Connie Kalitta
Encyclopedia
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
) is the CEO of Kalitta Air
Kalitta Air
Kalitta Air is an American cargo airline headquartered in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, United States. It operates international scheduled and ad-hoc cargo charter services. Its main base is Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti.-History:...
and a retired American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
drag racing
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
driver, once known as "The Bounty Hunter".
He grew up in Mount Clemens, Michigan
Mount Clemens, Michigan
Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,312. It is the county seat of Macomb County.-Early history:...
, and was a 1957 graduate of Mount Clemens High School
Mount Clemens High School
Mount Clemens High School was established in the 19th century. It is located in Mount Clemens, Michigan, United States. The school's nickname is the "Battling Bathers". The school colors are Red and Gray...
.
He raced from the 1950s through the 1990s. He was the first driver to hit 200 mph in an NHRA sanctioned event. He also helped Shirley Muldowney
Shirley Muldowney
Shirley Muldowney , also known professionally as "Cha Cha" Muldowney and the "First Lady of Drag Racing", is a pioneer in professional auto racing. She was the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association to drive a top fuel dragster...
get started (in the "Bounty Huntress" car). Kalitta won 10 NHRA national events between 1967 and 1994.
He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum for American motorsports legends. It was originally located in Novi, Michigan and it moved to the Detroit Science Center in 2009.-Museum:...
in 1992. On the 2001 National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951-2000, Kalitta was ranked #21. He was played by Beau Bridges
Beau Bridges
Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III is an American actor and director.- Early life :Bridges was born in Los Angeles, the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and his college sweetheart, Dorothy Bridges . He was nicknamed "Beau" by his mother and father after Ashley Wilkes's son in Gone with the Wind, the book...
in the Muldowney biography film Heart Like a Wheel
Heart Like a Wheel (film)
Heart Like a Wheel is a 1983 biographical film based on the life of drag racing driver Shirley Muldowney. It stars Bonnie Bedelia and Beau Bridges....
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He is the father of racer Scott Kalitta
Scott Kalitta
Scott Kalitta was an American drag racer who competed in the Funny Car and Top Fuel classes in the National Hot Rod Association Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. He was killed at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, after an accident during qualifying...
, killed in a fiery crash in Old Bridge Township
Old Bridge Township, New Jersey
Old Bridge Township is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township had a total population of 60,456...
, N.J. in 2008, and uncle of racer Doug Kalitta
Doug Kalitta
Doug Kalitta is an American auto racing driver from Ypsilanti, Michigan.Kalitta formerly raced in USAC events. He was the 1991 USAC rookie of the year in the midget series, and won the 1994 championship in the sprint car category. Kalitta won 21 USAC events: 14 in midget races and 7 in sprint...
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