NHRA: Team Kitty Hawk Looking For Some Luck in Next Set of Back-to-Back NHRA Events
9 May 1999
YPSILANTI, Mich. - Finding a big bag of money that you could keep would make the day for a lot of people. While they wouldn't mind finding the money, what Top Fuel dragster drivers Doug and Connie Kalitta would prefer finding is a big bag of luck. It would come in pretty handy right about now as both are looking for their first win of the season as they head into the second set of back-to-back events on the NHRA Winston drag racing tour.The runner-up at last month's Castrol Nationals, Doug has found some luck but more never hurts. He narrowly lost that final to current Winston champion Gary Scelzi - 4.563 to 4.588. In the second round of the just completed Pennzoil Nationals the 34-year-old Ann Arbor, Mich., resident had a near-perfect reaction time (.405 with .400 being perfect) against Cory McClenathan. As the car started drifting towards the centerline Doug was forced to shut it off and watch McClenathan go on for the win. Doug is currently seventh in the Winston points chase. Connie, on the other hand, has had all of his luck evaporate after qualifying ends. The 61-year-old Ypsilanti resident has qualified for all six events contested thus far only to go out in round one of each.
That record leaves Connie 14th in Winston points.
The next stop on the tour for the team, which is sponsored by Dallas-based air cargo carrier Kitty Hawk, is the 19th annual NHRA Advance Auto Parts Southern Nationals, May 14-16, at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga. Aside from Connie's win there in 1994, which came hot on the heels of winning the Mac Tools Gatornationals and five months before taking the U.S. Nationals title, the team - present and past - has had little luck at the event.
At last year's event Doug, now in his second year in the dragster, did not qualify for the show - the only DNQ of his 28-race career. Connie, who did not compete at Atlanta last year, was feeling good about his chances for a win in 1996 and 1997. That feeling fell flat, however, when, after qualifying third and second, respectively, he went out in round two of both events.
Doug and Connie aren't alone in their problems at this event. Connie's son Scott had his share of problems here as well. The Southern Nationals was one of only a few events where the now retired two-time Winston Champion (1994 and 1995) failed to make it to a professional final round. Three times he was poised to make a strong run at the title, qualifying number one in 1993, '94 and '96, only to lose in the opening round. In his last appearance here in 1997 he failed to make the show.
One member of the Kalitta Motorsports team who has a winning record in the Southern Nationals is former Funny Car and Top Fuel driver Ed "The Ace" McCulloch. Doug's crew chief and an advisor to Connie's team, McCulloch was the Funny Car runner-up in 1985 and came back to win the event in 1986, '88 and '90. With the Kalitta family since 1995, McCulloch has served as crew chief for all three Kalittas. In addition to his 49 final rounds (22 wins) as a driver, the Hemet, Calif., resident has scored five runner-up finishes and two wins as a crew chief.
While having any luck at the Southern Nationals has been limited, such is not the case everywhere. Doug has three final rounds with one win to his credit and well as a win in last year's $100,000 Big Bud Shootout at Pomona bonus race. The winner of the 1998 Road to the Future award, presented annually to the driver destined for future greatness, Doug plans to add a few more wins to his short career. Connie has earned 10 wins in his 22 final round appearances. Though his racing career has had several breaks in service while he tended to his aviation businesses, Connie knows he can still win and he's ready to prove it. An all-Kalitta Top Fuel final would be a nice way to do just that.
After conquering the Southern Nationals the next event on the list is the Mopar Parts Nationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J., May 21-23. Unlike the Southern Nationals, there have been no wins for the team at this event.
At last year's race Doug qualified seventh and made it to round two where he lost to eventual winner Joe Amato. Connie has not competed here since 1996. At that event he qualified sixth and fell in round two to Shelly Anderson.
McCulloch was the Funny Car runner-up here in 1972, '78 and '89 while Scott was the Top Fuel runner-up in 1995.
Qualifying for the 19th annual NHRA Advance Auto Parts Southern Nationals will begin on Friday, May 14, with sessions scheduled for 3 and 7 p.m. Qualifying will continue on Saturday with sessions at noon and 4 p.m. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 16.
Qualifying for the 30th annual NHRA Mopar Parts Nationals will begin on Friday, May 21, with sessions at 2:45 and 6:45 p.m. Sessions for Saturday are scheduled for 11:15 a.m. and 4 p.m. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 23.
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