I am still in shock after being with Scott & Connie earlier that afternoon at Etown and talking about the past. I go back with both 30 plus years and seeing Scott grow up and follow in his father footsteps. It strange that the place he he started his racing career in 1982 with a R/U finish is the place were it ended. And also that he was in the opposite lane racing his T/F racing Blaine Johnson and Darrel Russell ..both who past on in seperate crashes. Our thoughts are prayers are with the family, team and all in drag racing...RIP
Redline I agree it looks like the lift is behind the wall where the impact occured but it is really rocking around after the car hit. Only a guess but perhaps the car hit the wall and pushed on into the base of the lift. That lift would be extremely heavy to serve as a counter balance for the boom.
he will be missed here in ypsi, the shop will not be the same without him around, my thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends, he will be missed!!!!!!!! I dont think i want to goto the race shop this week <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=120 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> Scott Kalitta</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta, 46, died June 21 from multiple injuries suffered after his car went out of control and crashed in a high-speed racing accident at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park during the fourth and final round of qualifying at the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals. Kalitta was extracted from his car by NHRA emergency services officials and transported to Old Bridge Township Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Kalitta, a two-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Top Fuel champion and one of only 14 drivers in NHRA history to earn victories in both premier nitro categories, earned 18 victories during his career, his last coming in Chicago in 2005 in Top Fuel. Kalitta earned most of his racing success in Top Fuel, where he claimed back-to-back world championship titles in 1994 and 1995. He retired from racing in 1997, sitting out most of two seasons before returning for a 10-race campaign in 1999. He sat out three more seasons following that brief stint and then returned again in 2003, joining cousin Doug as a second driver for the family's two Top Fuel dragsters. Kalitta started his pro career in Top Fuel in 1982, running limited events for four seasons before moving to Funny Car in 1986 for his first full season of competition. He returned to that category full time in 2006. He posted a runner-up finish two weeks ago in Chicago, his 36th career NHRA final-round appearance. Kalitta is survived by his father, legendary NHRA racer and team owner Connie Kalitta; wife, Kathy; and sons, Corey, 14, and Colin, 8. <!-- END STORY -->
Not sure what your problem is. NHRA's first consideration should be safety. Does runnin 300+ mph funny cars on a track that ends with a short sand trap and concrete wall sound like a good idea to you? Despite a large number of accidents and multiple fatalities in the funny car group over the past couple of years, NHRA has yet to address car design or track layout issues.
I have to agree. It took the loss of 3 NASCAR drivers in '01 to get the HANS types into the cars and one was their premier driver. Before that they at least put in restrictor plates on the big tracks because the speeds were out of what they every pictured. Even now they're running 'safe walls' or whatever they call them on the outside of the tracks. Hockey has moved from no helmets to a push for face shields because of the equipment and the players getting better. Baseball has had to take the death of a base coach to get them to start wearing batting helmets in the coaching boxes at 1st and 3rd. Why shouldn't NHRA issue the statement that if you can't slow a car down from 300 to 0 within a certain distance, the tracks would not be used? It is basic physics. They know the weight of the car. They know the speed at the lights, why not assume the worst case and picture no brakes, no chute, no concious driver and run the calculations? This is a terrible loss and I strongly feel it could have been avoided. They plan around an engine blowing up, why not a car not stopping? My brother only runs 1/2 as fast in his turboed Mustang. I would NEVER say he died doing what he loved after I've seen how Scott's life was lost. It was preventable.
NASCAR didn't do anything while Kenny Irwin,Adam Petty,Clifford Allison, Ricky Craven,Ernie Ervan,and others,were being killed and injured. NASCAR didn't do anything when they knew Dale Earnhardt sr's seat and belts were not mounted correctly.Ultimately,this contributed to his death. ---- SFI is a political Cluster Fuck,car builders with conflicting ideas arguing instead of scientifically testing ideas.John Force's crash last year proved that.NHRA has lost control of the Nitro cars, in terms of performance and safety. Way past time for NHRA to slow down the Nitro cars. Smaller blowers,smaller fuel pumps,smaller fuel tanks,whatever. But they won't,until the the insurance companies demand it. And until then,how many more will die ? --- Godspeed Scott.
don't take this the wrong way, i'm not being sarcastic (for a change)but, ya know, THAT might be the most intelligent thing i've heard! odd as it may be, it COULD be the best what to slow 'em down. that and run 'em a 1000 ft.... 1/8th mile is out as far as i'm concerned....
It's such an easy matter to slow the fuel cars down - reduce the blower size and mandatory single fuel pumps and magnetos. All external and cheater proof. So simple.......
I don't know much about the subject, but Englishtown Raceway seems to be on shakey ground as far as their future goes. I don't think they are in a position to buy real estate (especially a public roadway), extend their strip (probably not allowed due to the track only being permitted due to a "gradfather" clause in the Zoning regulations) or give up their NHRA events which keeps them profitable in the very expensive New Jersey economy. Large scale changes at this and many other tracks would reult in demise. Many of the tracks would not survive on bracket-racing alone. The bottom line is that the cars are too fast and drivers will get hurt. It has always been that way. Safety gear used to be rudementary, but speeds were lower. Today's safety gear is pretty darn good...but the speeds have increased at levels faster than the development and implementation of safety. It doesn't make tragedies like this any less heartbreaking though.
That track ain't long enough for 4 second cars. But then I guess it makes it that much more thrilling. Terrible news, and prayers to the family. They all know he died doing something he had the talent and balls for, and I'm sure he lived for participating in the sport. I think it's time for ejection seats, or new rules to slow them down. I know the fans could care less about the ET.
They're a tough family in two tough businesses. I don't think any of them undervalued the risks. But it doesn't make it any easier on the kids and family. THoughts and prayers to them all. As for NHRA, the fans don't want to cheer for speeds and times that are far slower than prior years unless they easily understand why - less distance. Anybody can get their minds around less distance but the idea of less power or restricted technology will seem like a step backward. 320 feet will make all the difference. I know a little about the T/F machinery and physics and I must say IMO it is insane to shoot a man through a 50 foot hole at 330mph. Of course we said it at 300mph, but really, what are the limits on human endurance?
Anybody know what the ET and Speed be at 1000 Ft with the current nitro cars? In the 3's at 300 plus has a nice sound to it. Let the other classes still run the 1/4.
Thats a tough loss for all,scott was a class act.Conrad is a tough old bird,but this is a heartbreaker....Sad,very sad.
There Is No Concrete Wall At The End Of E-town Raceway. the video is decieving. it ahs a slight bend to it. look at google earth. people are make speculation that have never been to the track. the shutdown is plenty long. one on the longest I have been on. if you read don prudomes statement he says that at that speed sand will launch anything and that it was just a freak accident when you hit the pole that is holding the net that is supposed to stop you. you can't blame nhr or the track for a driver getting in a car in a dangerous sport. afteralll we get in our hotrods with no airbags, no driver side door protection and no abs brakes and drive down highways with drunks and people talking on cell phones that kill thousands every year. at 250 mph if you hit a net it would probably still not be good. too much deaccleration in a hsort amount of time. nhra is one of the safest auto racing bodies. thousands of cars race at nhra tracks everyweekend. many more than nascar, scca, irl. just tired of everyone here and on other forms passing blame and jumping to comclusions. I'll miss scott and all the other fallen nhra driver form the past
Sad Sad news... Hindsight is 20-20, but why cant they implement a net type deal at the end of the runway in case of chute failure etc. like on aircraft carriers when a jet jumps the hook?
Al and the rest on here who traveled with the circus should know what to do. All members of F.U.C.M. you definitely know the drill. The rest of you here please do the following with us to honor a great man, son, freind and champion. Find a nice quiet place to sit reflect on the good things this life gives us. Pour a drink of your choice, water or stronger again your choice. Pour one for Scott "Eddie" Kalitta and drink them both. Then go and hug someone you care about. RIP in my freind. We will always miss you! Yeah I hear you Eddie...it's 5 o'clock somewhere...meet you in the bar. God Speed Scott God Speed.
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