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Doug Kalitta was literally flying the first day of his Mac Tools Top Fuel test at Gainesville Raceway. But whoa, that second day. It was a collection of 60-foot -- as in tire shake -- runs. He had a best of .839 ET for four runs. Perhaps the new tire rule? Crew chief Jim Oberhofer felt more inclined to that than when we first talked to him.
They were, but it didn't, so a one-day test became two. Perhaps the second day should be forgotten, also, as the team will probably head for Las Vegas to test. However, the seemingly imperturbable Doug Kalitta didn't seem to mind that much. Rain or no. This was Gainesville, where last year's third place points finisher defeated Tony Schumacher for the title just two years ago, so he took it easily in stride. Why were they in Gainesville, anyway, instead of Tucson or Phoenix? Simply because of a Mac Tools sponsor commitment and owner Connie's schedule. But let's look closer at this guy before he again slides into the driver's seat for one of the second day's futile runs. We'll get opinions from car owner-Kalitta and crew chief Jim Oberhofer, but first to Doug.
Indeed, Uncle Connie, who's the guy who owns this sleek red and black Mac Tools fueler, started this drag racing thing. He was the Bob Griese of the drag strip driving himself, watching first his son Scott win two NHRA Top Fuel Championships, but then bringing on board nephew Doug. No, although Doug started in Go Karts, he began to branch out. First, he followed his dad's two-wheel tire tracks on motorcycles, then eventually went midget and sprint car racing, the results of which we'll chronicle in a minute. Actually, in 1982 Doug began working on Connie's crew for about three or four years, then turned to midgets and sprints, where he would make his name. How come? "There was a guy who worked for Connie named Don Schilling. He had a quarter midget and a full midget and sprint car. I had always wanted the opportunity to run a full-sized midget. We got hooked up with him and he had some real good cars. That's how I got into that and we had some fair success." Fair? Yeah right. Doug didn't offer it, but check a couple of numbers: 1994 USAC National Sprint Car Champion. Scored 14 midget and seven sprint car victories during the time. "I didn't get back into drag racing until my cousin (Scott Kalitta) decided to hang up his helmet.
"Then we went down to Phoenix and we tested in this (fuel) car in '98. Ed McCulloch and Eddie Hill signed me off." Flying-wise, Doug goes back a ways. "I started working with Connie's airline company in '82 and worked on the car crew for about a year, I got hooked up with the airplanes. I got my single engine, or actually my multi-engine license in '94. "It was unusual. Just before my single engine license flight one of the guys put the plane in a water reservoir. The plane was trashed," but imperturbable Doug followed a silver lining. "I had enough time flying the twin engine, so I went ahead and got my license in that, which was kinda cool," he says. That has grown to today's involvement. "We just went ahead with the purchase of an airline company which has the smaller Lear jets. We provide a charter service with that company -- not myself too often. I do some of the maintenance and if we run out of pilots, which happens on occasion, I jump in." Kalitta says that in the course of a year he probably makes sixty such flights. "Connie, naturally, with his background in the sport, is a great help and Scott was a really big help, especially initially, you know, getting up to speed." So now we move forward to 2001 and the climb to third. It was an a happy year in more than one way because just five days before celebrating his first win of the season at Phoenix, wife Josie gave birth to son Mitchell (2/13/01). Mitchell was on hand later at the Thunder Valley Nationals where he watched dad become the first multiple winner of the season. What single thing helped you move into third last year? "The main thing in drag racing is, of course, going rounds and that was probably the biggest single factor. You can't do that, however, without consistency and with Connie and Jim Oberhofer. That would be the one word, consistency." Mac Tools was an associate sponsor on the car since 1998, but came became the primary sponsor last year. "Probably one of the nicest things about the Mac Tools relationship is the Mac Tools distributors have a tool fair, one of which we went to last weekend, which has nearly 3,000 people. They're a motivated high-energy group and they actually come to quite a few of the races." Last year the team went to a distributorship function in connection with Mac Tools at U.S. Nationals and Columbus. There are probably about three such trips a year. Any extra pressure coming back here to the Mac Tools Gatornationals or other races backed by the sponsor? "No there's really not. We carry enough of our own pressure. That doesn't put any undue pressure on us. We'd certainly like to win as many of their races. Two years ago we won this race and last year we were fortunate enough to win the race at Bristol, which Mac Tools also sponsors. We want do good, do as well as we can for our sponsor." Kalitta says in order to move from third and contend for the championship, he says it would probably be good to have a car that could consistent 4.50s all day. "If you could run consistent 4:50s or low 60s on Sunday, that would probably be a good start. You can't leave out the driver, too. You've got to have a good reaction time throughout the year. So between the two, you need them both." What about the new tire rule? "You’d better address that to Connie or Jim." OK, we'll do that. What's the best piece of advice you've received from a racing veteran? "I worked with Ed McCulloch, the crew chief when I first started. The one thing he always used to stress most was you have to make sure you keep your car in the center of the track, in the groove, because obviously if you get out of the groove in drag racing, you're out to where there's not as much rubber on the track." Finally, Kalitta says the one thing that will probably make this season interesting is that purchase of the company he made over the winter. "It'll be a little challenging. The company is 16 people and we run a charter service with 12 Lears and we have a Hawker, which is a little larger. We run cargo and air ambulance and passengers. Kalitta Charters is the company. Yeah, he's president, CEO the whole works. "Our primary base is Detroit, Mich. and we have another base in Moorestown, Tenn. and we keep an airplane based in El Paso, Texas. So those are the areas we mostly cover, but over the last couple of years I was vice president of this company, so I've worked with this team the last couple of years and am able to delegate around and still be successful." Now to crew chief Jim Oberhofer and Connie Kalitta. First, Oberhofer: "I've worked for the Kalittas now, this is starting my 15th year and I have actually been crew chief -- well, I call it co-crew chief with Connie-- since the beginning of the 2000 season. "What are Doug's strong points as a driver? "I think he's one of the most laid-back drivers there are and sometimes that's good and sometimes not. I don't think it hurts our team, because he doesn't get rattled very easily. He pretty much has the same focus no matter what. He's a Lear Jet pilot and has flown big planes and the first full run he ever made, the guy ever made, he went 4.66 at 315 and he got out of the car like it was no big deal to him. "I think he's probably the coolest and the most calm driver there is and I think he reacts very well to certain situations. He's a very, very talented driver. We would like to see him in the IROC (International Race of Champions) series if we could win the championship in drag racing. "In my opinion, he's probably the most talented Top Fuel driver, maybe nitro driver there is in drag racing. I think his sprint car driving, where in every lap there was something different, certainly helped him." That apparently pesky new rear tire, the 1430 slick? "From what I understand Goodyear puts a speed rating on a tire and last year's was 350 MPH. When the national speed record gets to within a certain percentage of that, then they want to make the next move. This new tire has a speed rating of 375, I believe. "The tire is one of the main reasons we are here. The tire is actually lighter, so it should give us more drive shaft speed early. That's going to take a little getting used to, obviously, whether it requires less primary or more tire pressure. "I think it'll be OK, but I think the testing results from Phoenix showed they may be having a bit of a problem. A lot of them were doing the same thing as we were. "The diameter, from what we can tell, compared with last year, is about an inch smaller and the weight was first the big issue. We'll just go to Las Vegas and try to figure it out." Oberhofer said originally it was feared there would be a four pound reduction in weight for each side, but it actually computes out to about two pounds." Now, to Connie Kalitta, who actually stopped driving about two years ago to concentrate on being a car owner, although his flying business didn't interfere. What qualities does Doug Kalitta bring? "Well, first off, Dougie’s a natural racer. He drove the sprint cars and midgets and it showed his racing ability and way back, when he was real young, he did Go Karts and motorcycles," Kalitta says. "He loves the sport and wants to win. He's adamant about it. I think that's the good word." Kalitta says his driver is indeed, so laid back, however, that one would think he had that much ambition and desire to race.
"Mac Tools was an associate sponsor and last year we approached them. The
people at Mac are tremendously pumped about it. They see it as 'their' and
all their sales people and all their management people treat it as such.
It's amazing the enthusiasm we get when they come to a race."
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