Scott Kalitta's Death Results in NHRA Rule Changes
I am as upset as anyone over the death of a human being, even more so when the person is a father. However, I have to question this move by the NHRA, Why are you suddenly changing the rules that have always been the standard in drag racing? Only the two fastest classes will be observing the rule changes but I still refuse to see the logic in this alteration of standards for racing.
Will this reduce the danger inherent in driving a conveyance made as light and fast as humanly possible to the absolute limits of the equipment? Absolutely not. Anytime a sports participant is injured or killed, we seek to make the activity safer; both for the athlete and for the fans. I have no problem with the changes John Force's team has made in the wake of Eric Medlin's death last season. They have developed safer buckets which protect the drivers among other improvements. I have no issue with these changes. Such changes do not affect the basic aspects of the sport.
John Force was in a terrible accident last season that might have claimed his as well as the life of Kenny Bernstein. Force still limps from his lingering injuries while Bernstein has hung up his racing shoes forever. No one decided to change the rules so nitro cars cannot explode or prevent them from impinging on the other driver's lane if that were even possible. Tony Pedregron was also recently involved in an explosion as well, no rule changes.
The point here is that racing is dangerous. Drag racing is more dangerous because of the speeds. For the top classes, add in some nitromethane (basically jet fuel) and you have a pilot in a bucket attached to a rocket. How much safer are those pilots by reducing the track length by 320 feet? In the tragic race that claimed Scott Kalitta, his car exploded, his chutes were already deployed, and he had won the race. His car was traveling at over 300 miles per hour at 1,000 feet just as it was at 1,320. The sand trap at Old Englishtown is shorter than any other dragway on the circuit. Even worse, at the end of this runway there is a concrete wall. Kalitta's car did not slow down in time, he may or not have been conscious when his car ran into this wall and caused a second explosion; likely the fatal one.
Drag racing is dangerous enough. NHRA should make the owners of these old tracks to make changes. If a sand trap cannot be made longer and/or concrete walls cannot be moved or removed, these tracks should not be included on the season schedule. These tracks do not meet what should be new safety standards implemented by NHRA for raceways. Everyone who loves drag racing is trying to find solace in the fact that Kalitta is gone. Can we not find a way to make what is already a perilous but highly entertaining sport just a little safer as a result? The solution is not to change the standard by which races are decided and records are set but in the environs that we so enjoy visiting each year to watch our heroes cheat death with every 1/4 mile run down an asphalt runway. What's next, mattresses taped up at the end of the track?
Published by Motorboat Jones
I am an IT professional that has several other interests besides technology. I would like to share my experience and opinion on a number of subjects. View profile
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2 Comments
Post a CommentI appreciate you commenting on this story. However, had the track been longer, Kalitta's car would not have hit a fence post or the crane. Normally, the ESPN crane is not even located at the end of tracks because it is so far away. The report by the state merely indicates what caused his death - namely, the impact with the crane. What they do not indicate is why the crane was there in the first place. Old Englishtown has long been the shortest 1/4 facility on the schedule and due to this, has a shorter sand trap.
My intention was not to assign blame. Upon further viewing of the accident and in light of the state's report, I may annotate my story. The point of it was that basic tenets of the sport should not be changed. More importantly, tracks should be safer and altered for safety considering the advancing technologies of the participants. Such considerations could have saved the life of Scott Kalitta.
Just wanted to update this since it's still available. I was one that absolutely blamed the track as being too short, however most of the reasons listed above as the cause of death proved not to be true according to the official report from the state. The NJ State Police official report indicates that the engine was still under full power (even though it was dying) and the parachute never deployed. As the car headed to the sand trap the car began bouncing, limiting the tire's contact with the pavement, negating the brakes. Even so, the report indicates that Scott's car was down to 125 mph when it entered the sand and a bad bounce caused the car to go airborne. The car impacted the net pole but was still in good shape until it hit ESPN's 23,000lb crane, impacting the large counterweight. This is the impact that killed him. NHRA does not want to say that a 23,000 lb crane sitting at the end of the track (where cars go over 300mph and wearing a major sponsor's name) is what killed him. Th