SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

scott kalitta died today in the fourth round of funny car qualifing at englishtown.... my prayers go out to the whole kalitta family... RIP

Former NHRA world champ Kalitta succumbs to injuries in accident

Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta, 46, died Saturday 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 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.

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

saw that. someone posted the espn replay on youtube

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

why is there a huge wall at the end of the track

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

tracks usually have a gravel pit to help stop cars at the end of tracks when their schutes don't come out. most of the times when schutes fail to deploy, they have enough power in their standard brakes to slow them down enough from a malfunction before hitting the end of the road. i would imagine the wall at the end of the track is there just because there simply isn't enough space to continue the track. engine explodes at the finish line, 300 mph. schutes come out but are burnt off almost immeadiately. i would imagine that the explosion messed up the manual brakes or possibly knocked him out. the worst drag racing accident i have ever, ever seen. i can't see there not being changes made to extend the slow down part of tracks or add a longer gravel pit/safety nets at the end. RIP Scott Kallitta

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

to stop you.

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

I have been to this track a few times. That wall at the end of the track is the only thing that stops cars from going out onto the street. They just don't have the room to add on to the track.
He was most likely dead or passed out by the time he hit the wall, so even breaks wouldn't help him.

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

2800 ft long shut down area......at 250 mph.....not enough if the driver is already knocked out.

BTW the sandtrap lip ramped the car into the air.

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

its been a while since i was there but i think that shot is deceiving, i thought the sand trap was longer (i might be thinking of the 1/8th mile track though, i forget)

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

theres usually a net before the wall as well

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

There is an air strip just past the wall so you wouldnt want an out of control car taking out a landing or departing plane.

They have been racing there for years, sometimes...things just happen.

Sucks for the family and the sport though, RIP.

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

I agree. Anything thats going faster than 140 mph+ in the quarter is risking your life. Very sad but racing is racing.

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

:y

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

I never really liked Ron Capps, but he slammed the NHRA on espn2 for racing 330mph cars on a track that was designed when the cars were going 200mph and hasn't added an inch to the shut off area since.

You know Scott Kalitta was a racer at heart though. Anyone who's family has a bazillion dollars and still races is a racer. RIP

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

That's sad. That guys been racing since I was a kid. Went out doing what he loved I guess.

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

yes its sad but for the money those guys make its still way too safe

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

i guess that counts for something, RIP

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

Thats all that counts hope I manage something a tenth as intense when I go

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

In this situation, what I was trying to say is that Scott Kalitta's dad owns Kalitta Air, which is a specialty shipping company consisting of at least 18 Boeing 747's. Whatever his sponsor paid him to race was chump change.

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

If people only knew the cargo Kallita Air handled......

like the remains of our fallen troops.......

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

+1 maybe NHRA should'nt run there with such a short shut down area

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

the shut down is long enough when the car doesnt explode and melt the chutes. the guy had 0 chance when the car blew up even if he had miles of shutdown. he veered into the wall before the end of the track, hit the net pole and tore the car in half. my friend was there working for espn on the camera crew at the end of the track. the car went airborne right in front of him. they have the footage of the medical crew pulling the body out but that footage will never be released.

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

Tell him to put it on youtube.

300mph is a good speed to die at. When I go, I want it to be 200+ mph on a motorcycle, off a cliff, into a volcano

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

its espn's property they took all that ---- and put it in a vault for noone to ever see im sure.

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

May he rest in peace.He's local to me and always seen him at the local dragstrip do test runs.

Re: SCOTT KALITTA PASSED AWAY TODAY.....
 

Hands down the most gangster-as----- dragster crash i've ever seen. Just too bad he didn't survive.

R.I.P