Scott Kalitta

Infobox racing driver
name = Scott Kalitta


pixels =
caption =
nationality = American
date of birth = birth date|1962|2|18
place of birth = Santa Monica, California
date of death = death date and age|2008|6|21|1962|2|18
place of death = Englishtown, New Jersey
retired =
related to = Connie Kalitta, Doug Kalitta
last series = Top Fuel
years active = 1982–1997; 1999; 2003–2008
teams =
starts =
wins = 18
poles = 20
fastest laps =
best finish = champion
year = 1994, 1995
prev series =
prev series years =
titles = Top Fuel Season Champion
title years = 1994, 1995
awards =
award years =

Scott Kalitta (February 18 1962 – June 21 2008) was an American drag racer who competed in the Funny Car class in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Powerade Drag Racing Series. He was killed in Englishtown, New Jersey, after an accident during qualifying. He had 17 career Top Fuel wins and 1 career Funny Car win, and at his death he was one of fourteen drivers to win in both divisions.

Kalitta was son to veteran NHRA driver and crew chief Connie Kalitta and cousin to teammate Doug Kalitta.

Personal life

He made his home in Snead Island, Florida, with wife, Kathy and two sons, Colin (8) and Corey (14). He was a native of Belleville, Michigan. [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/motorsports/5850017.html NHRA's Scott Kalitta killed in crash] , The Associated Press via "The Houston Chronicle", June 21 2008.]

Career

Scott Kalitta's career began in the 1982 at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. His first career #1 qualifier happened at the Baton Rouge, Louisiana event in 1988.cite web|url=http://www.nhra.com/drivers/driver.asp?driverid=925&CatCd=2|title=NHRA Biography|date=2008|publisher=NHRA|accessdate=2008-06-23] He made his first win in 1989 at the NHRA's premiere series by taking the Funny Car event in Houston, Texas.

He would move to Top Fuel during the 1990s. Kalitta won his first event in this class at Topeka, Kansas in 1993, when he set a national speed record of convert|308.64|mph|km/h at that race for the win.

The next two years were big for Kalitta, as he would win the Top Fuel championship both years. In 1994, he became the first Top Fuel driver to have four straight event wins (Columbus, Topeka, Denver and Sonoma) and he won five events that season. He won six events and 45 rounds of competition in 1995 to win the championship. His 1996 season saw him win the $100,000 Budweiser Shootout at Sonoma enroute to a second place points finish. He had the top speed at a series best eight races that season. Kalitta won the Topeka event for a fourth straight year in 1997. He retired in October of that season.

Kalitta came back in 1999, making one final round in ten starts. Kalitta returned to Top Fuel in 2003 after a three year layoff. He made two final rounds and set a speed record at convert|333.95|mph|km/h, but didn't certify the speed with a fast enough backup run to claim the national record. In 2004 he recorded one win in two final round appearances. He was the top qualified at both Las Vegas event, and finished in the Top five in season points. His 2005 season saw him win two events.

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 thirteenth place points finish, well behind eventual champion John Force.

Kalitta's 2007 Funny Car season was rather uneventful, as he qualified for 16 of 23 events in his DHL-sponsored Solara and missed the inaugural NHRA Countdown to the Championship. His best finish of the season was a semi-finals appearance at Denver in July. In 2008, he made his 36th and last final round appearance at Chicago, two weeks before his death. [cite web|url=http://www.nhra.com/2008/kalitta/index.html|title=Former champ Kalitta lost in qualifying accident|date=June 2008|publisher=NHRA|accessdate=2008-06-23]

Death

On June 21 2008, Kalitta was fatally injured during the final round of qualifying for the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Kalitta’s Toyota Solara was traveling at about 300 mph when the engine exploded into flames near the finish line. The parachutes were damaged and failed to slow the vehicle. Kalitta's vehicle went through a sand trap at the end of the track that normally would stop the car, and impacted a concrete-filled post that supports the safety net. [ [http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080622/SPORTS0501/80622033/1002/SPORTS State police investigating Kalitta crash | APP.com | Asbury Park Press ] ] Kalitta was transported to the Old Bridge Division of Raritan Bay Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The NHRA said on Kalitta's passing that “Scott shared the same passion for drag racing as his legendary father, Connie. He also shared the same desire to win, becoming a two-time series world champion. He left the sport for a very long period of time, to devote more time to his family, only to be driven to return to the drag strip to regain his championship form."

At the time his vehicle exploded, Kalitta had already qualified for the following days National event in the funny car class. The next day, at what would have been his opening elimination round event, his team stood on the starting line on his side of the dragstrip as Robert Hight, who would have been his opponent, idled his car down the quarter-mile track out of respect. [ [http://www.nhra.com/content/news/results/30066.htm 2008 Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals: Event home page ] ]

The following day, the NHRA began an investigation into what happened to cause the car to slam into the retaining wall at over 300 miles per hour. The investigation is continuing and a cause has yet to be determined.

On July 2, 2008, the NHRA shortened Top Fuel and Funny Car races to 1,000 feet (301 m) as a response of the ongoing investigation, and will keep races at the shortened distance for the season. The FIA shortened the Mantorp Park round of the European Drag Racing Championship because of track concerns, but Hockenheimring will run 1,320 feet drag races because of its length.

References

External links

* [http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3455640 ESPN Scott Kalitta Accident Coverage]
* [http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3455699 ESPN Remembering Scott Kalitta]