samdiego Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 (edited) Scott Kalitta succumbed today to injuries from a horrific crash in Englishtown NJ. His funny car's motor exploded midtrack, chutes released but never caught air and he blasted through the sand trap. Son of legend Connie Kalitta, Top Fuel Champion in '94 and '95, husband, father of two. Edited June 21, 2008 by samdiego Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanSilva Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. -- Scott Kalitta died Saturday when his Funny Car crashed and burst into flames during qualifying for the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. State police confirmed that the 46-year-old Kalitta, a two-time Top Fuel champion who had 18 career victories, was killed in the accident. Witnesses told The Star-Ledger of Newark that Kalitta's Toyota Solara was traveling at an estimated speed of 300 mph when the crash occurred. The Palmetto, Fla., resident started his career at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in 1982. His father, Connie Kalitta, was a longtime driver and team owner known as "The Bounty Hunter," and his cousin, Doug Kalitta, also drives competitively. Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/racing/nhra/...tory?id=3455554 So horrible..he was one of my favorite drivers..he always had a cool head on his shoulders.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george 53 Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Such a tragedy to lose a member of the racing community like this, But, it also remindes us of what a dangerous sport it really is.You never know when you'll be called home, but you MUST go!My deepest condolences to this family and freinds,I used to watch his Dad run at Detroit Dragway, back in the day.Scott Kalitta will be missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAL Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 That is terrible news. He was a well liked driver by all. My god man, just seen the video, literally exploded in a big mushroom cloud at the end of the track. Unbelievable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resinslinger Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Probably one of the worst, if not the worst, drag racing crashes I have ever seen. God speed Scott. Rest In Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAL Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 (edited) Probably one of the worst, if not the worst, drag racing crashes I have ever seen. God speed Scott. Rest In Peace. Being on a TAFC team in the early 90's I have been to a lot of these events and seen some bad crashes with a few drivers who were killed - largely by fire, but honestly I have never seen anything quite like this one. It is the worst one I have seen. It is just astonishing. A lot of stuff had gone terribly wrong there, and it was the perfect storm - they say the car landed almost off the track property. You will be sorely missed Scott Kalitta. Edited June 22, 2008 by CAL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasman Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 (edited) RIP SCOTT :lol: that was a horrible crash, surprised ESPN showed, it looked like he car never slowed down and his car catapulted when he hit the sand then it hit a camera boom, (I hope to camera man on that boom it ok, I'm assuming he is since they haven't said anything about it) Edited June 22, 2008 by gasman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.