Philosopher Thomas Carlyle never got to witness drag racing, but he just might have captured the spirit of driver Scott Kalitta when he wrote, “The tragedy of life is not so much what men suffer, but rather what they miss.”
Kalitta did suffer a fiery and violent accident Saturday during qualifying for the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. He became the National Hot Rod Ass’n’s second fatality in 15 months and the third since June 2004.
But he was not a statistic. He was a spirited 46-year-old husband and father of two boys, two-time Top Fuel champion and friend in the POWERade Drag Racing Series pits.
His colleagues remember him as a curious mix of friendly, shy, generous and passionate about racing.
“Scott Kalitta was one of the first professional racers to welcome me to the circuit, and I’ve never forgotten that,” Top Fuel driver Doug Foley said. “I thought it was pretty cool that a two-time champ with a trophy room full of Wallys was kind enough to talk to the new guy, but he did.”
Doug Herbert, owner-driver of the SnaponFranchise.com dragster, said he considered Kalitta one of his close friends.
“I’m devastated,” said Herbert, who lost sons James and Jon in a January auto accident in North Carolina.
“Scott was one of my friends for the longest time. James and Jon loved Scott. He was always really nice to them and they had fun.
“Scott was one of the nicest people to me when I first started out racing. I’m just devastated. I feel like Jon and James will be the first ones to welcome him,” Herbert said.
Jerry Toliver, one of four Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car drivers, had grown close to Kalitta through their Toyota projects. And he described him as a “sweet guy, good guy.”
Said Toliver, “I think Scott was very misread in the way people perceived him. Shy guy. Not really comfortable in front of the camera. I think people used to think he was coming off cocky, when in reality, I think Scott was just a shy person. Good husband, good father, loved racing.”
Scott Kalitta even confessed he enjoyed watching home-improvement TV programs, for he and wife Kathy remodeled two homes recently. He also had a playful sense of humor. Talking about a devilishly uncooperative Funny Car he had in 2006, he said, “It had a mind of its own, but we performed a couple of exorcisms on it, so it’s better now.”  
To Tony Schumacher, Scott Kalitta was one of the sport’s giants, on top of his game when Schumacher only dreamed of winning championships. He said what struck him was Kalitta’s love of driving nitro cars.
“Scott, of all people, was a gladiator,” Schumacher said. “He was tough as nails. He didn’t need the money. He woke up every morning and wanted to race.”
Funny Car winner and point-leader Tim Wilkerson reached out to Kalitta’s family. “God bless Connie Kalitta,” he said. “I hope that we can all be there for him in the future months because he’s going to need it. That win was for all the fathers out here, John Medlen included.” He was referring to the crew chief whose driver he beat Sunday.
“I know they have a lot of faith, and every one of them is teaching me,” he said of the Force gang who has gone through the racing death that separates father and son. “Hopefully, we can all learn to get through this, and with some faith, I think we will.”
Just the same, Don Prudhomme said, “It’s a terrible tragedy for our sport — terrible, terrible, terrible.”
As for Kalitta, whom he remembers as a child while he was racing dad Connie, he said, “Scott was just a really good guy. Win, lose or draw, he would have a beer and call it a night.”
This one’s to you, Scott Kalitta.