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NHRA Driver killed in crash

Scott Kallitta (1962-2008)

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.

Kalitta's Toyota Solara was traveling at about 300 mph when it burst into flames.

The Palmetto, Fla., resident started his career at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in 1982. His father, Connie Kalitta, was a longtime driver and team owner known as "The Bounty Hunter," and his cousin, Doug Kalitta, also drives competitively.

"We are deeply saddened and want to pass along our sincere condolences to the entire Kalitta family," the NHRA said in a statement. "Scott shared the same passion for drag racing as his legendary father, Connie. He also shared the same desire to win, becoming a two-time series world champion. He left the sport for a period of time, to devote more time to his family, only to be driven to return to the drag strip to regain his championship form. ... He will be truly missed by the entire NHRA community."

Kalitta had most of his racing success in Top Fuel, highlighted by his series 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.

Bad deal. I'm interested to find out if the fatal injuries were caused by the initial explosion or the crash in the wall at the end of the track. I just saw an interview with Tony Pedregon where he questions why the tracks have not lengthened the shutdown areas despite how much faster the cars go now. Although seeing the replay I think a mile long shut down area may not have made a difference, as that car was not slowing down at all before the crash.

R.I.P. Scott Kalitta

I go to Englishtown regularly (or at least I used to), a lot of people complain that the runoff is too short, but I doubt even if the shutdown was lengthened that it would make a difference since he was traveling so fast.

This is terrible!!!!!!!! I am a big fan of the NHRA and have met Scott in real life before. This is just terrible. Is it me, or have a lot of people died in the past 5 years in the NHRA????

One of the sports programs covering the story showed a list of fatalities in the NHRA. From 1996 when Blaine Johnson was killed until 2004 when Darrell Russell was killed there were no fatalities. Since then including Russell there have been four fatalities if I remember right. Plus John Force's bad wreck. I wonder if maybe it is time to slow down the fuel classes, I've seen 280 mph runs and 320 mph runs in person and both are pretty spectacular. I don't think it will sissify drag racing at all to come up with a maximum supercharger drive ratio or go to a lower percentage yet of nitromethane than they run now. Unlike NASCAR at Daytona and Talladega you wouldn't have to worry about packs or single file racing. You could still have proper drag racing, but with 5.0 second e.t.s at 300 mph instead of 4.60 at 330 mph. I don't think the fans would have a huge problem as long as the noise, vibration and pulsing power would still exist.

was that a concrete wall at the end of the track???................xoxoxoo

..an amateur video of the crash........

http://www.kladblog.com/content/html...ra_crash-2.asp

:eek: :no: :shakehead:

This seriously sucks. I've met Scott Kalitta a couple of times and it's hard to believe that he's just poof gone.

That crash was fucked up though. I bet he was doing 150-200 MPH at the end of the track...straight into that concrete wall.

I just watched him race two weeks prior. Hard to believe this. But, Robert Hight sure payed a fitting tribute in the run he was supposed to have against him.

YouTube

Quote:

Originally Posted by laconic1

I wonder if maybe it is time to slow down the fuel classes, I've seen 280 mph runs and 320 mph runs in person and both are pretty spectacular. I don't think it will sissify drag racing at all to come up with a maximum supercharger drive ratio or go to a lower percentage yet of nitromethane than they run now. Unlike NASCAR at Daytona and Talladega you wouldn't have to worry about packs or single file racing. You could still have proper drag racing, but with 5.0 second e.t.s at 300 mph instead of 4.60 at 330 mph. I don't think the fans would have a huge problem as long as the noise, vibration and pulsing power would still exist.

Pro racers know the dangers and they accept them. Racing is about pushing limits or performance and striving to do better. Hitting a wall at 100mph after your car explodes will leave you just as dead as 200+

As performance advances, safety does. Every accident is investigated and the organizations sponsoring races have a vested interest in making sure that if nothing else comes from an injury or death, at least people know what went wrong. This might lead to longer runoffs, impact damping barriers, or even just the knowledge of what went wrong in the car that killed him, but people will learn from it and they will be able to race more safely because of it.

Well it looks like NHRA is making its first changes after Kalitta's death.

http://www.nhra.com/content/news/30355.htm

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhra.com

NHRA shortens race distance for Top Fuel and Funny Car classes to 1,000 feet as an interim safety measure click to show

As the investigation continues into the tragic accident that took the life of driver Scott Kalitta, NHRA has announced that beginning at the Mopar Mile High Nationals in Denver, Colo., both the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes will race to 1,000 feet instead of the traditional 1,320 feet or one-quarter mile. This is an interim step that is being taken while NHRA continues to analyze and determine whether changes should be made to build upon the sport's long standing safety record, given the inherent risks and ever-present dangers associated with the sport.

This interim change was made by NHRA in collaboration with professional race teams. NHRA believes that racing the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes to 1,000 feet will allow NHRA and the racing community time to evaluate, analyze and implement potential changes based on the safety initiatives outlined last week.

With the change, fans will still be able to enjoy the sights, sounds and thrill of NHRA nitro racing with speeds around 300 mph and quick elapsed times to 1,000 feet.

Over the years, NHRA has implemented many initiatives to enhance safety including measures to limit speeds from increasing, personal protective gear, vehicle improvements, and track enhancements such as sand traps, catch nets and concrete barriers the entire length of the drag strip.

In the wake of the tragic series of events that took Kalitta's life, the following technical issues are currently under investigation: 1) what might be done to reduce engine failures; 2) parachute mounting techniques and materials as well as identifying a parachute material that could be more fire resistant; 3) exploring whether there is a way to increase brake efficiency when cars lose downforce due to the loss of the body; 4) analyzing additional methods that might be developed at the top end of the race track to help arrest runaway vehicles; 5) considering whether current speeds should be further limited or reduced to potentially improve safety.

“The board members of the Professional Racers Owners Organization (PRO) wholeheartedly and unanimously support this decision,” said its president Kenny Bernstein. “We want to thank NHRA for listening to our input and suggestions to incorporate these changes. It is not lost on any of us that this constitutes a change in our history of running a quarter-mile, but it's the most immediate adjustment we can make in the interest of safety which is foremost on everyone's mind. This may be a temporary change and we recognize it is not the total answer. We will continue to work hand in hand with NHRA to evaluate other methods of making Top Fuel and Funny Car competition safer so that we might return to our quarter-mile racing standard. We also want to thank Connie Kalitta for his invaluable input. He has been a rock through these difficult times.”

I guess shortening the track is a good interim move. The last 320' go by so quick that it wont take too much away from the peak speeds and e.t.s reached. On some tracks with good air I wouldn't be surprised if 300 mph could still be reached. I'll probably be going to the Mile High Nationals next weekend, and I don't think it will take away from the experience at all.

IMO it's a ridiculous move.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodypainter

IMO it's a ridiculous move.

x2.

I had this debate full force on another site, and don't want to go back into here, but I don't care if that extra 320' can net you 600 feet of stopping distance. When you're going 280+ in a rail and your chutes don't deploy, you're fucked. You can't stop in sand traps, you're not going to ease into a concrete wall.

They need to redesign these chutes (which FREQUENTLY don't deploy, especially when engulfed in flames), they need to lengthen the shutdown on the shorter tracks, and for the interim, they should limit the nitro percentages on the short tracks to keep speeds and ET's down.

Slowing the cars down is not an answer. A couple of friends & I are working on a system to get the cars safely stopped in case of the driver being unconscious after something like this. It needs some work, and certain details thought through, but, it's a heck of an idea.