Thread: Scott Kalitta crash

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Originally Posted by 737Pilot

I just clicked on the link I provided and it works.

The one of Johnny West ? I was talking about the Kalitta crash on page 1.

Originally Posted by ceh383

There was a net there today.

No offense but you're kidding right?

That net will stop a pro stock bike MAYBE!

Fact is that Graham Light and the NHRA heads should be hanging in shame. Im for the NHRA but they have been 'reactive' in too many instances. Dels crash as well as others should have prompted a proactive/reaction from the sanctionong body to keep this kind of thing from happening. I know there are dangers that cant be avoided but shutdown area minimum standards are long overdue. The NHRA strives for NASCAR type legitimacy and this kind of crappy management is why they arent there.

Originally Posted by Mike in Motown

No offense but you're kidding right?

That net will stop a pro stock bike MAYBE!

Fact is that Graham Light and the NHRA heads should be hanging in shame. Im for the NHRA but they have been 'reactive' in too many instances. Dels crash as well as others should have prompted a proactive/reaction from the sanctionong body to keep this kind of thing from happening. I know there are dangers that cant be avoided but shutdown area minimum standards are long overdue. The NHRA strives for NASCAR type legitimacy and this kind of crappy management is why they arent there.

For once I have to agree with you. Englishtown is antiquated and land locked and the same holds true for a lot of the older strips. Probably the reason they're running at Norwalk this weekend instead of Columbus.

Originally Posted by Mike in Motown

No offense but you're kidding right?

That net will stop a pro stock bike MAYBE!

Fact is that Graham Light and the NHRA heads should be hanging in shame. Im for the NHRA but they have been 'reactive' in too many instances. Dels crash as well as others should have prompted a proactive/reaction from the sanctionong body to keep this kind of thing from happening. I know there are dangers that cant be avoided but shutdown area minimum standards are long overdue. The NHRA strives for NASCAR type legitimacy and this kind of crappy management is why they arent there.

No, not kidding. I didn't see the net there on Saturday, it was there on Sunday. You're right, it probably wouldn't stop one of these cars. It MIGHT slow it down enough to give the driver a slight chance at survival. Yes there should be minimum safety standards set for shut down areas. Driver safety should be the top priority and I hope they find better ways than NASCAR did. NASCAR's approach to safety over the years has been much the same as the NHRA's, nothing happens until someone dies or gets seriously injured.

I really like the equipment that runs at NHRA races but the decision makers of that association are a bunch of frigging MORONS, talk about having ones head up their ass! They are the poster children for people with 2 brains ............. one lost and the other out looking for it.

The shut down area is the last chance a driver has to survive, and for me if it takes a pillow the size of freight train to stop an out of control rocket @ 300+ with a knocked out driver, then it should be mandatory and the track owners can just suck it up.

That was a huge waste of a life, look at the it car was going straight against the wall and was fine until it hit a CONCRETE WALL, gee doesn't a concrete wall sound like a soft landing, makes me pucker. Save the trees and road behind the track at the expense of the driver...............BRILLANT!

It has been mentioned that the 300+ cars be limited to 1/8 or 1000 ft runs, well we know how that goes, the teams will figure out a way to go maybe 400 and we would be back to the emergency shut down problems again.

Remember the 80% nitro fix................. Yeah that lasted didn't it

Jim Head's idea, and one I would have to concur with, is to run either a 1000' or 1/8 mile race for the fuel cars at the tracks that do not have an adequate shut down area, not all of the tracks.... I don't foresee anyone going 400 mph at the 1000' timer anytime soon, they're around 240 to 250 now.... Granted, the tracks and NHRA need to get this issue of short shutdowns fixed soon, but the logistics, planning, and financing will take some time... In the interim, shortening the length of the race for the fuel cars will fix the problem RIGHT NOW before any more lives are wasted, or the whole thing is just forgotten about......

Originally Posted by pepi

The shut down area is the last chance a driver has to survive, and for me if it takes a pillow the size of freight train to stop an out of control rocket @ 300+ with a knocked out driver, then it should be mandatory and the track owners can just suck it up.

BINGO!!!!!!!

If a track doesnt have a standard catch all device or whatever is decided to be safe then fuelers dont run there. But you would need certain standards for all cars too which can carry a lot of speed to the end if something really goes wrong.


My NASCAR comparison was based on the FACT that compared to the NHRA the good ole southern boys have probably spent twenty fold what drag racing has spent on safety R & D. Sure safety implementations are usually a result of an unforeseen incident, Scotts was not something never seen before although more severe.

Originally Posted by Mike in Motown

BINGO!!!!!!!

If a track doesnt have a standard catch all device or whatever is decided to be safe then fuelers dont run there. But you would need certain standards for all cars too which can carry a lot of speed to the end if something really goes wrong.


My NASCAR comparison was based on the FACT that compared to the NHRA the good ole southern boys have probably spent twenty fold what drag racing has spent on safety R & D. Sure safety implementations are usually a result of an unforeseen incident, Scotts was not something never seen before although more severe.

Can't fault your logic, Mike.... I doubt seriously if the NHRA tracks pull in the same mega bucks as the NASCAR tracks.... Too bad Humpy Wheeler didn't get the deal closed on buying NHRA, he ain't afraid to spend money!!!! (think it was Humpy, one of them NASCAR track owners, anyway) Heck, I raced the old Super Gas Maverick on tracks the would really get your heart pumping when you crossed the line!!!! No idea why, but it seems safety concerns are almost non-existent once you get past the finish line.... I've braked on shutdowns with gravel on the blacktop, like they hadn't ever been swept, and one track in particular that had a huge dip about 30 yards past the line in the right lane....if you forgot to stay to the left of the dip it would bottom out the suspension.....

Anyway, it's just another of them money things....Not as much of it in drag racing as there is in circle burnin'.......

NHRA shortens race distance for Top Fuel and Funny Car classes to 1,000 feet as an interim safety measure

Congrats to NHRA---Driver safety in the fuel classes has to be the top priority, not an afterthought....

Poor move in my opinion...I know many of you think this is a good idea, but imgine football where they can't tackle so they can avoid injury, or hockey with no checking, or Tiger Woods at putt putt golf instead of a real course.

NHRA's philosophy: Ready, shoot, AIM! If the NHRA was truely concerned with safety, they'd advise all the teams and spectators to stay at home because they have a much higher chance of getting injured or dying on the way to the track than they do at the track.

I'm quite sure most of you won't like my analysis, but they have enough trouble attracting people to this sport, it will be even harder now.

I doubt it will make much difference to the average fan. There will be fewer oil downs which will make the program run much smoother. The biggest gripe I hear from the bleachers is the down time for oil downs. It will cut down on the parts carnage making it more affordable for the teams to compete. Yes there are many teams out there running on the financial edge (not all are funded with a blank check). They will still be running 300+ under most conditions, but will have a little more room to stop.
I think the positives will far out weigh the negative once people get a baseline for the new times & speeds. There is 1,000 ft. data now, so comparing records shouldn't be a problem.

Originally Posted by 737Pilot

Poor move in my opinion...I know many of you think this is a good idea, but imgine football where they can't tackle so they can avoid injury, or hockey with no checking, or Tiger Woods at putt putt golf instead of a real course.

NHRA's philosophy: Ready, shoot, AIM! If the NHRA was truely concerned with safety, they'd advise all the teams and spectators to stay at home because they have a much higher chance of getting injured or dying on the way to the track than they do at the track.

I'm quite sure most of you won't like my analysis, but they have enough trouble attracting people to this sport, it will be even harder now.

I tend to agree and I sure hope this is short term. NHRA should quit holding national events at tracks that don't have adequate shut down area. I have never understood why there are two events at Pomona and Las Vegas but only one at tracks like Indy, Topeka, and Phoenix.

Originally Posted by NTFDAY

I tend to agree and I sure hope this is short term. NHRA should quit holding national events at tracks that don't have adequate shut down area. I have never understood why there are two events at Pomona and Las Vegas but only one at tracks like Indy, Topeka, and Phoenix.

I can understand why two at Pomona.....NHRA held its first official race in April 1953, on a slice of the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds parking lot in Pomona, where they remain today.

Originally Posted by ceh383

I can understand why two at Pomona.....NHRA held its first official race in April 1953, on a slice of the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds parking lot in Pomona, where they remain today.

I can understand Pomona, I was there in '62.