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NHRA: Connie Kalitta Looking for a Break at NHRA Pennzoil Nationals

3 October 1998

MILLINGTON, Tenn. - More than 30 years ago Connie Kalitta was dubbed "The Bounty Hunter". The Top Fuel driver would put the names of those he wanted to beat on the side of his car and mark through them as he defeated them. If he were still doing that today, Memphis Motorsports Park would surely be near the top of the list.

Kalitta, 60, of Ypsilanti, Mich., will be returning to the Memphis quarter- mile this week (October 9-11) for the 11th annual NHRA Pennzoil Nationals presented by AutoZone. It will be his seventh appearance at this event and, he hopes it will be lucky number seven. His best showing at this event came in 1996 when he qualified seventh and made it to the second round. This year he'd like to go all the way, beating his opponents and the track at the same time. All he needs is a little luck on his side.

Away from the NHRA Winston Drag Racing tour for 16 months, Kalitta returned to competition at the VisionAire NorthStar Nationals in August. Kalitta qualified 11th for the 16-car field and lost in round one when a blower belt came apart. The next event for the 22-time NHRA National event finalist was the U.S. Nationals, the oldest, most prestigious event on the tour, which Kalitta won in 1994. Running consistent 4.70s all weekend, Kalitta qualified 15th. He won the first round but lost traction in round two with Mike Dunn going on for the win. At the recently completed Keystone Nationals, Kalitta was paired up with 62-year-old Eddie Hill in round one, the two oldest competitors in the class. Hill took the win as Kalitta slowed due to a clutch malfunction. Though he hasn't had the best of luck in the early rounds, Kalitta isn't complaining too much, he's just happy to be back doing something he loves to do after being away so long.. As competitive as the sport is today, it is almost as hard to qualify as it is to win. Only a handful of drivers have qualified for all 17 events contested thus far and there have only been six different winners.

During his time away from the sport Kalitta saw the worldwide air cargo company he founded nearly 30 years ago through a merger. After everything was in place he decided to take some time for himself and, in April, retired as president of the company. "You can't give 100 percent to a business when you're out racing the car," said Kalitta of his decision to put his driving on hold for a while. "Now I have the ability to get back to it and enjoy it."

These days, when he's not at the track, he's also enjoying his new business, Kalitta Leasing. Based in Ann Arbor, Mich., Kalitta Leasing specializes in buying, selling and leasing aircraft. Though he's still traveling around the world, he now has more time in his schedule for racing. He plans to finish out this season in his Kalitta Motorsports entry and run the full schedule next year.

Kalitta will get his first attempt at conquering Memphis Motorsports Park when professional qualifying starts on Friday, October 9, with sessions at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Qualifying will continue on Saturday with sessions scheduled for 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m., Sunday, October 11.

ESPN2 will show two hours of qualifying highlights on Saturday, October 10, at 8 p.m. (EDT). ESPN2 will also televise two hours of same-day final round coverage on Sunday, October 11, beginning at 7:30 p.m. (EDT).