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NHRA News: Kalitta succumbs to injuries suffered in qualifying incident (6/21/2008)
Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta, 46, died Saturday from multiple injuries suffered after his car went out of control and crashed in a high-speed racing accident at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park during the fourth and final round of qualifying at the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals.

Kalitta was extracted from his car by NHRA emergency services officials and transported to Old Bridge Township Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Kalitta, a two-time NHRA POWERade Series Top Fuel champion and one of only 14 drivers in NHRA history to earn victories in both premier nitro categories, earned 18 victories during his career, his last coming in Chicago in 2005 in Top Fuel.

Kalitta earned most of his racing success in Top Fuel, where he claimed back-to-back world championship titles in 1994 and 1995. He retired from racing in 1997, sitting out most of two seasons before returning for a 10-race campaign in 1999. He sat out three more seasons following that brief stint and then returned again in 2003, joining cousin Doug as a second driver for the family's two Top Fuel dragsters.

Kalitta started his pro career in Top Fuel in 1982, running limited events for four seasons before moving to Funny Car in 1986 for his first full-season of competition. He returned to that category fulltime in 2006. He posted a runner-up finish two weeks ago in Chicago, his 36th career NHRA final round appearance.

Kalitta is survived by his father, legendary NHRA racer and team owner Connie Kalitta; wife, Kathy; and sons Corey, 14, and Colin, 8.

 
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Damn, any pictures of the crash ?

What went wrong?

 
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The video should say it all.



Don't know why the videos I post here don't work
Its posted at the bottom of the page over on my site.
----> Scott Kalitta killed at E town

 
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It was posted wrong, but damn, just watched the video, unreal!

Hard to believe there isn't a longer run off.

 
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Ya thats what a lot of people are saying but I looked at the track on google earth and there is a road and then some ones property just on the other side of the trap.

 
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Damn, i mean, brake fade, parachute not working correctly, blown time. Too many factors out there and it could happen to anyone.

That impact was nuts

 
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The chutes looked like they came out, but I think they usually come out automatically when the body blows off. Problem is the fire was intense enough to burn them off so they really had no effect on slowing it down.
Some are saying that the severity of the initial engine explosion may have knocked him unconscious.
That would explain the car not slowing down much before hitting the trap.
Thats two drivers in two years now in F/C

RIP Scott Kalitta
RIP Eric Medlin

 
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damn that is unreal

if it exploded like that, would he have even been able to activate his chute?

 
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Yah saw that yesterday... intense video, poor guy.

chute deploys automatically in some conditions.

 
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ahhh i c, i guess that may have been damaged too any word as to what make it just explode like that?

 
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8000 hp running on nitro. It happens sometimes.