Scott Kalitta age 46. A well known Top Fuel Funny Car drag racer was killed today while in the final round of qualifying at English Town, N.J. for the NHRA race. Scott is survived by two sons and his wife. His father the famed Connie Kalitta was at the track when the accident happened.
Scott grew up around the sport and was a natural to follow in his father's foot steps who won championships in drag racing.
Scott won his round of quaifying for 13th place when just before the finish line the car errupted in a fireball of flames doing over 300 MPH. The intense flames burned off the safety chutes and the car continued down the too short slow down lanes at full speed crashing into the wall at the end of the track thus exploding again.
Sadly there was nothing the emergency crews could do for Scott and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The track immediately closed down all activity in respect for Scott. Many fans gathered around the pit area near Scotts hauler to pay their respects. Many drivers were shocked at his demise and gathered in small groups to offer support for each other and mourn the loss of Scott Kalitta. A driver that was well loved and respected by all the drivers as well as the fans.
photogr, thank you for this. NHRA is my first love. My heart hurts for his family. I've met them many times at races. I was going to try to write something, but you, my friend, have done an excellent job. He was such a nice person. Again, thank you for this. I'm out.
I saw the little special on ESPN with three drivers earlier today. Scelzi was all choked up about it. Something like this really makes them acknowledge their own mortality.
I remember Scott's dad, Connie, his Funny Car was 'The Bounty Hunter'. My thoughts go out to him and his family, and Scott's wife and son.
Like volfan, I thought of writing something also, but I would have just went on a rant about the NHRA not making all tracks have a long enough sand trap at the end of the strip. Good job, photogr.
photogr,
Thanks for the update, I hadn't heard how he was after the wreck, and was just wondering. I got on here and you have the news. News we all would rather not have to hear but that is life and racing. Our hearts go out to the family and the Drag racing family also.
R.I.P. Scott, I hope you have some big wins on the big race track in the here after.
Photo- Excellent tribute. I do not follow drag racing but clearly Scott was considered a top notch driver and loved by many. The danger involved in motorsports is not to be ignored. Perhaps the NHRA will heed some of the safety precautions that Hanahan suggests. My thoughts are with Scott's family and fans.
I just saw the video of the crash and I wish I had looked away. That was horrible.
Englishtown track is not known for a very long slow down area any way and the sand trap is probably ok with the net up for most instances up to 200 MPH in my experience.
I had a friend ( Walt) that drove a lime green Vette with a Huffer and alchohol in the Top Sportsman Nitros class that was killed ther under similar circumstances back in 87. I know it was a hand full to slow down before that ominous wall crept up into you windshield. Why they have that wall still there is a mystery to me.
With the Funny cars reaching up to 350 MPH at the lights, a tragedy like this was waiting to happen sooner or later. As I understand it, Scott went through the safety net and flew through the seemingly short sand trap to hit that wall head on at nearly full speed.
It seems to me NHRA was negligent in not forcing the track to update the safety items to handle the high speeds the funny cars and dragsters can go. This is only speculation on my part and based on the last time I was there years ago. We may never know the whole story.
Sadly an icon in the sport paid the ultimate price.
Yep it is a shocker and it hurts to see any driver loose their life in any auto sport. With the safety technology we have today, this should not have ever happened but it does and at an extreemly high price.
Lets hope NHRA takes a close look at the top end safety features and adjust for the increased speeds the Top Fuel cars can do. I wished they would also consider the guard rails along the tracks too like NASCAR has done.
NASCAR has made tremendous steps forward in driver safety since Dale Sr.s crash. Safer barriers, better medical staff, and with the COT despite what some say. We have witnessed some terrible crashes that in the past might have taken the drivers life but with the new safety now mandated by NASCAR, many drivers walk away to race another day.
I feel NHRA may be lacking in mandating more up to date safety features in their cars and tracks that would prevent an accident such as we witnessed today. Again this is only speculation based on my own experiences at drag race tracks I have visited.
It is so sad to loose a driver before a new safety feature is put into action not only in Drag racing but in any auto sport.
My father races Alchohol Funnycars and this definitly reminds me of how he risk his life for what he loves the most. I grew up watching Connie and Scott both; they have provided me with some of my best memories from racing; we stopped wrenching long enogh to laugh about what a crazy, fun bunch of guys they were. They have also used their business to send supplies to our troops during times of war. I remember them buzzing the track at the Motorplex in Ennis Texas with one of their airplanes on the way to a nationals weekend. They are a fun group of people, so this is a great loss for everyone in the NHRA. My entire families thoughts and prayers are with Scott and the Kallita family. Anything over 250 mPH is hard to recover from; we lost a great TAD driver and her son in Tulsa a few years ago (we miss you Shelly Howard and son Brian). My father has always said if he dies in his car, he was doing what he loved the most. I pray this is how his family is able to put Scott to rest. Aside from family, I am certain it is what he loved the most.
C.S.
Photo-Thanks. I go to the winternationals and also the world finals out here in Cali. These drivers are a tight knit family. There motto is I would rather beat you on the track then in the pits. I remember about 4 or 5 years ago Gary Densham's funny car wasn't ready for his run. He neeeded about another 10 minutes to finish his motor. He was supposed to be up against John Force. The N.H.R.A. officials went down to his garage and told him they were going to disqualify him. So John pulled his car away from the staging area and told the N.H.R.A. officials that if they were going to disqualify Densham. Then they were going to have to disqualify him too. Because he wanted to beat him fair and square. So a couple of John's mechanics went and helped Densham's guys finish the car and they also helped them push it to the staging area. This is just one of many stories that goes on at an N.H.R.A. event.
Yes I am sure he did. It takes a special and courageous breed of person to race cars and Scott was one of those people.
I fondly remember that comradery in Drag racing in my experience too.
I my self had and still have that same love for racing but a serious accident in a Top Sportsman (IHRA) crash in the 1990s side lined me to being only a spectator now.
im not much of a racing fan..BUT!!! when i hear of a person taken so young!!! it saddens me!!! but remember he was doing what he loved to do!!! a very dangerous sport!!!! maybe?? like being a policeman not knowing when you pull over someone?? it might be your last day??? again my thoughts and prayers to his family!!!!! another sport has lost someone!!!! hey in my view us sports fans are all in this togather!!!!! a SAD DAY IN SPORTS!!!! NO MATTER WHAT SPORT IT IS!!!!
I remember those traits too. I was at a race several years ago where Muldowney after recovering from her serious crash, lost the only motor she had for the race. A couple of the other drivers were willing to loan her an engine in order to be able to go to the next round so she could continue to race in eliminations.
This is not the time or place to expound your lack of knowlwdge. Although a Toyota name plate on the car ( sponsor), I can assure you the engine ( Mopar Hemi) and chassis was totally American made.
Kellyscott:
I agree. The ugly issue always comes up after such a tragic accident is was the safety devices in working order and in place?
NHRA at one time was way ahead of other sports in safety. Today we can only wonder. A concrete barrier at the end of the short sand trap is a big question mark for the speeds that the top fuel cars can go today.
Photogr - I know this hits home hard with you knowing your racing career in drags and God wanted Scott and he left you behind to bring light to stories like this giving them the passion they love for the sport to share with others.
I am glad God didn't take you at that time for your family sake first, and that I got to meet a heck of a hairy friend like you.
Just saw a replay of the crash. Hard to fathom how they saw fit to race these machines at a track with this short of a runoff area (well, mostly the inadequate sand trap and the "tree protecting" wall).
He surely died instantly - so there's some consolation in that. That track should never again host an event with the Top Fuel (and other super-fast) cars until they decide to either cut down about 1/4 mile more of trees, remove the wall, create a genuinely safe runoff area, and otherwise bring that facility up to modern safety standards.
This is the saddest fact of what these men and women do. Each and every time they get behind the wheel of race car, there is that chance that this will be their last day.
This knowledge doesn't make it any easier when this happens. It is a sad day in the racing world. And for this man's family. My Prayers and thoughts go out to them.
Photogr thanks for this write up. I had heard bits and pieces of what happened. But you put all the pieces together.
You noticed that too? This has been a problem with this track for years and drivers have complained about this issue before. I don't think it was ever changed to accomodate the higher speeds the Top Fuel cars go today.
Our local NHRA track here in Cincy. when hosting national races with Top Fuel cars have a very long slow down area. Over a quarter of a mile. The sand trap is over 50 yards long. The net is heavy duty and held by air craft carrier grade cables and clamps. If that doesn't stop you then the Little Miami river will.
I can recall a few years back a Top Fuel Funny cars throttle stuck wide open through the lights and kept going. The car was stopped with the reastraints that was in place. Didn't have to go into the river. The driver was unhurt.
The quetion remains, What happened at Englishtown?
I saw the memorial coverage on the networks also. What a horrifying accident. ALthough all the drivers accept the risks when they race, it is unfortunate that sometimes it takes someone's death for the tracks and/or sanctioning body to mandate improvements for the safety of the drivers.
My thought and prayers are with the Kalitta family.
Its a sad day in history. A man, Father of two. Husband, and son of a Legend. I hope this will bring changes to the end of the strip. No sand to slow a chuteless car. I dont know if it would have helped. But when I saw the replay I was at a loss. I wouldn't let Noah watch it. It is sad. I hope this helps to make changes. Please lets try to avoid a repeat. R.I.P. Scott Kalitta...
That was as brutal an accident/impact as you will EVER see in an auto racing event. There is simply no doubt he perished instantly. The wall clearly gave no relief, sending all of the energy from the impact straight up and out (the incredible upshot of flame at the moment of impact speaks to this).
Freak accidents happen - Greg Moore's IndyCar accident, Jovey Marcello, Ayerton Senna - all and many more cases where circumstances were perfect for disaster - and likely could not have been reasonably foretold. This was entirely different. It's hard to imagine how it HASN'T happened many times before. And from what you've posted, it HAS happened before.
I would imagine it has more so than is told but not at this speed. Usually the safety features in most cases at other tracks include longer slow down areas and are more updated. They DON'T have an unforgiving concrete wall behind a short sand trap.
Another area of concern to me is the so called too short in height guard rails ( like you see in the highways) down the track or the concrete walls down the track. Both are killers if the car verves left or right and hits it head on at high speed.
I have seen many sprotsmen drivers get killed or severely injured in these things where a NASCAR type set up wall may have saved the drivers. NHRA does not seem to mandate the Hanns devices or head restraints in the sportsmen ( Stock, S.S. Comp, Gas, or modified) classes but it should.
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