From tradgedy and loss comes improvement and innovation. A 1000ft run, longer runoffs, more and better nets, last resort measures, remote kill and fire suppression, chutes, explosion resistant cockpits, cages and many things come to mind when something of this nature occurs... but ingenuity only works when the need is apparent and in some instances is mandated. In my personal opinion it is up to the NHRA to provide the safest possible enviroment for the drivers of these cars doing 300+mph under the limited conditions and space they have... even if this means making sweeping mandates and slower speeds for a while until the bugs are all worked out. That being said... I certainly agree with the following commentary. MEDLEN: I promised Eric that in my mind. Ya know, his image comes to me all the time, and he keeps saying, ‘Make these race cars safe, Dad, ‘cause these guys are going to keep on drivin’ ‘em whether they’re safe or not.’ So, I’m going to try and make these cars as safe as we possibly can based on the knowledge that we have right now. I won’t quit, because I don’t want one more name added to that list (of those who have gone). My most sincere condolences go out to Scott's family, his friends and everyone he's touched during his life and in his passing.
im a man of GOD........ they call it drag racing ,stupid! people die! shut the fuck up already with the BS...a man lost his life doin what he loved! all the pissin and moanin does nothing ! grow up! i was at a drag strip and the came over about scott! we had a 30 sec moment of silence, then, they raced there cars! you dont like fire , dont be a fireman, you hate water, dont be a life guard! but after me bitchin....i will say, the retaining wall looked pretty stupid raping around the track like that~! still , i blame no one, and still give GOD shouts for there family! todd
I hope I get to go out when my numbers punched, doing exactly what I love.. What a ride! Heart felt prayers out to Scott's family.
hmmm, you're a man of god but you tell others of whom state a concern to shut the fuck up. granted there are risks for everything we do, but that doesn't mean people have to die and we turn the other cheek at it as if it's no big deal because "it comes with the territory".
concerns are fine! but theres some real stupid comments on this thread! and yeah, telling them to shut th f up, that is outta line, and i apologize! still, lets face it, he died doing what he wanted to do, and all the bitchin in the world will not change fact!
Neither would be drag racing in my book. Real drag racing is 1320 feet. That's the tradition. I read the first page of this thread and the posts I saw were borderline retarded. Limit speeds? This is drag racing not NASCAR. Blame the NHRA? Why? The best idea I read was a remote fire suppression activation system. It's a shame he died. Everyone needs to relax. Objectivly review what happened and see if any changes to safety proceedures and protocol are needed and make them if needed. I see a lot of knee jerk reactions here.
Send a big show to my home town track, NYIRP. We have 1/4 mile track, 1/4 mile paved shut down, 1/4 mile dirt shutdown and then there is like 1/2-3/4 mile wide corn field to plow through. A lot of guys don't even need to use a chute there. It's an IHRA track though.
Didn't NHRA try to slow down the cars a few years ago with adjusting the fuel mix? Didn't Eddie Hill get hurt at the starting line from the resulting engine explosion? I kinda think that regardless of how much engineering they do to the cars, the human body will only take so much abuse. The concusion from the engine explosion might have been Scott's abuse limit. Aircraft carrier stop nets might help. But stopping with the G-forces at that kind of speed might be deadly also. RIP Scott.
About 10 years (maybe more now) ago, when the then insurance company of NHRA said "when they go 300, where out of here", NHRA thought a lot about what to do. They discussed a 1000 foot track and the1/8th mile. Both ideas got only extremely loud screams from all of us, including the drivers and owners of the time, to not change the strip length. The drivers said "we can live with it". The spectators said "HELL NO". So, NHRA did some other things that helped at the time. 1) they moved the last mph light to the finish line. This shortened the powered part of the race by about a 100 feet. 2) they reduced the number of spark plugs to two, the number of fuel pumps to two, the number of valves to two (1 exh & 1 int), change the gear rules to 3:25 maximum and a host of other small changes. The speeds came down for a couple of years,,,and we bitched and bitched and bitched. But, as all drag racers do, they soon found a way to make the hemi's twist to over 8,500 rpm's. The speeds cam back up. Then there was the max tire size, the rpm limiter and etc. NHRA tried to get it under control as best they could without putting a strangle hold on the drag racers imagination or making the racing boring. As to the idea of the "back-in-the-day" cars going 200 and putting on a good show. This was very very very true. But we lost a lot of good drivers back then too. Remember, the cars then were front motored and no longer than about 180 inch wheel base. Some were longer, but not many. They soked the hides form the start to the finish making for a great show. But that was then. Now, if lets say, go back to say 400 CI max, we max out the blower at a 671, maybe an 871, go back to only one mag, one pump, no slipper clutches (triple disc lock ups like the old ones), no electronics at all, no clutch management system, no fuel management system, no computers, but keep todays safety rules, we could have fun as hell racing at 200 or so. But since that isn't going to happen, lets keep level heads, be quiet and stay still until the investigators figure out exactly what DID happen. Then let them make their recommendations and changes. But above all, do not put a starngle hold on the racers imagination.
perhaps NHRA will go the way of NASCAR and develop "standardized" racing machines for sale by vendors selected through nepotism, rather than quality. perhaps the new car can be called the "DRAGSTER OF THE FUTURE" and perhaps NHRA will do this under the auspices of "safety" as has Nascar, then perhaps I'll start watching GOLF.. because then NHRA will smell as badly as Nascar. not to belittle the loss of Scott (or any other racer) but Drag racing is a dangerous sport, each participant knows the risks, and stepping onto the track indicates the acceptance of some level of risk..
The netting on Carriers is designed to **Catch** a 50,000 pound aircraft yes, the stopping it is down by the ships hydraulic catch wire system. Would this benefit...maybe but inertia says other wise. Hitting netting at 300 would be the same as slamming into a wall. My prays are with Scotts family. Every racer knows the risk before they strap in, and so does their family. I have lost family to racing also. The only settling emotion we had is they died doing what they love.
guess the investagation is starting....according to POLICELINK.COM the N.J. state police and NHRA are starting to take a "outside" look at the accident...good this might keep the spin doctors outof it,
i dont understand the purpose of that barrier at the end of the strip. its a swamp on the other side right? is it worse to hit a swamp at 300 m.p.h. or a concrete wall?.... of course ive never seen the track, and am just going off what ive heard. dont know if thats really the case or not
not a swamp there is a public road, still don't think concrete is the best choice but from the sat view it does look like they planned for the wall to redirect the car to the left rather than run straight into it. I read above somewhere that the car hit the pole that holds the net before the wall. There is a sat view early in this thread.
"Do not put a strangle on the racer's imagination"--Beep. That's what as brought this sport to the level we see today, film, stories, pictures from yesterday and years ago. That's why we still watch racers.
if a car can go from 0 -300 mph in 1/4 mile .you would think there would be a least 3times or more stopping distance after the finish line.just in case room.what if driver passes out /heart attack whatever (yes i know they have to pass all kinds of tests).just looks like there wasnt enough room for a car going 300 mph to stop if something happened.brickwall doesnt sound like the best idea..no blame or disrespect.just my 2cents
Don't blame the NHRA? WRONG! I had dinner last night in Indy with one of the TOP top fuel drivers in the world (former champion) who inspected the scene and according to him the whole shutoff area was designed wrong! According to my guy, the shutoff area "curved" to the left and he saw video on Scott trying to "save" the car well after the lights...until he hit the camera "boom" truck on the right side of the shutoff area where there was also a big post (corraborates Don Prudhomme's comments online) that was on the right side. According to my guy, he either hit the post and/or the TV rig (massive 4X4 rig that supports the boom camera) and I won't get into the details. Should NOT have happened if people were interested in complete SAFETY. My "guy" cannot risk being outspoken with the NHRA for the risk of pissing off his owner, sponsors, etc. He is, more than anything, saddened by the loss of a friend. He is a great guy and respected competitor and like others in his position, probably cannot do anything..plus he is assuming the risk every weekend! Don't normally like to share personal stuff like this, but I am tired of some of the BS I have read on this thread. Hope you understand.
Yeah, I Dunno- I remember qualifying @ Hallsville in '96 @ a Div. 4 Points Race, TAD, (before they finally pulled it), NHRA had them lengthen the shutdown area, which was basically pete gravel. I went 6.01 along side Daryll Russell who went 5.89. When we both got out, I remember tellin' Daryll: "Man, I thought I'd be seein you in the woods!!!" He said, "look at my brakes," which were glowing red. "Next lap we best be pullin' the chutes @ 1100 feet!" Downright dangerous and scary. We had NO business running @ that track. (Cars longer than 260 inches would high center, as you dropped down to the burnout box, as well... oh yeah, and onto the scales...) Dunno when you last ran 250+ @ an NHRA event, but I think you might have a different view if you had. Don't even get me started about night qulilifying. .....and there was the time @ Dallas when my chutes didn't deploy in Gene Boul's A- Fueler, and the NHRA Guy @ the last turnoff was waving me in, while I was going 240+!!!!!! (Can't turn an A- Fueler goin' 240, see ya in the sand!...) Dave
The NHRA, IHRA, SFI and team owners need to start thinking outside the box... We're reaching a point like the NHRA did in the late 50's where the safety technology wasn't keeping up with the car technology. Once they get it figured out... the cars will be able to go even faster... Maybe even see a 3 second ET in our lifetime... either that, or we'll see the end of professional drag racing. Sam.
I lost interest in drag racing back in the 80's. I think the best thing that ever happened was the California Hot Rod Reunion, and Nostalgia drag racing. The reason I lost interest in the 80's was it became too expensive to compete. Today if you don't have a billion dollar company billboard, then you're a spectator. The same thing happened to Nostalgia though. Big money pushed everyone to the side, and now when you arrive at Bakersfield, you are met with teams sporting $500k trucks and trailers, 10 man pit crews, and drivers with more decals on their ass then a hollywood movie starlet. Nostalgia went away, and carbon fiber came in. You look at the FED's and Funny's and there's nothing nostalgic about them. Pure billboard now. Getting killed running 4 or 5 seconds is easy. Put some decals on their ass and let them fly the billboards. Bottom line, I think the Hamber cars, Hamb drags, and Day of the Drags is where it is at today. This board sports the coolest drag cars and the most fun I've seen in 10 years. Stuff that young people can afford, old people can help, and weekend warriors can participate in.
its a tricky deal.... you really can't stop people from seeking their limits. its been that way since day one. nitro cowboys are a VERY special breed. i've know plenty of them in my lifetime. since birth. in my own garage. many of them seem like normal, everyday human beings, but just under the surface is an animal willing to risk it all for glory, honor, and speed. you cant talk them out of what seemingly sensible people would not even consider. case in point...the day after Scott Kalitta died, everyone jumped right back in their cars and ran eliminations. crass? i don't think so. its what drives these men. every one of those pilots took a brief evaluation of thier career at that moment and decided that the risk was either calculated enough or just flat worth it. people will die on a regular basis pursuing whatever thrill tickles them...but nhra is on espn. for literally my entire life, i've been watching this thing go around and around. guys getting killed or seriously messed up. people pointing fingers and guys accepting fault. it makes me sick to my stomach everytime i see even a minor on-track incident. why? because this is my family, my friends, everything i know. i've been on both sides of the butterfly (never at such tremendous velocity) and its a calculated risk EVERY TIME we strap in. i know whats possible even in the most 'minor' incident because i've seen it. at the end of the day, it was a freak accident. these things are going faster under more astronomical conditions than anyone EVER imagined. EVERYONE involved knew the risks. driver, crew, owner, track, sanctioning body...EVERYONE. thousands of passes down the e-town 1320...this pass ended in tragedy. it sucks that one of our boys had to die. i'm still having a hard time with it and i never met the guy, but he is one of our boys. i think about all of 'em every time i strap in...all of em...pete robinson...denny milliani...lee shepherd...darryl gwynn...shirley muldowney...blaine johnson...darryl russel...eric medlen...(the list goes on and on) and now scott kalitta...all gave some...some gave all... but it wont stop me from strapping in. i can't help it. i have to. so do they. nhra cant stop me from finding some way to cheat death. they can ONLY mitigate my desire on their playground. dont get me wrong...i want the safest conditions possible when i'm strapped in, but there is a moment in every drivers life when we take a minute of pause and give a pass a long, hard thought. for the TF pilot, thats EVERY PASS. i've made the choice to bow out based on crummy track conditions and the risk of wriknling my little racecar because my entire life does not revolve around drag racing...although its a tough second... here's the TOUGH PART... this is a living for a very select group of individuals. if you dont race, you dont eat. there aint enough nitro sport to support a giant overflow of unemployed NHRA folk. people gotta make a living. it sucks. it sucks for the kalittas. it sucks for nhra. it sucks for the sport. it sucks. but at the end of the day, had he not gone off the end of the trap at full speed we'd not be having this discussion. it sucks.
I have a question, if they start putting in all this latest and greatest saftey equipment, and restriting classes blablabla, how is that going to effect regristration fees, and the purses. Im asking cause I know some sponsers will cover regristration, but no all, and who can afford to race if the purse isnt worth it. What is that going to do to the sport??
Not to keep this thing going, but I want to say that "I would be more than willing to listen to the DRIVERS first", then NHRA, then the owners and then the sponsors and lastly us straphangers.. These guys know their needs and we should all listen to them first. If a TF driver says the NJ strip is dangerous,,,,I say close it.
I wouldn't presume to throw stones, but what the hell was a concrete barrier doing at the end of that track anyhow? THat's common sense right there. I'm not totally up on rules and safety for hard core drag racing, but wouldn't it make a LOT more sense to assume a time would come that there would be total brake/chute failure? Wouldn't it make sense to calculate just how far a drag car would need to coast to a stop from over 300 mph and make the track at LEAST that long? Seems like common sense to me. Sure, that would be a LOT of wasted space, but it would pay for itself the ONE time it all that extra space was needed. It sucks, and yes, drag racing is dangerous, but why make it more dangerous by racing at an immobile barrier at 300 mph? When I saw that video, I couldn't believe there was a friggin wall at the end. That's just stupid.
I am a huge pro drag racing fan and the tragic death of Scott deeply saddens me. What concerns me more is the fact that many of you and your "guys" are complaining now about something (the tracks) that have been this way for years. There are no rules that say a pro team has to race at every NHRA sanctioned event. If they beleive the track to be unsafe or designed wrong, DON'T RACE THERE!!!!! It is wrong to now complain about something that they have been using for years and therefore accepted!! If there was non-permanent equipment at the big end that contributed to the crash and subsequent exposion, that's another story. That should be addressed and corrected for future events. Many problems come to light as technologies in speed make cars faster. The problems at many of these tracks are ones that were not perceived before. The thing to do now is to stop playing Monday morning quarterback and complaining about things that we knew. We need to develope new safety technologies that all track owners can afford and that the racers can live with, and yeah I mean that in both the literal and figurative sense. Rest comfortably Scott!!!!!
If you want to see the shut down area Google Old Bridge Airport. You can See the intire track. Also can see there is about, a third on a mile behind the starting line! The shut down area looks to be, 1700 hundred ft to the wall
I googled this. And looked atthe satelite image. The shut down is closer to 2500 feet by my estimation and the are behind the starting line is maybe 500 feet. There appears to be a wooded area behind it that may go close to 1/3 of a mile to the next road. Also the end of the shut down looks to be very close to a public road. Hence the concrete barrier at the top end.
The Jalopy Journal
