The Day That Changed Nitro Drag Racing Forever

[Richard Cranium]

 

[Budnicks]

IMHFO
The day Scott Kalitta died, when he ran into a light/generator/platform lift
at the end of a track, off to the side in the end of the pea gravel box
it was "alleged" negligence, by the NHRA, track & safety crews
putting that light /generator where they did
he'd have probably survived like 1,000s of other drivers
had, that went into or were going into the pea gravel & safety net
not into a trailer-generator/extended light support,
placed in the wrong area

A knee-jerk reaction governing body/s especially the NHRA
to make all Pro-Fuel categories into 1000' track, T/F & F/C classes
not the prior 1320' 1/4 mile tracks most were
giving them 320' more track to stop

like every other class runs
unless it's a 1/8th mile 660' subpar facility

changed drag-racing forever,
for the worse
lots of ways they could have changed rules
to keep the traditional 1/4 mile, 1320' racetracks
bigger better brakes, bigger chutes, mandatory shutoffs/electronics,
rear gearing, limiting blower size & a single pump, not 2 overkill,
spec. rules basically
even hans devices, safer clutch packs, safety cell inside the cockpit etc.

they are running even faster in 1,000ft than they were in 1320'
now almost 340mph, 3.60's ETs
still need to slow them down or lengthen them tracks

nitro racing is dying a slow painful death
barely get a 16 car field anymore in either F/C or T/F
more 13-14-15 car fields of late, in both
I remember the days when it was 64 cars & 32 car fields
(tracks were shorter than today too, but still 1320'/1/4 mile race surfaces)
currently shitty purses, not enough parts or support for the parts
need to be a billionaire almost
or have 10's of millions per year big $$ sponsorships/marketing deals
to win a $1,000,000 in points, & $50,000 for a race 24 times
the $$ doesn't add up, & it's a double purse in pro-classes what it was
& more contingency $$$ for stickers & race supporters

before Scott died needlessly

that's my honest ******* opinion

 

[Budnicks]

IIRC, details are a tad foggy now
I have a friend Bob M. that died at Fremont/Baylands raceway
sort of the same stuff,
something at the end of the track
("allegedly" shouldn't have ever been there)
& it's 'Fremont/Baylands Raceway' then active track manager,
I won't mention her name & maybe the contractor
"allegedly" doing the resurfacing or both of them possibly
(not sure whom) chose to
'piled a bunch of track grinding debris'
at the end of the pea gravel
way too close to the safety nets,
with not enough stretch room

It was a S/E 7.90 180mph RE dragster/car, a BBC Blown Inj. on alcohol
Bob went into the "safety net", at a high clip/hard
his throttle had stuck on the injector hat
causing him to not be able to slow down or shut down quick enough
not enough before the pea gravel/trap
he hit the safety net & it stretched too far
& the front of the car folded back, like an accordion
& the rear of the chassis, I assume from the weight of the engine
&/or it's forward inertia, sudden stop,
made a chrome-moly tube break lose/fold (? IIRC)
the end of it went thru his helmet & his skull...
Killed him/Bob instantly on impact...

IMHFO
All "allegedly" because the debris was
dumped/piled at the end of the track
behind the safety net, in the emergency shutdown area
'from recently digging it up' & resurfacing it,
(it was a nice new surface, more concrete in the 1st half)
that was dumped there instead of somewhere else
or anywhere else then there
(or pay to have it hauled off property)
I don't know the exact monetary stuff, exact details
of who said or did it "allegedly"

it ultimately was the demise of Fremont/Baylands Raceway
& a good man too
(Bob M., owned an Elevator repair & installation business out of San Jose)

the roundy-round, toilet bowl dirt track
also there ran for a couple of years
after the dragstrip was shut down
IIRC they had insurance/ing liability & law/legal (suits ?) issues there too
again not sure the financials/details now, it was 3 decades ago now

that was the scuttlebutt anyhow,
from my degrading memory

 

[Dan64]

Scott Kilitta hit a platform lift at the end of the track. The lift was going to have a camera operator manned in it but was told that they couldn't have anyone in it for safty reasons at the last minute otherwise the camera man/men would have been dead also. My wife's uncle was the manager of the Ahern rental company that the lift was rented from. At the time of the accident my company was doing some grading and paving at that store location and I was there when they hauled the lift back to the yard. The main boom on the lift was bent so badly , along with other damage that the lift was totaled. The impact was unreal.

 

[Dennis H]

Still a knee jerk response.