Class is ...Doug Kalitta...

#31 11-14-2006, 10:42 AM

My phone call to my wife right after the numbers flashed up on the board contained a lot more than one expletive....

I felt so sad for Doug, and still do, like I said in another post, i really felt like crying for him.... just a tough way for it to happen.

Let's hope they can be right there next year.

#32 11-14-2006, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Wilt

The more I think about it, this years Top Fuel points run was reeeaaaaly spectacular. I kind of wish I was more of an open-minded fan and not so friggin Kalitta-biased so I could just enjoy the pure sportsmanship of it. Very entertaining - and I thank ALL the big teams for that.

Well there ya go.... I think it is great to be a passionate fan of one team and yet appreciate the overall sport.

#33 11-14-2006, 05:19 PM

Quote:

My phone call to my wife right after the numbers flashed up on the board contained a lot more than one expletive....

LOL-I was yelling some expletives at the tv and the poor dog hid upstairs.

I was pissed but like Doug said "They got the job done".

#34 11-14-2006, 06:56 PM

Doug has always been a class act and handled himself well. I've always wondered how he seems to always remain so calm despite all the excitement that surrounds him. I really felt for Doug because he, Rahn and the rest of the Kalitta team put up an incredible fight til the end. Like somebody else said it's a shame someone has to lose. Doug's definitely champion material I hope he gets to put that #1 on the side of his car soon.

#35 11-15-2006, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by Chris Wilt
The more I think about it, this years Top Fuel points run was reeeaaaaly spectacular. I kind of wish I was more of an open-minded fan and not so friggin Kalitta-biased so I could just enjoy the pure sportsmanship of it. Very entertaining - and I thank ALL the big teams for that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay Smith

Well there ya go.... I think it is great to be a passionate fan of one team and yet appreciate the overall sport.

They had the camera on Ron Capps after Schumacher's run and you know he had to still be feeling pretty bad about the way things turned out in FC and even he was applauding.....................

I know everyone has their own opinion but I think that is the most astounding, amazing turn of events I have ever seen in drag racing

#36 11-15-2006, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mel Smith

Originally Posted by Chris Wilt
The more I think about it, this years Top Fuel points run was reeeaaaaly spectacular. I kind of wish I was more of an open-minded fan and not so friggin Kalitta-biased so I could just enjoy the pure sportsmanship of it. Very entertaining - and I thank ALL the big teams for that.

That says it all for me right there.

I was so down in the dumps with Kalitta losing that I found it hard to appreciate the spectacle that I had just watched, which I am starting to appreciate a little more with time.

#37 11-15-2006, 04:11 PM

Great Article by the reporter formerly known as Scoop

Geiger Counter: November*2006

Quote:

General Douglas MacArthur once prayed, "Build me a son, O Lord, who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory."

Those words ring especially true after what has to go down as the single greatest quarter-mile run of all time -- Tony Schumacher's otherworldly 4.428-second pass that set a world record, won him the race, and finally erased the largest deficit in championship chase history. Of course the flipside of Schumacher's awesome run is the shocking and heart-wrenching reality that likable and deserving Doug Kalitta had to suffer one of the worse letdowns ever.

As Master of Ceremony Bob Frey recounted what is already being called "The Run" during Monday night's awards ceremony when he introduced Schumacher as the new champ, the pain was so unbearable that most of the Mac Tools team got up and left the room. Kalitta and Rahn Tobler stayed, chins held high, and graciously watched Schumacher accept the trophy. ESPN2 cameras recorded their every flinch and grimace as a highlight reel of Schumacher's season ran on the big screens. So close, and yet so far away.

Only time will tell how this cruel turn of events affects Tobler and Kalitta, who was given a long, heartfelt, and well-deserved standing ovation by the capacity crowd when he was recognized as the No. 2 racer in the points. I suspect that upon reflection, both of them, along with the wounded men on the crew, will rebound better than ever. Once they reflect on the fact that Schumacher and crew chief Alan Johnson did what they had to do to win it all, and did so within the parameters of the sport, they will realize that it just wasn't meant to be this time through.

Just as Schumacher was "humble and gentle in victory," so to was Kalitta "proud and unbending in honest defeat."

MacArthur also said that "the difference between victory and defeat is oftentimes no more than an eyelash." This rings especially true for Kalitta, who lost his first title by 14 points, less than a single round of action. I'm sure he can go back over the season and find several rounds he'd like to have back. But Schumacher could say the same thing. Bottom line, Schumacher got it done, Kalitta didn't, at least not in 2006.

Perhaps MacArthur's most memorable and recognizable quote should become the new rallying cry of Kalitta's troops: "I shall return!"

#38 11-15-2006, 09:21 PM

Interesting to note here that Doug also finished 12th in IHRA Nitro Funny Car this season!
This was a GREAT year for these guys. Doug went to 5 TF final rounds - and won 5 races. They won the Big Bud Shootout. The special Chip Foose & Von Dutch cars. Facing Hillary Will in the Memphis final. Overtaking the points lead from Troxel in Denver. Thier heads are high - and right now as you read this, they're already prepping & plotting out the course for next season.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search