BaldyLochs
Nitro Member
Sorry this is a long read, but this is the only way I know how to come to grips with this. I honestly thought I would never log on here again, and stop following drag racing all together. How foolish. In the past few days we've seen just how many people Scott Kalitta touched in one way or another. So many great people literally around the globe. What an honor it is to be a part of it in some small way.
Other than maybe a few pro drivers, I honestly don't think I could pick anybody from this board out in a room fo people. But it's incredible how much love, support and enjoyment one can get out of it.
My heart is just broken for Scott's family and the entire Kalitta racing/flying organization. How can I look these people in the eye in 3 more weeks? God Bless every one of you. I love you guys more than you'll ever know. Scott's with his Mom and Uncle Doug now. I give thanks to God that I had the privledge to know him, the little that I did.
I was 6 or 7 years old, but my Mom & brother swears that on more than one occaision he played catch football with Scott in the pits at Motor City Dragway probably like ‘73 or so. We lived right down the road from there. We always went there or to Milan, or Detroit Dragway anytime the nitro cars came. Dad would always find Connie & shoot the breeze. My Dad knew Connie when they were both in High School. Infact Connie didn’t even have his drivers license yet. My dad was the hero of the group because he had his learners permit and could use my Grandpa’s ’55 Ford. On a Saturday night, they’d get the car and go pick up Connie & Doug Sr. at the propane place that Connie’s dad owned... then go cruising & street racing on Gratiot & the whole east side. My Dad got away from racing to start a family but always followed Connie’s racing closely. So that’s how my “Kalitta following” all got started – from MY dad.
Funny story about when Scott was doing double duty at the Motorplex, with Tim Ferrell as crew chief. I seem to recall Connie wasn’t at the race because he was still recovering from an earlier accident. I spent the whole day, watching them work the 2 cars. It was fun to eavesdrop on Tim & Scott, trying to make the tune up work, and joking that the old man would “string up Tim by his nuts” if something broke. I think the Oberhofer brothers were just coming on board back then. Good times.
In the mid 90’s, I worked at Dallas Airmotive. We did occaisional sublet engine work on some of the Trans-Con DC8’s, (the company which Scott was running at the time). I remember seeing checks & invoices come through which were approved and signed by him. I still work in aviation and we do business with Doug’s companies, so there’ll always be the “aviation” connection to the family for me as well.
Another good one that sticks out, is me talking with Scott, someone from Coors (his name I don’t remember) and Waterbed Fred here in the Denver pits, the year Scott ran the Coors Bandit. Jesse James was supposed to be at the race, but he was secretly getting married to Sandra Bullock that day. It was so funny, we were all standing there joking.... here it’s 100 degrees, everyone’s sweating like pigs, we got all this free beer from Coors, and NHRA won’t let us drink it; the crew’s working their asses off all weekend, all wearing Jesse’s colors and promoting West Coast Choppers like crazy. Then Scott said something like “Jesse’s the smartest one of us all – he’s in a penthouse somewhere on a beach in the air conditioning, getting laid and drinking Margaritas with one of the hottest chicks in the world, while all us idiots are out here ........What the hell’s wrong with this picture??” LOL
I remember Scott’s little tyke Colin, playing in the pits in Denver, might have been last year or the year before, playfully kicking a ball to me while I was standing there minding my own beeswax watching the guys work on the car. I smiled, and rolled it back to him, and he kicked it right back to me. Kathy came over and apologized; of course I said no problem, and rolled it back to him before he laughed and scurried away. He’s such a cutie. I asked Scott once, what “the plan” is for his older son, Corey (who was working as a parts cleaner on Scott’s car). Kind of like “the chosen one” in Star Wars….Scott just proudly smiled, and said “You never know; we’ll see what he wants to do.....”
Another time after he came back to racing, I was asking him how he liked Florida compared to beautiful Detroit. We talked about the Tampa area, which I’ve visited because I have family there. He highly recommended Paul’s Shrimp House in Palm Harbor and Hooters, and going to the sponge docks in Tarpon Springs. He also was the 1st person ever to recommend Honeymoon Island state park, and Caladesi Island.... which infact oddly enough, I just finally visited it a few weeks ago. Thanks Dude! You were right - it’s breathtaking – and it’s rated as the #1 beach in the USA!!
Scott liked to watch movies in the lounge between runs, especially on hot days. Each race I went to, I’d be sure and ask him what movie he’s watching today. I think that caught him by surprise sometimes. When I showed him and “AC” Bill Hochadel my tattoo last year, he smiled ear to ear and said, “that’s pretty damn cool, but what the F*** were you thinking?” He said I was “a Lifer”. We got a good laugh out of that conversation too.
Thanks for reading - Remember Scott's family in your prayers.
Other than maybe a few pro drivers, I honestly don't think I could pick anybody from this board out in a room fo people. But it's incredible how much love, support and enjoyment one can get out of it.
My heart is just broken for Scott's family and the entire Kalitta racing/flying organization. How can I look these people in the eye in 3 more weeks? God Bless every one of you. I love you guys more than you'll ever know. Scott's with his Mom and Uncle Doug now. I give thanks to God that I had the privledge to know him, the little that I did.
I was 6 or 7 years old, but my Mom & brother swears that on more than one occaision he played catch football with Scott in the pits at Motor City Dragway probably like ‘73 or so. We lived right down the road from there. We always went there or to Milan, or Detroit Dragway anytime the nitro cars came. Dad would always find Connie & shoot the breeze. My Dad knew Connie when they were both in High School. Infact Connie didn’t even have his drivers license yet. My dad was the hero of the group because he had his learners permit and could use my Grandpa’s ’55 Ford. On a Saturday night, they’d get the car and go pick up Connie & Doug Sr. at the propane place that Connie’s dad owned... then go cruising & street racing on Gratiot & the whole east side. My Dad got away from racing to start a family but always followed Connie’s racing closely. So that’s how my “Kalitta following” all got started – from MY dad.
Funny story about when Scott was doing double duty at the Motorplex, with Tim Ferrell as crew chief. I seem to recall Connie wasn’t at the race because he was still recovering from an earlier accident. I spent the whole day, watching them work the 2 cars. It was fun to eavesdrop on Tim & Scott, trying to make the tune up work, and joking that the old man would “string up Tim by his nuts” if something broke. I think the Oberhofer brothers were just coming on board back then. Good times.
In the mid 90’s, I worked at Dallas Airmotive. We did occaisional sublet engine work on some of the Trans-Con DC8’s, (the company which Scott was running at the time). I remember seeing checks & invoices come through which were approved and signed by him. I still work in aviation and we do business with Doug’s companies, so there’ll always be the “aviation” connection to the family for me as well.
Another good one that sticks out, is me talking with Scott, someone from Coors (his name I don’t remember) and Waterbed Fred here in the Denver pits, the year Scott ran the Coors Bandit. Jesse James was supposed to be at the race, but he was secretly getting married to Sandra Bullock that day. It was so funny, we were all standing there joking.... here it’s 100 degrees, everyone’s sweating like pigs, we got all this free beer from Coors, and NHRA won’t let us drink it; the crew’s working their asses off all weekend, all wearing Jesse’s colors and promoting West Coast Choppers like crazy. Then Scott said something like “Jesse’s the smartest one of us all – he’s in a penthouse somewhere on a beach in the air conditioning, getting laid and drinking Margaritas with one of the hottest chicks in the world, while all us idiots are out here ........What the hell’s wrong with this picture??” LOL
I remember Scott’s little tyke Colin, playing in the pits in Denver, might have been last year or the year before, playfully kicking a ball to me while I was standing there minding my own beeswax watching the guys work on the car. I smiled, and rolled it back to him, and he kicked it right back to me. Kathy came over and apologized; of course I said no problem, and rolled it back to him before he laughed and scurried away. He’s such a cutie. I asked Scott once, what “the plan” is for his older son, Corey (who was working as a parts cleaner on Scott’s car). Kind of like “the chosen one” in Star Wars….Scott just proudly smiled, and said “You never know; we’ll see what he wants to do.....”
Another time after he came back to racing, I was asking him how he liked Florida compared to beautiful Detroit. We talked about the Tampa area, which I’ve visited because I have family there. He highly recommended Paul’s Shrimp House in Palm Harbor and Hooters, and going to the sponge docks in Tarpon Springs. He also was the 1st person ever to recommend Honeymoon Island state park, and Caladesi Island.... which infact oddly enough, I just finally visited it a few weeks ago. Thanks Dude! You were right - it’s breathtaking – and it’s rated as the #1 beach in the USA!!
Scott liked to watch movies in the lounge between runs, especially on hot days. Each race I went to, I’d be sure and ask him what movie he’s watching today. I think that caught him by surprise sometimes. When I showed him and “AC” Bill Hochadel my tattoo last year, he smiled ear to ear and said, “that’s pretty damn cool, but what the F*** were you thinking?” He said I was “a Lifer”. We got a good laugh out of that conversation too.
Thanks for reading - Remember Scott's family in your prayers.
