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Kalitta tragedy should serve as wake up call for all sanctioning bodies
By admin | June 22, 2008
By Richard Allen
A few days ago I ran an article titled, “NASCAR should mandate standards for tracks”. In that article it was pointed out that unsafe conditions had been allowed to remain in place and thus left open the door for needless tragedy. Tracks at Pocono, Texas and Las Vegas presented potentially dangerous areas that should have been or should be addressed.
Unfortunately, the tragic death this past Saturday of drag racer Scott Kalitta revealed that other racing sanctioning bodies also share the need for greater vigilance in regard to safety.
A racing death affects all of racing, not just that one particular facet of racing. While Kalitta’s death was tragic and quite possibly needless, perhaps it can also serve as a wake up call to all forms of racing and the organizations that control the sport.
NASCAR, the NHRA, the IRL and Formula 1 as well as every other racing organization and every privately owned race track in America and the world should constantly re-evaluate safety and think ahead.
Darrell Waltrip has said on several occasions that, “If you think there’s a place on a track where a car can’t get to, it can”. Jeff Gordon’s car proved that earlier this year in Las Vegas when it slammed into one of the few spots around the track not protected by a Safer Barrier. The protective barrier was not in place there because speedway officials thought it unnecessary. LVMS has since addressed the problem.
Kalitta’s crash occurred when his car burst into flames as it went through the finishing lights. His parachute did not properly deploy as a result and the car scrubbed off little speed before it hit a retaining wall at the end of the run off area. Perhaps it was thought a car would never reach that area. Tragically, Darrell Waltrip’s statement was proven correct.
I was in attendance the day Michael Waltrip’s car jammed into the infield entrance gate during a Busch Series race at Bristol in a now famous, or infamous wreck. Luckily, and remarkably, tragedy was avoided that day. Luck should not be relied on to save a driver’s life. That gate has since been completely redone, but it should not have been where it was in the first place.
When it comes to safety nothing, absolutely nothing, should be taken for granted. Race car drivers are brave, maybe even crazy, but that does not mean they have a death wish. However, they will always push right to the limit. It is the job of the sanctioning bodies be sure those limits are in safe places.
Hopefully, lessons will be learned by what happened last Saturday, but not just by the NHRA.
Let us hope more attention will be paid to correcting potentially dangerous situations involved in protecting human life than will and has been paid to protecting the lives of horses.
Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. His weekly column appears in The Mountain Press every Wednesday.
Topics: Articles |
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:43 am
Richard
I totally agree with you on safety! But you never will have it completely safe, but do what you can, but you know when you get in a race car it will be dangerous!
But racing is safer on the track for the drivers, than for the fans going and leaving the track! I have been attending events since the 1960s, just look at all the people after a event that are intoxicated! The chances of being killed by a drunk driver on the highway after a race is better than a driver getting killed on the track! I think Nascar would be wise to get a drug policy to protect fans from letting drunk drivers leaving the speedways on our highway system to hurt innocent people! If you are going to sell alcohol at the tracks then you need to enforce the laws that go with it! Its a shame that tobacco is regulated more than alchohol!
June 23rd, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Great thoughts on a subject that needs to be addressed in all levels and types of racing–kmd
June 24th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Hi Rich, The tragedy with Scott’s death was just that, a tragedy. Scott’s car blew off his body in the lights and partially deployed it’s parachutes. Some of the speed was scrubed off. But what happened after was the ‘Killer’. His car hit a concrete pole that was holding up a catch fence after the sand trap. Why that was there was to protect ‘Pension Road’ from race cars from crossing the road. I understand when ‘Fuel Cars’ are in qualifing the road is closed to traffic. Same holds true at Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania. So that leads to the question, should these types of tracks should extend their shut down area’s? In the case of Englishtown & town of Old Bridge. The town loves the track & it’s taxable revenues it brings to the community. But the neighboring town hates the track and wants it gone. So, do you think the Town of Old Bridge will allow an extension of shut down area to Englishtown raceway? We know that the fuel is on the fire now, but what will happen in the future remains to be seen.
As far as NHRA handling of this tragedy, they did a piss poor job of it. They had the rest of the competitors and TV time all screwed up. Things happen and we may never know what happened to Scott Kallita. But, when you are on a 7000 HP bucking bronco, a second is a lifetime. My prayers go out to Scott’s family and the rest of the Kallita clan. His father Connie is one of the old guard and a huge drag racing icon. My wish was I didn’t want to see Scott comeback and just walk away from the sport as he did in in the mid 90’s. It’s too late now for him, but not for the premire NHRA to make those changes. RIP Scott.
June 24th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
At least they’re on a track…It’s better than street racing..
In 2009, the same year the next “Fast and Furious” movie comes out, the only authentic look at the street racing scene will be released as a full feature length street racing documentary.
This documentary has been in the works for over 8 years, and pokes fun at the fake “Fast and Furious” series, as well as attempting to debunk some other racing myths.
Featuring interviews with the most important figures in automotive history, this street racing documentary will finally shed light on the topic which has never been documented accurately, up until this point.
Please visit the website to learn more and watch the trailer:
http://www.1320movie.com
Or, watch the trailer on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVrOAw4xGs4
June 12th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
I wonder what has changed at Etown now that they’ve gone back