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NHRA Racer Scott Kalitta dies at 46
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| architect1803 |
NOTE: Today, Sunday June 22nd at 7pm, ESPN will be broadcasting the Final Rounds of the Lucas Oil SuperNationals, and will hold a special moment of silence as fans and friends will remember Scott Kalitta.
I don't think anyone here is into the whole drag racing thing, but I thought I could show my condolences to the Kalitta Family posting a thread here.
My dad's been into drag racing since he was a kid. All my life I've watched my dad race his '67 Nova down the drag strip at various race tracks. The "big dogs" are the highlight of this sport, that is Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers of the NHRA (i.e. John Force, Kenny Bernstein <
I met Scott Kalitta for the first time when I was 5 years old in both Houston and Dallas (Ennis) where my dad was running under the "Super Gas" category at the time. So being inside the pit area was fairly easy for us. Owner of Kalitta Airlines, Connie Kalitta (father) and his family ran an inclusive team that made the "Kalitta" name stand out. Scott Kalitta's career began in the 1980s. He made his first win in 1989 (the year I met him) at the NHRA's premiere series by taking the Funny Car event in Houston. He would move to Top Fuel during the 1990s, and won his first event in this class at Topeka in 1993. He also set a national speed record at that race en route to his win. The next two years were big for Kalitta, as he would win the Top Fuel championship both years, winning a combined 11 events. He would come back in 1996 with a second place points finish, and retired in 1997. For 2006, Kalitta returned to Funny Car in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, but did not have as much success as he had in Top Fuel the previous two years. In the season, Kalitta drove his Kalitta Air-sponsored Monte Carlo and Solara (which he switched to late in the year) to a 13th place points finish, well behind eventual champion John Force. Kalitta's 2007 Funny Car season was rather uneventful, as he missed qualifying for 6 events in his DHL-sponsored Solara and missed the inaugural NHRA Countdown to the Championship. His best finish was a semi-finals appearance at Denver in July.
On June 21, 2008, Kalitta was killed when his Toyota Solara Funny Car burst into flames and crashed during the 4th and final round of qualifying for the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Kalitta’s car was traveling at around 300 miles per hour when the engine of his car exploded into flames.
Slow-motion replay of the run shows something going wrong with the engine. The engine appeared to explode, creating a gigantic fireball and breaking the car body into thirds around the hood and windshield. The body lifted off the car in flames and flew back as the car continued down the track. Replay shows a continued fire as the car slowed greatly but not enough. The parachutes were twisted and did little to stop the car. The car continued down the track, went through the sand, over some dirt, through a fence, and hit the wall shooting the car into the air, breaking it into hundreds of pieces. An immediate fireball enveloped the car as part landed in the woods and part appears to land on the camera tower. Some of the trees in the woods were scorched by heated fragments.
Here are some videos (recorded from ESPN) that show Kalitta's final race.
Part1 (shows the accident)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0MgcKF2Z...feature=related
Part2
http://youtube.com/watch?v=EJpnGoXA...feature=related
Part3
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zUfHK_36...feature=related
Part4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4UEAp3eR7Ro
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| maddraver |
| quote: | Originally posted by architect1803
NOTE: Today, Sunday June 22nd at 7pm, ESPN will be broadcasting the Final Rounds of the Lucas Oil SuperNationals, and will hold a special moment of silence as fans and friends will remember Scott Kalitta. |
funny car is my favorite next to nascar. ive been a john force fan all my life. its a sad day for the sport. no one could have survived that crash. i will be checking out the finals later. |
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| architect1803 |
| quote: | Originally posted by maddraver
funny car is my favorite next to nascar. ive been a john force fan all my life. its a sad day for the sport. no one could have survived that crash. i will be checking out the finals later. |
Yea John Force is the king of this sport, no doubt. We almost lost the guy 3 months ago in Dallas, too. :nervous:
What a nice thing Robert Hight did of running a solo, not racing down the strip, during the eliminations that was supposed to be against Scott Kalitta today. |
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| Benjamin DuBose |
| quote: | Originally posted by architect1803
Yea John Force is the king of this sport, no doubt. We almost lost the guy 3 months ago in Dallas, too. :nervous:
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dude that was last year at the end of the season. yes Funny car are my Favs. Jahn is the king for sure but my new fav is Ashley Force. Yes she is HOT and i believe 4th in points right now. Nothing like a hot chick driver whoopin some ass out there. |
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| architect1803 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Benjamin DuBose
dude that was last year at the end of the season. yes Funny car are my Favs. Jahn is the king for sure but my new fav is Ashley Force. Yes she is HOT and i believe 4th in points right now. Nothing like a hot chick driver whoopin some ass out there. |
ah ok, i thought it was this year for some reason.
Yea Ashley is fckn hot as hell and after this weekend in Englishtown she is second in points. Angelle Savoie is hot as too (US Army Pro Stock Bike).
Points Link |
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