Scott Kalitta crash

I have watched the video from two different angles, this is what I think happened. He was hard on the hand brake, when you do this the low air pressure in the tires can cause the back of the car to start bouncing, which his did, in my opinion he new what was going on and was trying everything too stop. But it bounced at the wrong time and he cleared the sand trap and went right into the retaining wall.
If you look at how many runs are made each year, this is a pretty safe sport. I agree there is always room for improvement, but at the speeds they are going they have done a good job.
Ken

Iwonder if the car bounced over spilt parts? I wonder how the engine tuners feel?

I had read that he died at the hospital, so yopur probably right about him hitting the wall.

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Originally Posted by hotroddaddy

I had read that he died at the hospital, so yopur probably right about him hitting the wall.

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I really dont like thinking about it or even saying it but after the hit with the wall dont think there was much left of him.

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Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver

Iwonder if the car bounced over spilt parts?

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I didn't look like that, it bounced several times. I had this problem sometimes in the Mooneyham and Sharpe coupe, there were no front brakes and when the chute would malfunction on a short track, hang on!!
Ken

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Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver

I really dont like thinking about it but after the hit with the wall dont think there was much left of him.

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That's probably where they pronounced him dead. It is pretty hard to believe, no matter how much safety equipment you have, surviving that impact.
Ken

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Originally Posted by Ken Thurm

That's probably where they pronounced him dead. It is pretty hard to believe, no matter how much safety equipment you have, surviving that impact.
Ken

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I agree , It was the track that killed him. People had to of known this would happen sooner or later. Hopefully like the guys were talking about earlier the old tracks will be forced to be made safer. Hopefully none will have to shut down permanetly but that would be better than losing another racer to something as stupid as a wall at the end of the track. I remember hearing a story of a fuel car flying over the sand trap and going through the steel cables about 30 years ago which ended the same.

Didn't a funny car do the same thing at Englishtown a few years ago, that's why they put in the concrete barriers? He ran into the woods and hit a tree.
Ken

Or also as all ready stated figure a way to stop the car with a unconscious driver, thats the main problem.

FYI...a copy of a news report (lengthy, but informative) that was placed on the HAMB, with quite a bit of info:

State police investigating Kalitta crash
By Keith Sargeant
Asbury Park (NJ) Press, June 23, 2008

New Jersey State Police are investigating the fiery crash that took
the life of National Hot Rod Association drag racer Scott Kalitta on
Saturday at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

"We're in the process of investigating the accident,'' said Sgt.
Julian Castellanos, a spokesman for the state police. "It could be
anywhere between two to four weeks depending on where the
investigation takes us. We're not going to clarify any part of the
accident at this time.''

An NHRA public relations official said its safety team is conducting
its own investigation but declined to issue an official statement.

A request to speak to Graham Light, senior vice president for racing
operations, was not granted by the NHRA's communications department.

Kalitta, 46, was racing alongside Tony Bartrone in the final
qualifying round on Saturday afternoon in the NHRA's Lucas Oil
SuperNationals when his Funny Car exploded into flames and crashed at
the end of the quarter-mile track.

Television replays showed Kalitta's car explode into flames about
1,000 feet down the track. His Funny Car hit a top speed of 300.73
miles per hour and crossed the line in 4.974 seconds.

It's not known what kind of mechanical failure caused the car to
explode mid-race, but replays showed the carbon-fiber shell, which
protects the chassis and cockpits the driver, appearing to break off
at least partially after engulfing in flames.

The parachute device designed to brake the 7,000-horsepower race car
appeared to be damaged by the flames. According to the NHRA, the
parachute is "the primary breaking system'' that "can produce up to
five negative G forces of stopping power.''

Kalitta cruised into the sandpit at an estimated speed of more than
250 miles per hour and appeared to launch airborne into a concrete-
filled metal post positioned just beyond a curved concrete wall.

Don Prudhomme, a legendary figure in drag racing, witnessed the scene and said Kalitta's car "hit a post that's virtually impossible to
do'' and "went into a million pieces.''

"He had a fire, the chutes didn't slow the car up enough, he got
airborne, he happened to hit a post,'' Prudhomme said. "I went down
there and I looked at it, and I couldn't believe he could possibly
hit this post. It's been there for years, it's a safety post. It's a
catch net and something has to support it. But he hit it at such a
high speed the car got airborne.

"But I don't think it's the track's fault. If I did, I wouldn't be
racing here.''

Raceway Park president Michael Napp said the post serves as support for the safety net that's designed to "catch a car'' if it fails to brake before the end of the track.

Napp said the distance between the quarter-mile finish line and the
sand trap is "probably a little less than a half-mile.''

"I don't know the exact number, but we have a quarter-mile track and probably a little less than a half-mile to stop,'' Napp said. "It
used to be longer, but when they (the NHRA) took the track away to
put in the gravel and safety net, which makes sense, you took some of the track away to put that there. Without that gravel there's more (track) than that.''

According to the NHRA, Kalitta was extricated from the car and
transported to Raritan Bay Medical Center, where he was pronounced
dead from multiple injuries.

Though the remainder of Saturday's race card was postponed after
Kalitta's crash, racing resumed on Sunday with the final round. An
estimated 80,000 spectators took in the four-day event, including
about 20,000 fans on Sunday.

"Nobody should go that way said Tony, but I guarantee you Scott woke up every morning and loved driving a race car,'' Schumacher said. "No one wants to die. But we do understand this is what we do. And Scott, of all people, was a gladiator.

"Race car drivers understand risks,'' he added. "It's why we do it.
It's why the fans come to the stands. No one wants to see someone
lose their life. But if it happens to me, understand there isn't a
thing in my life that I haven't done that I want to do. If it does
happen, understand that I'm doing what I love. I wouldn't be alive
without it. I get into a car and that's who I am. It made Scott who
he was.''

Napp, whose family has owned Raceway Park since it opened in 1965,
said track officials took further precautions to ensure the safety of
the drivers by setting sand-filled pales in front of the curved
concrete wall and post.

While Napp said he would welcome any other safety precautions the
NHRA would suggest, he said repositioning the post wasn't an option.

"There's things that I think that I'll keep to myself about moving
the pole location,'' Napp said. "Sure, moving it is a great thing.
Let's put it on the other side of the planet. But there's balancing
acts about that. But I'll let them review the evidence that they have
and come back with suggestions.

"Look, we have to leave the poles where they are. They have to stay
there in order for the nets to work effectively. So now maybe what we
do is protect the poles better. There were days when there wasn't any
nets or gravel back there. So they came to us and said we need to
install that. We did, and that was installed in the early '90s.''

Napp said Raceway Park is "a very safe facility,'' and pointed to the
lack of a fatality in "25 years'' as proof.

"Most of the facilities are similar in design,'' Napp said. "I don't
believe the NHRA would run here if we weren't up to snuff. Since
we're old, we've been part of the involvement of safety in the sport.
I'm always open to anything about safety.

"Certainly we've handled enough NHRA events to present a facility
that they're comfortable with. We are a very standard facility. We're
not the longest track, we're not the shortest track, we're right in
the middle. I think the circumstances have very little to do with
anything other than what was a very serious mishap.''

Napp said when "everything's going well'' with a race car, "there
were guys that stopped without parachutes and came out fine'' on
Saturday.

"Who knows? The explosion, the shock, maybe not being awake, maybe he
couldn't see because of the fire,'' Napp said, explaining possible
reasons for the accident. "Who knows? But it's obviously a terribly
sad day for the Kalitta family and we at Raceway Park share in their
condolences.''

I guess its just me but that read like a lame excuse....Move the post to the other side of the planet, WTF. Anyways , I hope the NHRA can come up with something better then the post have to stay there and it was a freak accident. It happened , make sure it don't happen again. Move the post to the other side of the planet, I wish I could slap old Elmer silly!

Haven't raced a drag strip for 40 years, and even at that, I think my top 1/4 mile speed was 100-105. I'm curious....is a half-mile stopping distance way too short for these 300 MPH cars? I don't have a clue.

back when my car had a single resivor master cylinder and running 11.70's at around 115-120? it sometimes would be a pain to stop on the 1st return road <we have 2 seperate roads> and our 1st return road is a little over a 1/4 mile past the finish line. that double resivor sure helps now. i agree with the crew chief having a cut off switch all monster trucks have a remote that the officals can kill the truck if it gets out of hand. we need the same for nhra fuel cars..

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Originally Posted by gassersrule_196

back when my car had a single resivor master cylinder and running 11.70's at around 115-120? it sometimes would be a pain to stop on the 1st return road <we have 2 seperate roads> and our 1st return road is a little over a 1/4 mile past the finish line. that double resivor sure helps now. i agree with the crew chief having a cut off switch all monster trucks have a remote that the officals can kill the truck if it gets out of hand. we need the same for nhra fuel cars..

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The engine was allready off when the blower exploded....He was on the brake...... Stopping from 300 without a chute was the problem. Just ran out of room. I've had to stop from a lot lower speed with a chute failure... The brakes are on, the slicks unload and start bouncing and you run out of room real quick....the sand won't do a thing for you at 200+, the car went airborne.....

Wasn't surprised to read the double talk from the track owner, what would you expect???? The poles could quite easily have been positioned outside the side walls...

Granted, the crash was a worse case scenario situation, but isn't that what safety rules for the shutdown area should deal with???

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Originally Posted by Ken Thurm

Didn't a funny car do the same thing at Englishtown a few years ago, that's why they put in the concrete barriers? He ran into the woods and hit a tree.
Ken

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Sure did Ken... I don't remember who it was but I do remember the crash....

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Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Sure did Ken... I don't remember who it was but I do remember the crash....

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it was Johnny West in 1990...here's a clip of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Kw37uiYwOI

Wow, you guys are on top of this. I'm don't mean to hijack this but I always wondered if someone had a video of the fire of me in the Mooneham car. I have a clip taken from about 1/3 of the way down, but would love one from the finish line if someone has it. I was told it was out there. If you saw it you wouldn't forget it, I never will !!:eek:
Ken

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Originally Posted by Ken Thurm

Didn't a funny car do the same thing at Englishtown a few years ago, that's why they put in the concrete barriers? He ran into the woods and hit a tree.
Ken

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This in its self is a brilliant safety move....after all it's so much better to hit a concrete barrier than hit a tree. I guess looking like they are doing something about safety is more important than actually doing something about it.

I was trying to look at the vid on you tube and it states its no longer available due to a claim by NHRA....

I just clicked on the link I provided and it works.

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Originally Posted by 737Pilot

I just clicked on the link I provided and it works.

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The one of Johnny West ? I was talking about the Kalitta crash on page 1.

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Originally Posted by ceh383

There was a net there today.

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No offense but you're kidding right?

That net will stop a pro stock bike MAYBE!

Fact is that Graham Light and the NHRA heads should be hanging in shame. Im for the NHRA but they have been 'reactive' in too many instances. Dels crash as well as others should have prompted a proactive/reaction from the sanctionong body to keep this kind of thing from happening. I know there are dangers that cant be avoided but shutdown area minimum standards are long overdue. The NHRA strives for NASCAR type legitimacy and this kind of crappy management is why they arent there.

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Originally Posted by Mike in Motown

No offense but you're kidding right?

That net will stop a pro stock bike MAYBE!

Fact is that Graham Light and the NHRA heads should be hanging in shame. Im for the NHRA but they have been 'reactive' in too many instances. Dels crash as well as others should have prompted a proactive/reaction from the sanctionong body to keep this kind of thing from happening. I know there are dangers that cant be avoided but shutdown area minimum standards are long overdue. The NHRA strives for NASCAR type legitimacy and this kind of crappy management is why they arent there.

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For once I have to agree with you. Englishtown is antiquated and land locked and the same holds true for a lot of the older strips. Probably the reason they're running at Norwalk this weekend instead of Columbus. :(

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Originally Posted by Mike in Motown

No offense but you're kidding right?

That net will stop a pro stock bike MAYBE!

Fact is that Graham Light and the NHRA heads should be hanging in shame. Im for the NHRA but they have been 'reactive' in too many instances. Dels crash as well as others should have prompted a proactive/reaction from the sanctionong body to keep this kind of thing from happening. I know there are dangers that cant be avoided but shutdown area minimum standards are long overdue. The NHRA strives for NASCAR type legitimacy and this kind of crappy management is why they arent there.

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No, not kidding. I didn't see the net there on Saturday, it was there on Sunday. You're right, it probably wouldn't stop one of these cars. It MIGHT slow it down enough to give the driver a slight chance at survival. Yes there should be minimum safety standards set for shut down areas. Driver safety should be the top priority and I hope they find better ways than NASCAR did. NASCAR's approach to safety over the years has been much the same as the NHRA's, nothing happens until someone dies or gets seriously injured.

I really like the equipment that runs at NHRA races but the decision makers of that association are a bunch of frigging MORONS, talk about having ones head up their ass! They are the poster children for people with 2 brains ............. one lost and the other out looking for it.

The shut down area is the last chance a driver has to survive, and for me if it takes a pillow the size of freight train to stop an out of control rocket @ 300+ with a knocked out driver, then it should be mandatory and the track owners can just suck it up.

That was a huge waste of a life, look at the it car was going straight against the wall and was fine until it hit a CONCRETE WALL, gee doesn't a concrete wall sound like a soft landing, makes me pucker. Save the trees and road behind the track at the expense of the driver...............BRILLANT!

It has been mentioned that the 300+ cars be limited to 1/8 or 1000 ft runs, well we know how that goes, the teams will figure out a way to go maybe 400 and we would be back to the emergency shut down problems again.

Remember the 80% nitro fix................. Yeah that lasted didn't it

Jim Head's idea, and one I would have to concur with, is to run either a 1000' or 1/8 mile race for the fuel cars at the tracks that do not have an adequate shut down area, not all of the tracks.... I don't foresee anyone going 400 mph at the 1000' timer anytime soon, they're around 240 to 250 now.... Granted, the tracks and NHRA need to get this issue of short shutdowns fixed soon, but the logistics, planning, and financing will take some time... In the interim, shortening the length of the race for the fuel cars will fix the problem RIGHT NOW before any more lives are wasted, or the whole thing is just forgotten about......

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Originally Posted by pepi

The shut down area is the last chance a driver has to survive, and for me if it takes a pillow the size of freight train to stop an out of control rocket @ 300+ with a knocked out driver, then it should be mandatory and the track owners can just suck it up.

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BINGO!!!!!!!

If a track doesnt have a standard catch all device or whatever is decided to be safe then fuelers dont run there. But you would need certain standards for all cars too which can carry a lot of speed to the end if something really goes wrong.


My NASCAR comparison was based on the FACT that compared to the NHRA the good ole southern boys have probably spent twenty fold what drag racing has spent on safety R & D. Sure safety implementations are usually a result of an unforeseen incident, Scotts was not something never seen before although more severe.

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Originally Posted by Mike in Motown

BINGO!!!!!!!

If a track doesnt have a standard catch all device or whatever is decided to be safe then fuelers dont run there. But you would need certain standards for all cars too which can carry a lot of speed to the end if something really goes wrong.


My NASCAR comparison was based on the FACT that compared to the NHRA the good ole southern boys have probably spent twenty fold what drag racing has spent on safety R & D. Sure safety implementations are usually a result of an unforeseen incident, Scotts was not something never seen before although more severe.

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Can't fault your logic, Mike.... I doubt seriously if the NHRA tracks pull in the same mega bucks as the NASCAR tracks.... Too bad Humpy Wheeler didn't get the deal closed on buying NHRA, he ain't afraid to spend money!!!! (think it was Humpy, one of them NASCAR track owners, anyway) Heck, I raced the old Super Gas Maverick on tracks the would really get your heart pumping when you crossed the line!!!! No idea why, but it seems safety concerns are almost non-existent once you get past the finish line.... I've braked on shutdowns with gravel on the blacktop, like they hadn't ever been swept, and one track in particular that had a huge dip about 30 yards past the line in the right lane....if you forgot to stay to the left of the dip it would bottom out the suspension.....

Anyway, it's just another of them money things....Not as much of it in drag racing as there is in circle burnin'.......

NHRA shortens race distance for Top Fuel and Funny Car classes to 1,000 feet as an interim safety measure

Congrats to NHRA---Driver safety in the fuel classes has to be the top priority, not an afterthought....

Poor move in my opinion...I know many of you think this is a good idea, but imgine football where they can't tackle so they can avoid injury, or hockey with no checking, or Tiger Woods at putt putt golf instead of a real course.

NHRA's philosophy: Ready, shoot, AIM! If the NHRA was truely concerned with safety, they'd advise all the teams and spectators to stay at home because they have a much higher chance of getting injured or dying on the way to the track than they do at the track.

I'm quite sure most of you won't like my analysis, but they have enough trouble attracting people to this sport, it will be even harder now.

I doubt it will make much difference to the average fan. There will be fewer oil downs which will make the program run much smoother. The biggest gripe I hear from the bleachers is the down time for oil downs. It will cut down on the parts carnage making it more affordable for the teams to compete. Yes there are many teams out there running on the financial edge (not all are funded with a blank check). They will still be running 300+ under most conditions, but will have a little more room to stop.
I think the positives will far out weigh the negative once people get a baseline for the new times & speeds. There is 1,000 ft. data now, so comparing records shouldn't be a problem.

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Originally Posted by 737Pilot

Poor move in my opinion...I know many of you think this is a good idea, but imgine football where they can't tackle so they can avoid injury, or hockey with no checking, or Tiger Woods at putt putt golf instead of a real course.

NHRA's philosophy: Ready, shoot, AIM! If the NHRA was truely concerned with safety, they'd advise all the teams and spectators to stay at home because they have a much higher chance of getting injured or dying on the way to the track than they do at the track.

I'm quite sure most of you won't like my analysis, but they have enough trouble attracting people to this sport, it will be even harder now.

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I tend to agree and I sure hope this is short term. NHRA should quit holding national events at tracks that don't have adequate shut down area. I have never understood why there are two events at Pomona and Las Vegas but only one at tracks like Indy, Topeka, and Phoenix.

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Originally Posted by NTFDAY

I tend to agree and I sure hope this is short term. NHRA should quit holding national events at tracks that don't have adequate shut down area. I have never understood why there are two events at Pomona and Las Vegas but only one at tracks like Indy, Topeka, and Phoenix.

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I can understand why two at Pomona.....NHRA held its first official race in April 1953, on a slice of the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds parking lot in Pomona, where they remain today.

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Originally Posted by ceh383

I can understand why two at Pomona.....NHRA held its first official race in April 1953, on a slice of the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds parking lot in Pomona, where they remain today.

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I can understand Pomona, I was there in '62.

well if you think that the all mighty 1320' feet is more important than keeping the drivers who entertain you safe. then the nhra doesnt need fans like you. IMHO.

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Originally Posted by gassersrule_196

well if you think that the all mighty 1320' feet is more important than keeping the drivers who entertain you safe. then the nhra doesnt need fans like you. IMHO.

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Where were you the run before Scott got killed? Protesting the 1320', I'm sure:rolleyes: Or how about last week? Why was it so safe to run 1320' last week, but not next? This won't solve anything. Last week in Norwalk, they had an Alky Funny car go completely throught the sand trap.....and he doesn't go 300 mph. So taking out 320' isn't gonna prevent anything.

I'm fairly disappointed in the decision particularly as this goes into effect at my home track... I'll be attending the Mile High's next week. We all were pretty excited to see how the big dogs would run on our new (all concrete) track surface with integrated cooling at the short end... we were expecting to see new Bandimere track records for the fuel categories as we had seen for the TAD and TAFC races a few weeks ago. Now any times we see will be nearly meaningless... put an asterisk next to any results we see next week :(

I'm all for safety but I'm not happy with this situation...

Oh well...

-Chris

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Originally Posted by gassersrule_196

well if you think that the all mighty 1320' feet is more important than keeping the drivers who entertain you safe. then the nhra doesnt need fans like you. IMHO.

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Scooter, there's more to it than just running to 1000'. Brandon Bernstein scaled the wall at less than a 1000', Eric Medlen was killed at less than a 1000', and John Force almost bought the farm again at less than a 1000'. Sad to say I've witnessed a few serious crashes and deaths at drag strips down through the years starting with Don Garlit's major fire at Detroit in '59. Almost all of them led to safety improvements of one kind or another, but a short track with concrete barriers or trees at the end the track is NOT conducive to safety and those tracks need improvements or need to be shut down.
IMHO opinion the tracks with concrete launches and transition to asphalt cause more problems than they are worth. It is almost impossible to create a smooth surface at the transition which in turn causes tire smoking, engine backfires, blower explosions and ultimately fires and out of control cars and it's damned hard to control a Funny when you can't see where you are going.:eek: :( :mad:

You probably know that NHRA has tried putting all kinds of limits on the cars, to reduce speeds, and that clearly is not working. Limiting the length makes more sense. You may be able to find more horsepower...but you would still be limited by traction and distance. It's more foolproof way of accomplishing the goal.

I am one of many who suggested this "shorter race distance" to NHRA. I grew up going to the 1/8th mile drags. They were every bit as exciting as the 1/4 mile events! One thing I never liked about the longer track was that once the cars were downtrack, it was too hard to see who was ahead, any way! Beside that, the last 300 feet is only a fraction of a second, at those speeds.

This would give a longer shut off area, reduce breakage, pull the speeds down to about 300, and just makes sense. I did not however suggest 1/8th mile, as this would limit the speeds that NHRA wants fans to talk about. I suggested 1000 feet, or 1/5th mile (1056).

I think that once you go to one of these races, you will not see much difference in the racing. The experience of watching these monsters is much more than 4 seconds. There is the hype from the announcer, the fireup, burnout, staging, starting line game, then the race, and the talk afterward. I for one will not miss that fraction of a second, and maybe one of my favorite drivers will live longer.