Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing College just lately hosted three generations of Kalitta household racers and enabled the newest group to quick monitor their very own drag racing careers.
Held on the Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Hawley’s common NHRA Tremendous Comp dragster licensing course welcomed a trio of doable future stars of the game: Mitch Kalitta, the 22-year-old son of veteran NHRA High Gasoline competitor Doug Kalitta; Colin Kalitta, the 23-year-old son of late multitime NHRA High Gasoline champion Scott Kalitta; and 28-year-old Kalitta Motorsports’ Advertising and marketing Supervisor Luke Fath.
Doug shocked College employees and attendees by bringing his uncle, the legendary “Bounty Hunter” Connie Kalitta, alongside for a go to. Kalitta, a storied NHRA High Gasoline competitor with a protracted listing of accolades, together with induction into the Motorsports Corridor of Fame of America and the primary recipient of the NHRA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, appreciated seeing the household custom he began being handed down.
“After I was a child, I had photographs of Connie’s High Gasoline vehicles on my bed room wall. I at all times needed to turn out to be knowledgeable drag racer,” remembered Frank Hawley, the college’s proprietor. “Having each Connie and Doug there was a deal with for everybody.”
Mitchell, Colin, and Luke all loved driving the college’s Tremendous Comp dragsters and did fairly nicely.
“Connie was impressed with what Frank’s received occurring and what he did for the three boys,” added Doug Kalitta, who graduated from Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing College a few years in the past. “They’d enjoyable, and it was good to get them extra seat time,” mentioned Doug. “Frank is the very best at instruction and does a fantastic job. I’d extremely suggest his college to anybody that wishes to drive any kind of drag automobile.”
Though each Mitchell and Colin had pushed Jr. Dragsters beforehand, the younger males have been astonished by how shortly the full-size vehicles accelerated compared. Fath, too, benefitted from the eye-opening expertise from a distinct perspective and walked away with a greater understanding of what goes on behind the wheel.
“I’ve been round High Gasoline vehicles since I used to be 12 years previous and have at all times seen Tremendous Comp vehicles within the lanes, nevertheless it was intimidating to get within the automobile and put it on the transbrake and let go of the button,” Fath defined, including that he garnered an entire new respect for Sportsman drivers when he felt the joys of pace for himself. Plus, having his mentors Doug and Connie standing by watching made it a reasonably surreal state of affairs total. “This actually modified the best way I view what these guys do. It’s addicting.”
There’s a particular curiosity for the following era of Kalitta males to proceed their very own drag racing careers, so it’s not unlikely they could find yourself again at it if the proper state of affairs turns into accessible.
“It was nice to have Mitchell, Colin, and Luke attend our program,” famous Hawley. “All of them did a fantastic job, and I look ahead to seeing them get an opportunity to go racing.”
