SPORTS
January 30, 1998 | SHAV GLICK
For as long as there has been drag racing on the old Fairgrounds track at Pomona, there has been a Kalitta there. Connie Kalitta, racing's original "Bounty Hunter," chased Don "Big Daddy" Garlits across the finish line in the 1963 Winternationals when races were won in 8.26 seconds at 186.32 mph. Four years later, his one good eye focused on the blinking lights of the Christmas tree they used back then to start races, Kalitta drove his Ford dragster to victory in 7.17 seconds at 218.43 mph.
SPORTS
February 11, 2009 | Jim Peltz
After Scott Kalitta's fatal crash nearly eight months ago, National Hot Rod Assn. racing underwent major safety changes. And Kalitta's racing cousin, Doug, went without a victory. But Doug Kalitta's winless streak ended Tuesday when he beat Antron Brown to win the top-fuel race -- shortened to 1,000 feet after his cousin's death -- at the rain-delayed NHRA Kragen O'Reilly Winternationals in Pomona. It was the first win at Auto Club Raceway for Kalitta, 44, and his first overall since 2007.
SPORTS
October 16, 1995 | Associated Press
Scott Kalitta, John Force and Warren Johnson clinched Winston championships Sunday at the Chief Auto Parts Nationals at the Texas Motorplex. Only Kalitta managed to cap the championship with a victory in the $1,368,550 event, the 18th stop in the 19-race NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series. Yorba Linda's Force lost to Chuck Etchells in the Funny Car finals, and Johnson exited in the semifinals as his son, Kurt, picked up the Pro Stock victory.
SPORTS
June 22, 2008 | From the Associated Press
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. -- Scott Kalitta died Saturday when his funny car burst into flames and crashed at the end of the track during the final round of qualifying for the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. The NHRA said the 46-year-old Kalitta -- the 1994 and 1995 top-fuel season champion who had 18 career victories, 17 in top fuel and one in funny car -- was taken to the Old Bridge division of Raritan Bay Medical Center, where he died a short time later.
SPORTS
July 11, 2008 | Jim Peltz, Times Staff Writer
In the time it takes to read this sentence, a car in big-league professional drag racing can reach a top speed of 330 mph as it traverses one quarter of a mile, or 1,320 feet, in less than five seconds. That's five times faster than one drives on the freeway. Now, in the aftermath of a crash that killed one of its competitors, drag racing believes that's too fast. And the sport's drivers are now willing to accept less speed for more safety.
SPORTS
July 4, 2004 | Martin Henderson, Times Staff Writer
Rob Geiger got lost on the way to the hospital. He and Racers for Christ chaplain Larry Smiley flagged down a St. Louis police officer who escorted them to University Medical Center to see Darrell Russell. Already there were drag racer Brandon Bernstein, team owner Kenny Bernstein and his wife, Sheryl. There was also a hospital chaplain who delivered the news: "He didn't make it."