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Scott Kalitta passes away at Englishtown
tatercats
Member Posts: 711 ✭✭✭✭
Was killed when his car exploded during round four of qualifying. He was to me one of the last true drag racers. Picture taken last year at US Nationals.
Comments
On behalf of everyone at NHRA, we are deeply saddened and want to pass along our sincere condolences to the entire Kalitta family.
Scott shared the same passion for drag racing as his legendary father, Connie. He also shared the same desire to win, becoming a two-time series world champion. He left the sport for a period of time, to devote more time to his family, only to be driven to return to the dragstrip to regain his championship form.
Scott was a terrific driver and perhaps more importantly a better person and a great father to his two kids. He will be truly missed by the entire NHRA community.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Kathy, sons Corey and Colin, his cousin Doug, and his father Connie.
passing away is by natural causes.
KILLED is by a violent accident.
scott was killed. rip.[:(]
Former Member U.S. Navy Shooting Team
Former NSSA All American
Navy Distinguished Pistol Shot
MO, CT, VA.
NHRA just put this up and will be adding to it all week.
He was killed when his car hit a wall dead on at 300 MPH after it exploded and was a shooting star.
That is not passing away that is going in grand style (No disrespect intended as such a death is tragic but if it is your time what an exit!!!)
As another dragger stated, we drive cars that go 350MPH.
Nothing more needs saying if you drive race cars going 350MPH, you know the possible risk
Wulfmann
"Fools learn from their own mistakes. I learn from the mistakes of others"
Otto von Bismarck
It was a bad explosion then fire.
but then he goes off the end.
Sounds like the man probably understood there's more to living than just not dying. He lived a good life and went out doing something he truly loved. There's a lot to be said for that.
in a nursing home, not being able
to remember your name.
when I go, I only hope its
quick anf painless.
One of the ugliest Drag crashed I have seen.
If anyone is interested click the link.
There are worst ways to go I guess. Sorry for his family.
its never pretty, a rod/piston
it happens, they had already
saw tony blow are car early
I was at the gator nats in 76
I car blew right at the trap
from where we sat, the heat
was so intense.
How much fuel is normally carried on a run? What sort of fire suppression system do they have? Are those flames all from fuel or also from the engine's oil dumping out and igniting when it blew?
by the time it makes a burn out
then run, there not much left
I'm not into drag racing and know next to nothing about them.
How much fuel is normally carried on a run? What sort of fire suppression system do they have? Are those flames all from fuel or also from the engine's oil dumping out and igniting when it blew?
Oil hits the headers and fire ensues. Interesting interview with Jim Head this morning on NHRA today. He suggested shorter tracks as many of the current tracks were design when the top speed was 200 not 330 MPH. Fellow funny car driver Jerry Tolliver said he died doing what he loved. He also said he would rather go like that then endure a long illness.
RIP Scott
Godspeed scott..........
Runway???
There's plenty of 2+mi. length runways left over on closed Mil. bases...I wonder if the NHRA will ever use them? Plenty of distance to slow to a stop without hitting anything. Just a thought. Joe
What about an automatic breaking system? The blast probably knocked him out. The shoots deployed, but didn't deploy correctly and there wasn't any slowing down. Why not have an automatic system that breaks the car after it has traveled a certain distance?
he deployed the chute..so he was conscious at that point.....
Hopefully NHRA will adress the shutdown areas before something like this happens again.
However it happened, he was a great drag racer.
It is what it is. Only way to make it safe....is to outlaw it.
I don't believe that one bit. It is dangerous, but there are a lot of smart minds out their that can come up with some solutions that make it safer. It might not make it full proof, you never can do that, but you can get safer.
Drag racing is obviously, inherently dangerous. Drivers know that the first time they plant their butt in a seat.
It is what it is. Only way to make it safe....is to outlaw it.
That is the most ignorant commment that I have ever heard. So I guess that the only way to make Guns safe is to outlaw those too. Give me a break
a concrete wall at the end of a drag strip is not the most brilliant idea somebody ever came up with.
+1