Saddened Stoffer Looks to Solidify Top-Ten Rank in Norwalk Karen Stoffer is hoping to ride her Geico Suzuki up a few spots in the PowerAde Point standings at this weekend's NHRA Summit Nationals from Norwalk, Ohio. Following last weekend's race in Englishtown, NJ, Stoffer fell to No. 9 in the series after a first round defeat. However the opening round loss was far from the biggest heartbreak of the weekend. Stoffer and the NHRA community mourned the loss of Funny Car racer Scott Kalitta who was killed in an accident during qualifying on Saturday. "You hate one of your comrades and fellow racers when they are in the other lane, but the reality of this is that we are all one big family out here. It breaks my heart that this happened," Stoffer said. "You have to find some glimmer of hope in every bad situation and for me it's knowing he died doing something he absolutely loved. He came back to racing repeatedly throughout his life. We should all be so lucky to not suffer any prolonged pain when we do have to go. I absolutely hate to see him go but I know he's in a better place." This weekend Stoffer is hungry to do just what Scott Kalitta would want to do if he were still alive - race and win. Stoffer is just 52 points behind No. 8 Craig Treble and is eager to avenge a lackluster Norwalk showing from last season. "We had some technical issues that hurt us last year, so we are really looking forward to going back and getting another shot," Stoffer said. "We have been qualifying in the top eight so we want to keep that up. I'm really proud of the team for proving we have the performance. I just have to get into that mode to turn that performance into wins on race day." Now winning isn't the only thing Stoffer his hungry for. Norwalk is famous for it's sweet treats. "I love the ice cream but the crew likes it a little more than me," Stoffer said. "I'm more of a cake person. If I ever open a track I want there to be cake." Stoffer takes to the track for her first qualifying run on Friday June 27 at 3:30 PM. Stoffer extended a special thanks to all of the 2006 sponsors. Geico Motorcycle Insurance 1-866-326-2036, Mac Tools, Bates Leathers, NGK, Airtech, Wrath Motorsports, Square One Graphics, and Vance and Hines Motorsports.