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Connie Kalitta in DRO
- Thread starter Raconteur
- Start date
I don't know why you are so negative towards the Kalitta team. You are obvioulsy absorbed with Shirley and company. That is fine & dandy for you! Connie has NOTHING to do with Ms. Muldowneys marital woes! Maybe you should direct your negativity to the parties involved.
Terry
Nitro Member
Dennis, I am not now or have ever been on the Kalitta payroll, but nevertheless I think it was a great article and really admire Connie for taking the time when lots of bad things were going on to be candid and open for the interview. And in my estimation, your insinuation that you have to be employed by Connie and/or Team Kalitta to be a fan of Connie and the team is completely unfounded and totally ridiculous.
That was a great interview! His information about the 85% rule was very insightful. It seems like a no-brainer to go back to 90%. For guys like Connie & KB to say that the rule has had a dramatic increase, as much as 50%, in costs, should be enough for the NHRA to realize the rule isn't working. When he said Compton was afraid of an explosion if 90% was run again is pretty hilarious. Guess what? There will always be an occasional explosion. Kinda the nature of the beast, otherwise we should just have alky cars. I never thought of one thing that Connie said, and it was the fact that if there are tuners who want to stay at 85, they can. Give them the option. Bottom line, going from 90 to 85 was a knee-jerk reaction after DR's accident, and we all know that the fuel percentage isn't what killed him. Didn't mean to ramble, I just wish the powers-that-be would listen to the guys who make the show happen, they know what they're taling about. Again, a great interview.
First off I did not make any negative remarks about what Mr. Kalitta has done in the 30 plus years he has been Drag Racing. I saw him many times driving the Bounty Hunter Funny Car. He along with Don Garlits and others made the sport what it is today. My comment was about his last responce about Shirley, who is a friend of mine. If you watch the DVD release of the movie Heart like a Wheel, there is a bonus bit at the end. It is an interview with Conrad, Garlits, and Shirley, He is all smiles , and has no problem with the way it was made. No movie is ever 100% factual. And Shirley does not have a halo around her head. But the reason he threw that end is because of very recent events. Also I was a hudge Big Red fan, until the big melt down.
Now I hope Hillary wins. And she is on that team. Also did not mean to disrespect any fans of Kalitta or Big Red.
Now I hope Hillary wins. And she is on that team. Also did not mean to disrespect any fans of Kalitta or Big Red.
Dennis,
thank you for responding with this. What was removed from this thread was something that you should have kept to yourself. Thank you to the moderators for removing the information.
I understand you are defending your friend, but this thread was started because of a great interview of a racing legend. It is not very often that Connie speaks, and it was really nice for the rest of us to enjoy the article. He had every right to respond to the question the way he did "because of the recent events". He is tired of it so that is why he probably looked at his watch! Time to move on!
Just remember that "this too will pass" and we can all get along here.
As a guest of Ben @ NHRA events in the Kalitta camp there were many times I sat w/ Con and Shirley during lunch and did not see/feel any negative vibes...Connie is a real racer who'd give you a tune-up on a computer disc if you were struggling....I wish he were still driving.....
"Dr. Dirt"
Nitro Member
That's a great post Terry! I totally concur.
DrRocket
Nitro Member
Wasn't it Connie who Ercie Hill approached for tune up help when they came back from drag boats and were doing nothing but breaking parts? I seem to remember reading that somewhere.
CrewGuy
Nitro Member
Wasn't it Connie who Ercie Hill approached for tune up help when they came back from drag boats and were doing nothing but breaking parts? I seem to remember reading that somewhere.
If memory serves correct, Ercie walked into a small crowd of [owners/tuners] holding a [destroyed] piston/ rod , and asked for help. The rest is history............
kingcobrafan
Nitro Member
Wasn't it Connie who Ercie Hill approached for tune up help when they came back from drag boats and were doing nothing but breaking parts? I seem to remember reading that somewhere.
I'm pretty sure it was Gene Snow.
None
Nitro Member
Pullen them or throwing them, he's got to be one of the best.
Anybody remember his push car running out of gas just as the digger lit coming up the fireup road at Bakersfield? 63 or 64, can't remember exactly.
At one time NASCAR was into Dragracing.
Raconteur
Nitro Member
There probably are photos, but Connie won the 1967 NASCAR and AHRA Winternationals with his Ford SOHC-motored top fuel dragster.
BaldyLochs
Nitro Member
I enjoyed reading this. People might not know there is an error in the opening discussion regarding Connie running at Akron & Baltimore around '57. It was actually NEW Baltimore, Michigan - not Maryland; at a track called Motor City Dragway. On weekends starting around '55, Connie and group of a few other kids including my Dad, would hang out there. Only 2 guys in the bunch even had a car, the others (including Kalitta) didn't have drivers' licenses yet. My Dad had a brown '55 Ford that was pretty fast. They figured out how to take out the wheel hop by adding blocks in the springs - giving it makeshift Posi-Trac. These were all street cars, by the way.
Again, great job by D.R.O.
Again, great job by D.R.O.
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