NHRA: Team Kitty Hawk looks to get back in the race at Texas
16 October 1999
ENNIS, Texas - - Doug Kalitta's on-track performance has been a little
like the weather. He was on a hot streak when the second half of the season
got underway in July, but when the weather started to cool down so did his
performance. With temperatures in the 80-degree range in the Dallas-Fort
Worth Metroplex, Kalitta is hoping to use the heat to his advantage to help
him get back on track during next week's (October 22-24) NHRA O'Reilly Fall
Nationals at the Texas Motorplex. And to get back in the hunt for the
Winston championship title.
Kalitta, one of only three drivers to be at least a five-time finalist
this season, is currently seventh in the chase for the Winston Top Fuel
championship. The first of Kalitta's final round appearances came here at
the Motorplex at the spring event where he was runner-up for the second
consecutive year. His only win of the season came in August at the Autolite
Nationals, which he won for the second consecutive year.
Going rounds means earning points and Kalitta needs all he can get. Just
four events ago Kalitta, 35, of Ann Arbor, Mich., was 21 points out of first
place in one of the tightest points battles in recent years. During the
last
four events, however, the deficit has grown to 135 points as he has gone out
of competition early. In terms of rounds, that number equals seven rounds
of
racing. With 12 possible rounds left in the season, attempting to win the
bulk of those rounds will be a Herculean task for Kalitta -- but it's not
impossible.
Kalitta, at the wheel of his entry sponsored by Dallas-based air cargo
carrier Kitty Hawk, was in a similar position back in late May. Then, as is
now the case, he went four races with just one round win. That slump ended
during the three-race West Coast Swing when he was runner-up twice and won
the last event -- he won ten of the 12 rounds. Should that pattern repeat
itself in the last three events of the season, Kalitta wouldn't mind at all.
"Finishing the season like we started the second half would be great,"
said Kalitta. "Like some of the other guys in this chase we've had some
misfortune. Our biggest misfortune, however, has been not being able to
capitalize on some opportunities that were presented. Some of the others
have gone on without missing a beat; that needs to be us from here on out.
We're running pretty good and we're capable of winning, we just need a
little
more luck."
Joining Doug on his mission to get back to the final round is his cousin
and teammate, Scott Kalitta. In his last appearance at the Motorplex in
1997, Scott qualified fourth and fell in the semifinals to eventual winner
Cory McClenathan. After that round he announced he would retire from the
sport at the end of the season.
After 18 months, spent concentrating of his business and spending time
with his family, Scott reemerged on the scene this past June at the wheel of
his father Connie's Kitty Hawk entry. The 37-year-old Chelsea, Mich.,
resident has qualified for all but one of the seven events he has entered
since his return. The winner of 15 events in 28 final round appearances,
Scott has enjoyed a lot of success at the Motorplex in the past.
"I've been back at this for seven races now and I'm enjoying it," said
Scott who was the runner-up here in 1993 and 1996, and the winner in 1995.
"I'd like it better if we were winning more, but that's the way it goes
sometimes. We've got a good combination and we're running pretty
consistently. If we can keep this thing from smoking the tires, which it
seems to be prone to doing right now, we should be in good shape. I've done
okay here at the Motorplex in the past, maybe we can chalk up another one on
this trip."
It was here in 1988 that Scott recorded the, then, fastest speed ever by
a Funny Car - - 286.62 mph. Though not a national record, it was the
fastest
speed until September 1991. In 1990, Scott earned another note in the
record
books when he drove both his Funny Car and his dad's dragster and became
just
the third person in NHRA history to qualify in both categories at the same
event. In 1994, Scott clinched his first Winston title here and did the
same
thing in 1995 to become only the third Top Fuel driver to win back-to-back
championships. With the sweet sometimes comes the bitter, as it was here in
1993 that he saw the title slip away. After qualifying third, Scott made it
to the final round where he faced Mike Dunn. Winning the round would keep
his title hopes alive; losing would make Eddie Hill the champion. Dunn got
the jump off the line and held on for the win. The second place finish was
Scott's highest ever.
Professional qualifying for the O'Reilly Fall Nationals presented by
Castrol Syntec will begin on Friday, October 22, with sessions scheduled for
2:30 and 6:30 p.m. Qualifying will continue at noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m., Sunday, October 24.
ESPN2 will televise semifinal and final round coverage of the event on
Sunday, October 24, beginning at 5 p.m. (ET). ESPN2 will also television
one
hour of qualifying highlights beginning at 1:30 a.m. (ET) also on Sunday,
October 24.
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