RIP Scott Kalitta

[DoubleEagle]

I used to watch Connie race at National Trails Raceway in Kikersville , Ohio back in the mid 60s. Really sorry about Scott. I've seen some terrible crashes and the driver emerges unscathed. If the wall wasn't there maybe that would have been the way Scott's day would have ended up ? RIP

[Big Troubled Bear]

Rest in peace

[HisDucness]

Damn! that sucks! Godspeed

[CairnsDuc]

Jebus!!, That Impact is massive!! Sad part is it takes a Death to highlight a safety issue and for it to be fixed (Not always I know, but sadly a lot of the time)

I didn't get to see as much of the Funny car racing as I would like, But he was one of the Drivers I used to watch with Interest.

My thoughts go out to his Family, friends and the whole Drag racing community.

[Randimus Maximus]

After watching the video, and listening to some of the other drivers talk about what happened, it appears that Scott was probably unconcious after the explosion of the engine.

The chutes did not fully deploy, and it doesn't appear that Scott was trying to apply the brakes (normally in those scenarios, you'd see the back end hopping a bit from the rear tires getting locked up).

That being said, the run-off at that particular track it pretty poor.  I don't know if the wall being removed would help, as right beyond that is a heavily wooded area. 

Unfortunately, this is the second death in 15 months for a NHRA Funny Car driver.  Although major changes have been made to the cars in that span, there still is a huge inherent risk in the sport.