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    #1

    NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

    One of my favourite drivers when I was younger. Scott Kalitta, Son of Legend Connie, died today at Englishtown at the age of 46. So so terrible.

    RIP Scotty.


    http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g...GVP-wD91EP9H80

    ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (AP) — Scott Kalitta died Saturday when his Funny Car crashed and burst into flames during the final round of qualifying for the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
    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 Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, where he died a short time later.
    Quote from Inquiring Mind:

    Of course stamphater is sacred... we all worship the ground he walks on.

    #PizStrong
    Tags: None
    #2
    Re: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

    Tragic

    I will not, for a moment longer, support an organization who chooses to cowardly kneel where they once fiercely & proudly stood

    Comment

      #3
      Re: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

      The fact that there is no sand pit at the end of the track and just a safety net astounds me.
      I will not, for a moment longer, support an organization who chooses to cowardly kneel where they once fiercely & proudly stood

      Comment

        #4
        Re: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

        Wow, that video is tragic to say the least. That seems to be happening far more then usual the past couple of years where the car blows up at the finish line.

        Agree that it's ridiculous to have no sand trap. Must be crazy but I thought tracks had a mandatory sand trap at some point but it's stupid to not have one when that track is so short.
        Quote from Inquiring Mind:

        Of course stamphater is sacred... we all worship the ground he walks on.

        #PizStrong

        Comment

          #5
          Re: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

          horrific...............tragic..............no other words..........
          Before you insult a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, when you insult him, you'll be a mile away, and have his shoes.

          Comment

            #6
            Re: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

            Godspeed Scott Kalitta.
            This might be the worst year for drag racing.

            I have never seen a track with no pit. Ever. I would highly doubt that there was no pit. He was going off the track faster than I've ever seen. Previous accidents that involve higher rates of speed, the car can skip across the sand. It looks like Scott might have hit the wall that anchors the net. I wonder if something got in to the car and knocked him out or worse. When Darrel Russell was killed, he was killed when a chunk of tire got him. That's why you see the shields covering the backs of the roll cage. Any way you slice it, tragic day for my favorite motorsport.

            Edit
            That race track is 4165 ft (according to their site). Our track total length is 3850. Also looking at old articles, Cruz Pedregon hit the beach in 2005. No reason to ever take the sand trap out. I would safely bet that you must have that and the net at the end. I know Castrol has both. My brother hit the beach in 04. Don't ask.

            Edit #2
            Watching the video posted, you can see the sand trap before the net. The video I watched earlier in the day was a crappy copy and I didn't notice it.
            Last edited by quake; 06-22-2008, 01:39 PM.
            When you don't know that you don't know, it's a lot different than when you do know that you don't know.

            Comment

              #7
              Re: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

              Having seen the video i wonder if had been knocked out or something even before he came to the sandtrap/net. It seems like he car didn't slow down one bit at all. I'm sure something may have affected things like throttle etc but with a lot of fieres you see the car slow down at least. Altough the trap does seem smaller than most others.
              A lot of people go through life doing things badly. Racing is important to men who do it well. When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting." Michael Delaney AKA- Steve McQueen

              Comment

                #8
                Re: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

                I was doing some reading and someone said that the reason the run off area is so short is that there is a large highway just past the end of the track. The track was built in 1965 so I assume that area was sufficient then but clearly not now when the cars are going 320 mph at the top end.

                I was watching an interview with Tony Pedregon and he was pissed because he said they have been saying something had to be done about the end of the track because it was simply too short and the NHRA did nothing about it.
                Quote from Inquiring Mind:

                Of course stamphater is sacred... we all worship the ground he walks on.

                #PizStrong

                Comment

                  #9
                  Re: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

                  Originally posted by MotorSportsGord View Post
                  Having seen the video i wonder if had been knocked out or something even before he came to the sandtrap/net. It seems like he car didn't slow down one bit at all. I'm sure something may have affected things like throttle etc but with a lot of fieres you see the car slow down at least. Altough the trap does seem smaller than most others.
                  I'm sure that explosion would have if not knocked him out outright would have at least had him severely dazed. And although they said he was taken to hospital it sounds like everyone knew he was already gone before he was ever loaded into the ambulance, according to Jerry Toliver.
                  Quote from Inquiring Mind:

                  Of course stamphater is sacred... we all worship the ground he walks on.

                  #PizStrong

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Re: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

                    Originally posted by MotorSportsGord View Post
                    Having seen the video i wonder if had been knocked out or something even before he came to the sandtrap/net. It seems like he car didn't slow down one bit at all.
                    Totally agree. Even though he had a partially deployed chute these things have incredible brakes. If he was able, he could have slowed down some and/or steered it towards the center of the net. Looked like no driver input after the explosion.
                    When you don't know that you don't know, it's a lot different than when you do know that you don't know.

                    Comment

                      #11
                      Re: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

                      Originally posted by stamphater View Post
                      I was doing some reading and someone said that the reason the run off area is so short is that there is a large highway just past the end of the track. The track was built in 1965 so I assume that area was sufficient then but clearly not now when the cars are going 320 mph at the top end.

                      I was watching an interview with Tony Pedregon and he was pissed because he said they have been saying something had to be done about the end of the track because it was simply too short and the NHRA did nothing about it.
                      I have been looking at track length and at 4165 (if accurate), Englishtown is the longest I've found, so far. A track like Firebird in Phoenix, is shorter (3980) and nobody complains about that track.
                      When you don't know that you don't know, it's a lot different than when you do know that you don't know.

                      Comment

                        #12
                        Re: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

                        Amazing that the camera guy on the end of that man lift boom wasn't killed. He was almost burned to death by the fireball.
                        I will not, for a moment longer, support an organization who chooses to cowardly kneel where they once fiercely & proudly stood

                        Comment

                          #13
                          Re: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

                          Originally posted by quake View Post
                          A track like Firebird in Phoenix, is shorter (3980) and nobody complains about that track.
                          That's because at Firebird the end of the track just goes off into an open field.

                          Quote from Inquiring Mind:

                          Of course stamphater is sacred... we all worship the ground he walks on.

                          #PizStrong

                          Comment

                            #14
                            Re: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

                            If you ran your 250,000 funny car off into the Arizona desert, you'd be pissed. I know I would. I seen a couple go in, not many.
                            When you don't know that you don't know, it's a lot different than when you do know that you don't know.

                            Comment

                              #15
                              Re: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta Dies....

                              Originally posted by stamphater View Post
                              That's because at Firebird the end of the track just goes off into an open field.

                              That's an older picture because it doesn't resemble the current raceway configuration.
                              I will not, for a moment longer, support an organization who chooses to cowardly kneel where they once fiercely & proudly stood

                              Comment

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