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Thanks Al. I agree that Force has made huge improvements on the cars the last year or so. Is there room for improvement? Of course i think there always is. But i think the next step lays in the hands of NHRA. As stated most of these tracks were built for cars that at the time were only going 200mph. Now with them exceeding 330mph the shut down area just is not made for he extra speed. They need to either extend the shut down area and/or sand pit. I also think installing a concrete barrier behind the catch net was about the stupidest move you could have made what the hell were they thinking?

Anyway there has been talk about the tracks that have the realistate to just extend the track. The tracks that don't have the realistate there has been talk about moving the finish line to 1000 foot mark or even just running to the 1/8th mile. Personally i think the 1/8th mile idea is stupid. The 1000ft mark i can understand since most of the engine damage happens after the 1000ft mark and this will greatly help the smaller teams with financial situations.

IMO they need to figure out a percentage of how much faster the cars are going now compared to when the track was built and compensate for the percentage along with a safety zone for future higher speeds. They also need to lengthen the sand pit and use double - tripple - whatever it takes safety nets and ditch the concrete barriers.

After studding the crash i believe that the concussion from the engine letting go at or around the 1000ft mark knocked Scott unconscious of course the parachute's deployed by themselves from the explosion and it was the concrete barrier at the end of the track that caused the damage as i believe was stated above. Pictures of the car show the whole front of the car body shattered from the explosion "so much for those burst panels at those levels"

Anyway i really hope to see NHRA make some huge improvements in the very near future!.

Chris

 

Why in the world NHRA would allow a concrete barrier as a back-stop is beyond me.

 

Godspeed Scott Kalitta!
You will be missed by all of us in the racing family.

 

RIP...

whats up with those idiots on the internet saying disrespectful things about his fatal accident? Some people have no respect to pro racers.

 

i was there as well. sat and sun. it really sucked when that crash went down. i wish him and his family the best.

 

even though its there from what i here it was never touched. the net is what he hit and i think everything went over the wall. so im not sure if he even had contact with it. but i do agree with you.

i advise any racer to look at the end of etwon race way's track or any track for that matter. you have the short sand pit, the net, and there wall... after that its trees. but just beyond the trees is etown road witch you can see from the wall.......

something else..

years ago when these tracks where built cars where doing 100 less mph. as things got faster the tracks did not get longer. NHRA is now looking into this because of this wreck.

 

and not that it helps the issues here. but there also saying scott might have been knocked out due to the explosion right before the finish line. this really sucks man. i feel so bad for the guy. kinda speechless

 

Jim Head was on ESPN suggesting that they should race to the 1,000 ' mark with top fuel cars which IMHO makes a lot of sense from a saftey and parts longiviety perspective

One way or the other they need to slow down cars which have gotten excessively fast for the physcial design of the tracks

I love drag racing and it can never be 100% safe, however as top fuel drag racing claims more and more lives NHRA must step up to make the sport safer much as NASCAR did when Dale passed away in a similar tragic occurence.

Al

 

i agree 100%..... all tracks who are registered for NHRA and what ever else there is who allow faster then 7sec should be setup length wise for more stopping distance and a safer shut down in the event of a tragic issue like this.
one life is to much. NHRA needs to do something.

IMHO slowing the cars down wont do any good. if anything it may hurt the sport as 90% of the fans go to watch 4.6sec 330+mph 8000+hp machines go down the track. IMHO slowing them down to 1000ft mark is only going to hurt the sport. what needs to happen is the tracks need a longer shut down. dont try and put a band aid on the issues. fix them. and to fix them they need longer shut downs. but still a race from 0 too 1320.....

 

one more thing AL. you race at island. look at there track. there shut down is shorter then there 1/4 i beleave. and if you go to far well your in the corn fields...... they have there track rated at 7.9sec or slower. if the track cant supply what is needed for a car to slow down then restrictions need to take place like this.....

 

After talking with Scotty, Frank, Jim about this terrible tragedy in theory changing to a 1000ft mark sounds great. But in reality it wont do much. You have to remember these guys are drag racers and all they are going to do is run the car harder to the 1000ft mark to compensate for the difference. So the whole argument about parts is really nil and void. It will probably help for a little while but by next season parts wise the problem will still be there. Then there is the theory of the cars wont be going as fast at the 1000ft mark as they would be at the 1320. Well thats true for now but that does not solve the problem of what happens when both your chutes and brakes fail. It doesn't matter if you are going 30mph less "estimated speed difference at the 1000 compared to the 1320" you are still heading for a disaster.

It pains me to say this but Scott did hit the concrete post that holds the nets which is why his car decinagrated and you seen the explosion at the end of the track.

The only real conclusion i see to this safety hazard is for them to lengthen the shut down area, sand pit, and have tripple nets after that with no concrete barrier. I understand that Englishtown had the barrier there becouse behind the wall is a street but that is no excuse IMO. Im tired of friends being killed NHRA has to step up and do something about this ASAP.

And please guys Scott is in a better place its Connie, Doug, Kathy, Colin, Corey that needs the prayer in this time of need.

Chris

 

Here is some information guys for everybody. I really hope we can show support not only for the Kalitta family but for the sport as well.

Scott Kalitta

1962-2008

"Our champion. Our hero. Our friend."

Arrangements for Scott Kalitta


A public memorial service to celebrate the life of Scott Kalitta will be held this Thursday, June 26th at 7:00 p.m. at:

Ernsthausen Performing Arts Center
350 Shady Lane Drive
Norwalk, OH 44857

The Kalitta family appreciates your desire to send flowers to express your sympathy and asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to these charities close to Scott's heart:

The school his sons attend-

Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School
Attn: Development Office
315 41st Street West
Bradenton, FL 34209

B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe)
c/o Doug Herbert Performance Parts
1443 E. Gaston St.
Lincolnton, NC 28092

*All donations to BRAKES will be used for the expressed purpose of saving lives and keeping our children safe. Website – www.putonthebrakes.com


A private funeral service for family members will be held at a later date.

Cards for Scott’s family or Connie can be sent to:

Kalitta Air
818 Willow Run Airport
Ypsilanti, MI 48198

Please send condolences via E-mail to:

champion@kalittaracing.com

 

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