Jim Oberhofer, Kalitta Motorsports general manager. "Scott was a drag racer to the core, and he would want us to compete in Norwalk, so we're going to go racing this weekend. Our thoughts will of course be with his wife Kathy and his sons Corey and Colin and Connie, but we feel it's the right thing to do."

Kalitta, a two-time former NHRA Top Fuel champion and one of just 14 drivers to have won in both of NHRA's nitro categories, died June 21, 2008, as the result of multiple injuries suffered in a qualifying accident at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J., during the running of the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals. He was 46.

Kalitta was the son of legendary Top Fuel and Funny Car racer and Kalitta Motorsports team owner Connie Kalitta. Scott is survived by his wife, Kathy; sons Corey, 14, and Colin, 8; and his father, Connie.