Scott Kalitta

[PBR Allstar]

Rest in Peace.

true hero of drag racing.

[justinspeed79]

Yes, that is very sad. RIP Scott.

[markt311]

RIP

[mrlexan]

The new Katilla shop used to be about 10 miles from my place in Michigan. The old one was at the Willow Run airport just across I-94. Sorry to hear that.

[scr8p]

ya, it's a shame. it sucks when guys come out of retirement to race again, only to end up losing their life in a racing accident. same thing happend to neil bonnett 14-15 years back.

i'd hope by the next time they race at englishtown they reconfigure the shut down area with the catch fences and gravel traps. there's no reason there should be a concrete wall staring drivers in the face when they're trying to stop a car that just got done going 300+ mph. especially if they have a problem like scott did. that was a horrible impact.

[shodog]

Wow what a bummer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DziJdGwFQjU

[mrlexan]

there's no reason there should be a concrete wall staring drivers in the face when they're trying to stop a car that just got done going 300+ mph. especially if they have a problem like scott did. that was a horrible impact.

Agreed, seems just plain wrong.

[klavy69]

there's no reason there should be a concrete wall staring drivers in the face when they're trying to stop a car that just got done going 300+ mph. especially if they have a problem like scott did. that was a horrible impact.

Agreed, seems just plain wrong.

+1 here. That is just plain idiocy the way the track is setup there. Hope there was no time for pain and the passing was quick. RIP
Todd

[RC Chick]

ya, it's a shame. it sucks when guys come out of retirement to race again, only to end up losing their life in a racing accident. same thing happend to neil bonnett 14-15 years back.

i'd hope by the next time they race at englishtown they reconfigure the shut down area with the catch fences and gravel traps. there's no reason there should be a concrete wall staring drivers in the face when they're trying to stop a car that just got done going 300+ mph. especially if they have a problem like scott did. that was a horrible impact.

I completely agree, who the heck thought of that crap?

[PBR Allstar]

ya, it's a shame. it sucks when guys come out of retirement to race again, only to end up losing their life in a racing accident. same thing happend to neil bonnett 14-15 years back.

i'd hope by the next time they race at englishtown they reconfigure the shut down area with the catch fences and gravel traps. there's no reason there should be a concrete wall staring drivers in the face when they're trying to stop a car that just got done going 300+ mph. especially if they have a problem like scott did. that was a horrible impact.

I completely agree, who the heck thought of that crap?

I'm sure by next time they race there or at any other NHRA Pro venue there will be revised saftey precautions, but the fact of the matter is that racing is a dagerous sport, and it is also fact that now the cars are faster than they have ever been, there are more people doing it than ever before, and the sport is the safest it's ever been. It's very unfortunate that often times it takes tragedy to realize where improvements have to be made. I believe we will start seeing revised run off area's for drag racing, as well as aids to slow the cars when the driver becomes impaired, as in scott's case, when he or she cannot get to the brakes, or chutes, or they have been rendered useless due to damage or malfunction. I'd like to see NHRA institute more catch fencing, similar to what the US Navy used to catch disabled jets landing on aircraft carriers. I'm sure that these drivers value and assume the risks that they are taking every weekend, and they would not pass on blame to anyone for any misfortune, only hope that others would learn from it to make the sport that they gave their lives to safer for everyone involved.

[scr8p]

any driver, no matter what type of racing, accepts the risks of their profession. they all know what could possibly happen to them. but, that wall has been like that for quite some time now, and from my memory, he's not the first person to slam into it. although, i'm pretty sure he's the first one to die doing so. it should still be a no brainer that you don't put a concrete wall at the end of the shut down area.

[klavy69]

it should still be a no brainer that you don't put a concrete wall at the end of the shut down area.

fully agree with all thats been said about it and every time someone dies from something stupid like this it just pi$$es me off. It is just assinine(?) to have that wall there. It'b be like putting the command tower of a supercarrier at one end instead of in the middle off to the side...the planes stop by 'catchstrap' anyway so whats the harm ...sorry...getting off my soapbox now...
Todd

[Eau Rouge]

FWIW, there ARE sand traps and catch fences on that track. You can't see them in that video clip of the accident, but they are there, and they aren't as short as you would think. That wall is the only thing between the track and a tree line and public road.

The problem is NOT the design of the track. The problem is that these cars are traveling more than 3 times the speeds that many of these tracks were designed for. The sand traps and catch fences have ALWAYS done their jobs very well in every case of cars hitting them, and most without injuries. The solution is to shorten the tracks for the pro cars that are going that fast. Most drivers will tell you that 1000 feet is plenty, and many would be fine with 1/8th mile, as most damage and destruction happens well after that point. The track layout was not at fault. I've been there, and I've seen the track. That wall was VERY far away from the racing surface.

The media makes that accident sound like he was killed when the car "blew up" but that's a common occurrence at NHRA pro events. Drivers walk away from those types of fires all the time without too much incident. He was killed when the car hit a concrete POST.


It was a horrible, tragic accident. It was one of the most violent and catastrophic I have ever seen in drag racing (and I have been around it since I was in diapers), but these guys ALL know the risks. They do this every weekend, and Scott has been doing it for 25 years. They are all hyper paranoid about safety, right down to packing their own parachutes. If any of the racers there this weekend thought the track was unsafe, they should have stopped it before ever getting into their cars. There is NO BLAME to be put on anyone in this. It happens. It's a VERY dangerous sport. If the racers thought for a minute that the track was not safe in ANY way, NONE OF THEM would have raced in eliminations on Sunday.




Mourn the loss, but don't blame the track, the NHRA or anyone else for the death.





d

[MelvinsArmy]

I usually go to Englishtown on the Saturday of the this race. I couldn't make it this year, I'm glad I didn't see that.

Very sad to hear about this this morning.

[mrlexan]

I don't know how NHRA cars work, but by the video I assume the start of it was the motor granaded. Is it possible that the motor either knocked him out or took his life, before he even hit wall...... just a thought since the shoot didn't open.