Conrad "Connie" Kalitta (born February 24, 1938) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

businessman and former

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most ...

driver, nicknamed "The Bounty Hunter". Kalitta is the CEO of

Kalitta Air Kalitta Air is an American cargo airline headquartered at Willow Run Airport, Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. The company operates international scheduled and cargo charter services. Its call sign "Connie" is from its founder, Connie Kalitta. ...

and the owner of Kalitta Motorsports.Kalitta Motorsports - About Connie Kalitta
Retrieved 2016-05-07 Kalitta was born in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

, grew up in

Mount Clemens Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,314 at the 2010 census. It is the seat of government of Macomb County. History Mount Clemens was first surveyed in 1795 after the American Revolutionary War by Christi ...

, and was a 1957 graduate of Mount Clemens High School. He raced from the 1950s through the 1990s. He was the first driver of a

Top Fuel dragster Top Fuel is a type of drag racing whose dragsters are the quickest accelerating racing cars in the world and the fastest sanctioned category of drag racing, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of and finishing the runs in 3.62 seconds ...

to hit in a

National Hot Rod Association The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...

(NHRA) sanctioned eventthe 1964 NHRA U.S. Nationals. Kalitta teamed up with

Shirley Muldowney Shirley Muldowney (born June 19, 1940), also known professionally as "Cha Cha" and the "First Lady of Drag Racing", is an American auto racer. She was the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to drive a ...

as the ''Bounty Hunter'' and ''Bounty Huntress'', in a pair of

Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...

s, hers a Buttera chassis, his a Logghe. Kalitta was runner-up at the 1963

NHRA Winternationals The NHRA Winternationals (commonly called the Winternats) are an annual drag racing event held by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California. In 1962, under pressure from Peggy Hart (wife of track owner " ...

in Top Gas and at the 1965 NHRA SpringNationals in Top Fuel. His first major event win was the 1967 American Hot Rod Association (AHRA) Winternationals in

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nic ...

, in a 427ci "cammer"–powered Top Fuel dragster. Kalitta stepped back from driving in 1971, focusing on growing his airline business. He first returned to the sport as Muldowney's crew chief including her 1977 Top Fuel championship seasonbefore getting back into a Top Fuel dragster in 1978. Kalitta won the 1989 NHRA Winternationals, most notable for the fact that the win included him becoming the first ever Top Fuel driver (any sanctioning series) to hit . Kalitta ultimately won a total of 10 NHRA national events, including the 1994

Gatornationals The Gatornationals is an annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) national drag racing event held each March at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida. The event was held for the first time in 1970. The traditional East Coast opener and t ...

and U.S. Nationals - his final title. Kalitta was inducted into the

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycle ...

in 1992. In 2001, the 50th Anniversary list of National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951-2000, ranked Kalitta at #21. Kalitta was played by

Beau Bridges Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III (born December 9, 1941) is an American actor and director. He is a three-time Emmy, two-time Golden Globe and one-time Grammy Award winner, as well as a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award nominee. Bridges was awar ...

, in a lead role, in the Muldowney biography film ''

Heart Like a Wheel ''Heart Like a Wheel'' is the fifth solo studio album by Linda Ronstadt, released in November 1974. It was Ronstadt's last album to be released by Capitol Records. At the time of its recording, Ronstadt had already moved to Asylum Records and ...

'' (1983). He is the father of racer

Scott Kalitta Scott D. Kalitta (February 18, 1962 – June 21, 2008) was an American drag racer who competed in the Funny Car and Top Fuel classes in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. He was killed at Old Bridg ...

, killed in a drag racing crash in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey, in 2008. He is the uncle of racer

Doug Kalitta Doug Kalitta (born August 20, 1964) is an American auto racing driver from Ypsilanti, Michigan and owner of airline Kalitta Charters. He started racing in open wheel cars on an oval. Kalitta won the 1994 USAC Midget rookie of the year title and th ...

. On November 14, 2016, Kalitta was honored at the season-ending Mello Yello Awards Ceremony with NHRA's first ever Lifetime Achievement Award.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalitta, Connie 1938 births Living people 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople American airline chief executives Businesspeople from Michigan Dragster drivers International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees People from Mount Clemens, Michigan Racing drivers from Detroit Racing drivers from Michigan Sportspeople from Metro Detroit