Race car driver Kalitta killed in crash at Old Bridge Raceway

The Star-Ledger ^ | June 21, 2008 | Susan Wade and Jeffery C. Mays

[racing fan]

Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta was killed today in a fiery crash during a drag race at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, race officials said.

Kalitta, 46, was pronounced dead at Old Bridge Township Hospital after his car lost control during the fourth and final round of qualifying at the National Hot Rod Association Super Nationals, according to statement by the association.

[July 4th]

looks to me like the drag chute never fully deployed.

Actually, it looks like the chute fully deployed. Problem was, there wasn't much left of it after the initial explosion. Wouldn't surprise me if he made it through the blast, only to die once he met the wall.

[rottndog]

For those who don't know...Connie Kalitta is the owner of Kalitta Air Charters. Connie bought and specifically equipped Air Craft to transport Our Fallen Heroes (KIA from Iraq and Afghanistan) in a dignified manner back home to their loved ones. It was a Vast Improvement from having them delivered as air cargo aboard commercial air craft.

[SIDENET]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DziJdGwFQjU

[Malsua]

Very sad.

Prayers to him and his family.

Personally, I think Funny Cars should be banned.

They really aren’t cars, they are a fiberglass body over a chassis. More than once, they have contained the fire and killed the driver.

I used to wrench on a 6 second ride that was a full frame off camero. A few years after I moved on, our boss ate fire when the fuel pump puked gallons of fuel on the hood at the line. He wouldn’t have lived had he been in a funny car. Even with his firesuit, he damn near didn’t make it.

[Eye of Unk]

Scott will probably be the the Dale Sr. of NHRA in as such as future safety requirements, first off I can see that there should have been something, anything better than what looked like a solid barrier at the end of that strip.

I doubt SAFR would help, maybe something that stops aircraft like nets or a road surface that sinks the vehicle in air pockets (Mythbusters).

[Loud Mime]

This is truly sad. Scott was good to talk to and seemed to be a good sport in a very competive motor sport. God knows all the races who have left us after climbing to the top.

Jimmy Clark, Jochen Rindt, Graham Hill, Darrel Russell, Eric Medlin....if you watch racing you're going to see some of the sportsmen pay the ultimate price.

Did you ever see the news from the 1964 Indy 500? Two drivers killed and Parnelli Jones bailing from a burning car in the pits as he directed it to a wall....an accident plagued race if there ever was one.

Indy 500 Crash in 1964 After this crash, gasoline was no longer used at the speedway.

[Loud Mime]

The drag chute got tied up, it was probably burned to some extent by the fire. If the chute is nylon, fire will cause it to melt together before it deploys. From what I read on the Simpson Equipment web site, the chute may be made of canvas.

Whatever it is, it burns. They need to get the chute away from a burning car; IMHO it would have saved Scott’s life here. Possibly an emergency system that is activated along with the fire extinguishers.

Scott hit the sand hard. There was no aerodymic braking..he was probably busy hitting the extinguishers.

[ryan71]

A WALL???

Why would they build a wall at the end of the track?

Why not a sand trap?

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

It's also possible that the chute took little damage but was being weighed down by fiberglass parts it caught, something almost impossible to prevent.

ESPN interviews with other drivers brought up something I didn't even think about. In the early days, the slow down areas and safety overruns were designed for cars with problems like a stuck accelerator and no chute. Only the speeds weren't as fast as they are today. Few strips have kept up with the new higher speeds, many have the same set up as when they were first built. The drivers were accusing the owners of negligence.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

A person who was there said that the sand pile at the end of the strip was a bump and acted like a launch ramp.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Reports were that he may have been knocked out by the explosion.

[MarMema]

Thanks for posting. Memory Eternal, Scott.

[rottndog]

Here are some pics of Kalitta Charters bringing a hero home...






Kalitta Charters has done hundreds of these missions. Connie Kalitta specifically had these planes equipped for this duty. His dedication to our fallen heroes is to be commended. There is now a Scott Kalitta condolence thread on the PGR home page. You do not have to be registered on the site to view this thread (but you do if you want to post).


Star...PGR ping please?

[Jet Jaguar]

When the green flag drops, the bullsh!t stops.

Rest in peace Scott.

Prayers up to your family and friends.

[HokieMom]

Thanks for the explanation.

[MarkL]

Here's a bit more if you're interested:

Anatomy of a Funny Car

Mark

[Loud Mime]

At the end you can see the camera crane move; it must have been hit by something. We’re not seeing photos from that...which is ok by me.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

RIP Scott, we will miss you champ.

[Dead Corpse]

Guys like Scott go out to the edge and come back to tell the rest of us what it was like.

RIP Scott.