Connie Kalitta

Conrad Kalitta (born February 24, 1938) is an American businessman and former drag racing driver, nicknamed "the Bounty Hunter." Kalitta is the CEO of Kalitta Air and the owner of Kalitta Motorsports.

Biography Kalitta was born in Michigan, grew up in Mount Clemens, and was a 1957 graduate of Mount Clemens High School.

Kalitta raced from the 1950s through the 1990s. He was the first driver of a Top Fuel dragster to hit in a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) sanctioned eventthe 1964 NHRA U.S. Nationals.

Kalitta was runner-up at the 1963 NHRA Winternationals 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, in a 427ci "cammer"–powered Top Fuel dragster. 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, in a lead role, in the Muldowney biography film Heart Like a Wheel (1983).

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

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