Scott Kalitta

Scott D. Kalitta (February 18, 1962 – June 21, 2008) was an American drag racer who competed in the Funny Car and Top Fuel classes in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. He had 17 career Top Fuel wins and one career Funny Car win. At the time of his death due to an accident during race qualifying, he was one of 14 drivers to win in both divisions.

Career Kalitta's career began in 1982 at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. He got his first win in 1989 in Funny Car at the event in Houston, Texas.

Death On June 21, 2008, Kalitta was fatally injured during the final round of qualifying for the 2008 Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. Kalitta's Funny Car was traveling about when the engine exploded in flames near the finish line. He was transported to the Old Bridge Division of Raritan Bay Medical Center, and was pronounced dead on arrival. In nitromethane-fueled classes that methanol poisoning is possible from the mandatory mix of methanol into the nitromethane (15% minimum methanol at the time), ethanol can be used to treat dangers from methanol poisoning that could happen from excessive breathing of methanol.

The NHRA said on Kalitta's death, "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."

Kalitta is buried at the Skyway Memorial Gardens in Palmetto, Florida. He was survived by his wife and children.

Legacy On July 2, 2008, the NHRA shortened Top Fuel and Funny Car races to in response to the ongoing investigation, and extra safety measures were placed at all tracks, including padded retaining walls at the end of sand traps, replacing the polymer nets held up by concrete posts. Although unpopular with the fans, the 1,000-foot distance is the standard for all “AA Fuel” (nitromethane) powered categories (Top Fuel car, Top Fuel Motorcycle, and AA fuel Funny Car). The FIA shortened the Mantorp Park, Alastaro Circuit, and Tierp Arena rounds of the European Drag Racing Championship because of track concerns, but drag races at Hockenheimring and Santa Pod remained at the distance because of its length until the end of the 2011 season. Adelaide International Raceway became Australia's first 1,000-foot drag strip. In 2017, the International Hot Rod Association changed to 1,000-foot racing for its Top Fuel cars starting with the 2017–18 ACDelco Thunder Nationals (first IHRA Top Fuel race of the 2017–18 IHRA 400 Thunder season).

As a direct result of Kalitta's death, a solution was sought to eliminate engine backfire, the cause of the spectacular engine fires often associated with nitromethane burners. A solution was developed by Dave Lahey of Electromotion in Columbus, Ohio, with the help of 15-time Funny Car champion John Force, former Funny Car and Top Fuel champion Kenny Bernstein, and seven-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher; they developed a sensor that in the event of an engine backfire will automatically shut down the fuel pump and deploy the parachutes. Although several NHRA drivers have expressed their displeasure at the introduction of the new sensor, they admit that it should reduce, if not eliminate, the circumstances that led to Kalitta's death. The device was made a mandatory safety requirement in 2009.