Scott Kalitta

[unklian]

...and I doubt at the speed the car was travelling, that any kind of sandtrap or net would have ensured his survival. In fact, they may even have made the situation worse by flipping the car over if it were to have dug into the sand/gravel or simply tearing it apart.

I suspect this might have been part of the problem.
The car might have come apart before some part of it hit the pole.

[unklian]

I wonder how thick the sand was ?
And was it just sitting on top of the pavement ?

Would 6 inches of sand be enough to launch at car in the air at 200+ mph ?

[Carps]

Would 6 inches of sand be enough to launch at car in the air at 200+ mph ?

A single pebble would likely do it.

[jaybee]

It's been a tough couple of years for the fuel classes.  I suspect it's time for NHRA to undertake the same sort of self-examination that NASCAR was forced to after the death of Dale Earnhardt--which followed multiple deaths of drivers with less fan base and experience.  What I'm saying here is that the rules are based on incremental changes to deal with specific incidents.  Sometimes by that method you inadvertently put yourself in a position where safety isn't as good as you think it is.  Does that mean I think that Kalitta's death was caused by some negligence on the part of NHRA?  Certainly not.  But it's been a tough couple of years for the fuel classes.  That makes it a good time to make sure everything is as safe as thousands of horsepower and 300+ mph can be.

[Fast.Fords]

Englishtown was built when fuelers were running 200 mph...the shutdown lane has not been lengthened to accomodate today's speed....  All driver's in all forms of motorsports know there is an inherent risk and even a possibility of death....  but that's no reason to compound the risk by having a too short shut down area...  Compared to the majority of the other tracks where NHRA conducts national events, this shutdown area is short....

Of course Scott raced because he wanted too...  Then you get caught up in the points chase, sponsor committments, and the competitive nature of the type A personality of most pro drivers and often the dangers are overlooked.  NHRA needs to step up to the plate and require the tracks to have adequate safety provisions...or lose the national event...  or as Jim Head stated, on the tracks like this with a too short shut down area, then make the race 1000' ft....

Unfortunately, it always takes a major incident to get folks to wake up and see that safety issues need to be addressed....

A law suit would accomplish nothing and I doubt seriosly if Connie Kalitta would even consider it.  As was mentioned in another post, Just like the death of Dale Earnhardt, maybe the death of Scott Kalitta will bring about some needed changes in track facilities....

BTW--I haven't seen many drag strips with a barrier at the end of the shutdown area, especially a short shutdown area like Englishtown.  Pamona is another track that needs to address this same issue.  Some of the newer tracks like Vegas have much longer shutdown areas.  The older tracks were designed for much lower speeds and need to be improved.  

There shouldn't be any blame or fingerpointing, just a conscious effort and some very specific rules to ensure that a similar situation doesn't happen again.  If there is a specific cause of the crash, IMO it would be complacency.....

[unklian]

Professional drivers speak out:
http://www.competitionplus.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6957&Itemid=24

[Jbird]

Thanks, I think we needed that. This is the first time I've read some of the drivers comments about track safety. I think a nice mass team protest like the US Grand Prix at Indy a couple of years ago would get the track owners and NHRA officials heads out of their *. You have to fight money with money.

  It's too bad it takes a tragedy to effect discussion and improvements.

  Jbird
   

[unklian]

Unfortunately,I don't see a major boycott happening soon,
without support from team owners and sponsors.


Of course,they are not the ones with their necks on the line.
But how long do you think you would have a ride with a big
money team,if you refused to race ?