The other day we showed you a video of Scott Kalitta’s crash and we had a lot of insight from everyone into what they think caused this fatal crash. You can view the video here if you have not seen it, below is one persons insight Into Scott Kalitta’s crash of his funny car and a little about the chutes, barrier and explosion.
First of all, I’d also like to offer my sincerest condolences to Connie and the entire Kalitta Motorsports team and to Scott’s wife and sons, Kathy, Corey and Colin. Scott was a straight shooter and definitely one of the best driver’s the sport has ever had.
Secondly, I’d like to address a few mis-conceptions. Leadfoot4 is correct in explaining why many facilities have a barrier wall at the end of the track - i.e., to protect traffic on public highways. In this case the wall separated the track from woods. And there IS a catch net which is in between the wall and a large sand trap. What shouldn’t have been there was a large camera boom, which was later removed for race day.
The chutes normally deploy when the body is blown off the car. This appeared to happen only partially and one chute may have burned off. Obviously there was a malfunction.
It is very likely Scott was knocked unconscious when the motor exploded just before the finish line, for there was no apparent effort to brake the car. He’s too good of a driver not to get on the brakes. The throttle didn’t stick because the car was scrubbing off speed and was no longer “pulling.” If you’ve seen a run live, you know what I mean. Scott was going just over 300 mph at the finish line, so he was probably going anywhere between 200 to 250 mph when he entered the sand trap.
I’ve seen countless cars go into the sand and a few that were going fast enough that they flipped over front to back. I’ve never seen a car go that fast into the trap. At that speed, Scott’s car likely went end over end through the entire sand trap and over or through the net. It’s my understanding the car then hit the wall and went over the wall and ended up in the woods. Bottom line is I don’t think anything could have stopped to prevent his death.
As I said, I’ve seen many cars go into the sand. Pomona, where I go to see the first and last races of the year has one of the shortest shutdown areas on the circuit. But, I’ve never seen anything like that. I don’t think a longer shutdown area would have helped much. He was really hauling.
Perhaps the NHRA could look into a better parachute system and/or maybe automated brakes that engage after so many seconds when a driver is unable to apply them manually. The NHRA is all about safety, but let’s face it… it’s a dangerous sport. The drivers know it and accept it. They’re a different breed of people then most.
God speed Scott. We’ll miss your competitive spirit.
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6 responses so far ↓
1 steve // Jun 24, 2008 at 3:42 pm
My brother and I were at that race and watching every second of that run. Drag racing is indeed a potentially deadly sport, but now the NHRA needs to invest in a much more sophisticated approach to the shutdown area. A system that would account for a crash where the driver is unable to do their part in slowing down the car or being able to direct the car. In Connecticut not that long ago many people died when tractor trailer lost it’s brakes on a long steep downhill road that ended in a busy intersection. The state ended up building an elaborate vehicle runoff ramp that could handle more than a fully loaded semi with no brakes coming down a steep moutainside road. I hope it never has to be used, but it is better than asphalt, sand, a net, and a Jersey barrier trying to stop and uncontrolled fueler. The NHRA and all the high end sponsors that benefit from the racers and fans should be obligated to make every effort,and to spare no expense, to make every track that is used for national events, or where the car speeds demand it, to have the BEST safety systems in place. I will always be a diehard drag racing fan, but many would like to curtail the sport. Don’t let that happen. Contact the NHRA, and the advertisers that are making millions from a great sport, and demand that something is done…………….Keep Racing
2 Jeanne Redmon // Jun 24, 2008 at 5:07 pm
my prayer goes out to Connie Kaletta family
on the loss of their 43 year old son Scott.
may God be with Connie Kaletta.
3 Tim Sill // Jun 25, 2008 at 4:17 am
High speed sports like Drag Racing and NASCAR can profit from past learnings from aviation. In the early 90’s, NASCAR had a real safety issue when the cars were exceeding 200 MPH and getting spun sideways. The rear of the cars lack of aerodynamic down forces which created lift…make the cars take off and fly through the air. Drag Racing too can leverage such learning by using remotely actuated “tail hooks” that deploy and catch a wire rope cable. All aircraft carriers use them a when I worked on Air Force bases in the early 90’s, most all ground based runways also leveraged them in the event of brake failures. This system may not by 100% effecient due to different dynamics of crashes, but it sure could have saved Scott IF the impact at the end of the track was indeed what took his precious life.
4 Tim Sill // Jun 25, 2008 at 4:21 am
The solution to the NASCAR issue was a speed brake type of air foil that automatically flipped up into the air stream creating aero drag and down force on the car keeping them from going air borne. In the Car of Tomorrow design, they now use the rear spoiler/wing that acts as a rudder stabiler that “pushes” the rearend back into alignment when the cars get sideways….
5 Scott Singleton, Houston Raceway Park // Jun 25, 2008 at 1:38 pm
We were having a Bracket Race at the time the news got to us at the track. At that time we stopped all cars and turned off all motors in the entire facility. Ted Jones our Track Chaplin proceeded with a moment of silence for Scott and family followed by a heart wrenching prayer of excellence. Being involved with drag racing for over 25 years, racing a car for 12 years, working turn around with the Safety Safari for 15 years at our National Events and now as the track Asst. Manager, Announcer and Photographer. I have seen allot happen over the years just at our track. I know that after seeing video clips and reading everything on this tragedy that Scott at 46 years old was a Veteran at this sport and had to have been unconscious not to have made any effort to slow the car down. The NHRA Safety Dept. is the best in any motorsports sanctioned body, and am sure that efforts will be made for the future to ensure additional safety measures of the shutdown area and top end of all NHRA National Event Tracks in the U.S. …Drag Racing at that level of competition is Dangerous and is respected by the drivers and crews. But as with everything, unforeseen events can happen with anything. At some point, things happen beyond what can be considered humanly possible!
……..God Speed Scott Kalitta with prayers to the family. You will be remembered forever!
6 BRYAN // Jun 26, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Growing up in a racing family is tough on everyone involved.
Time required to work on cars and the travel required to do it competetitively are extremely tough on the families.
That said you accept the fact that growing up in a racing family that you may or may not see the ones getting into the racecar ever again, so you make the best of the very little time that is actually available to spend with your family.
I have seen lots of guys get in and never again be blessed with seeing them again or some that survive either maimed or melted.
But this is the life “we” chose and our family still continues.
Stephen Leicht is a second cousin and we hope he is always protected and if not that he dies doing what he has chosen to do with his life.
Brinkley Racing has survived 3 generations with no fatalities and the family is now out of racing but lots of people that have helped along the way are still going strong.
David Reutimann is still going strong …God be with all of us that have chosen to do what we love.
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