VANDERGRIFF BEGINS GATORNATIONALS FROM THE 11TH POSITION!

Gainesville, Fla. (March 18, 2006)- Bob Vandergriff, Jr. will begin his return to Gainesville Raceway and the AC DELCO NHRA Gatornationals from the 11th spot for Sundays eliminations after running a 4.627 second pass at 321.54 mph on his first run on Saturday.

The UPS Top Fuel Dragster will draw opponent Doug Kalitta in the opening round. The Jim Dupuy-tuned digger was looking to step things up on the fourth and final qualifying attempt when a clutch finger broke inside the bell housing. "We will set the car up again on Sunday, looking to run a 4.55 like we were trying today before we destroyed the clutch and were thrown immediately into tire smoke," Vandergriff said. "I'm happy because we are making progress on each and every run. Now we just need to find some consistency with the new Goodyear tires."

"We are thrilled with the success that we see happening with UPS as NHRA's Official Expedited Carrier. We are delivering packages daily to crews and sponsors. Everyone is thrilled with the new service we are providing.

Pre-Race ceremonies begin Sunday at 10 am and eliminations start at 11 am.


Ken Sklute
Vandergriff Motorsports Public Relations