Motorsports is comprised of many classes and divisions, some of which are more dangerous than others.
Nitro drag racing is one of the most dangerous, where cars accelerate to more than 300 miles per hour in four seconds. Nitro drag racing champion Scott Kalitta’s fatal accident is another grim reminder that the sport we love can bite at any moment.
Drivers know the conditions and risks when they strap in and attach all the safety equipment. Kalitta’s crash, while qualifying for an NHRA event at Englishtown, N.J., is especially tragic, as his car ran off the end of the track at an alarmingly high rate of speed. This all came as a result of Kalitta’s car experiencing a severe engine explosion nearing the finish of a 300-mile-per-hour run.
Although there is much to be analyzed and investigated concerning this crash, some of the tracks where nitro cars are running need more shutdown area and enhanced sand- trap configurations.
The 7,000 horsepower nitro-fed machines accelerate to more than 100 mph in one second, and to more than 300 in the four-second range. Reaching the finish may be the pinnacle of a drag race for the spectator, but it’s just part one of the race scenario. The race from 300 to zero is just as important for the drivers as  the acceleration, if not more so.
Drivers who compete in all styles of drag racing know the importance of shut down and slowing areas to handle today’s speeds, which are pretty much 100 mph faster than speeds recorded in the 1970s.
The length of the sand pit, emergency net and barrier setup at all tracks need re-studying. If certain tracks cannot meet more stringent and expansive shut-down area parameters, then perhaps certain tracks, strictly for the safety of drivers who experience what Scott Kalitta did on his final run, can run 1,000-foot or eighth-mile competition for the nitro cars, which, as far as I’m concerned, would still be an exciting experience.
Nitro cars explode with regularity, and drivers usually walk away. What we learn from this tragedy and what we do to improve venues to make things better is crucial to future outcomes. The job of everyone involved in racing should be to keep drivers as safe as possible in a sport that is, decisively, very dangerous.
We don’t and may never know, what happened in this tragedy.
Nevertheless, the length and design of every track’s shutdown area we do know, and that’s what needs to be addressed.
Nitro cars travel to 330 mph in four seconds, then must do the reverse trick BACK to zero. What’s needed is an additional “troubled run” quotient built-into the shutdown area’s length and final end design to perhaps correct a similar occurrence. If it’s not possible, it’s time to go racing on shorter-length tracks.
My condolences to the entire Kalitta family.