Just wanted to let any of you NHRA/Model Railroaders out there of the very bad crash and death of funny car racer Scott Kalitta today at Raceway Park in NJ he will surely be missed my prayers go out to the entire Kalitta family
I’m sorry to hear of that. I haven’t been there but am familiar with Raceway Park. I’ll check my local news to see what they have on it.
I don’t follow the NHRA (PINKS/PINKS all out are what I watch). That’s still horrible. I hope he died instantly, you know, that he felt no pain. THat was on the msn start page when I pulled up the browser.
No, he was rushed to a hospital, and then died…I am somewhat glad though that he did die what he was happiest doing in his own home town. Things happen that we can control. my praryers are with Scott’s friends and family.
Pinks: All Out eh? My father (Marc Arnold) is 7th out of the 450 people who signed up for the Gateway Pinks: All out June 27th he has a 1993 SVT (Ford) Cobra Mustang. It runs low 9s to the quarter mile. Check out his site 
Mike
Good lookin’ car. Yeah, least he died doing what he loved.
Thats the way he would have wanted to go. doing what he loved down to the last second.
Mike
That totally SUCKS! I’m a big NHRA fan but hadn’t heard about Scott yet.[:(] He hadn’t done much in past years and was starting to make a re-emergence into funny car from the rails.
He will be missed.
His father Connie just had one of the Kalitta Flying Services 747 jets crash land and break completely in half a few weeks ago. (pilots got out OK)
Godspeed Scott.
http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/8269208/NHRA’s-Scott-Kalitta-killed-in-crash
Rotor
I remember reading an interview with a aerobatic pilot who was in a rather horrific crash during an airshow (I think it was Patty Wagstaff but I’m not sure). She said that during the crash, second only to her fear of death, was the fear that after her death the papers would be full of editorials about how, at least she died doing what she loved to do.
She said that was total B.S. She said she definitely did NOT want to die “doing what she loved to do”. She wanted to die in her sleep, in her own bed at 96 years of age (or older!)
Still my prayers go out to all affected by this tragedy.
-George
I just heard about it yesterday before the Nascar race. Scott was a great guy who followed in his dad’s foot steps. He will sure be missed by all drag racing fans.
I checked our local news channel which had it as the top story. It was just a tragedy that unfortunately can happen with this type of sport, he was supposedly going over 300 mph and the parachute malfunctioned, according to the report they gave. He was a respected man in the sport and as somebody else said was doing what he loved.
While I am not particularly a racing fan, it is still very sad when someone dies. But I don’t know why the NHRA would race at that track, it was rather short, and had a concrete wall at the end, instead of a long sandtrap. Had that wall not been there, or had his parachute worked correctly, I’m sure he would still be with us right now.
Apparently, the car also hit a camera rig.
Seems a number of things went bad at the same time.
It’s being theorized that Scott may have been unconsious after the explosion, not deploying the chutes or applying the brakes. The trap is too short, the catch fence too close, and the jersey barrier is way too close.
Bad deal all the way around.
Rotor