funny car upgrades???

[The Counterfeiter]

I haven't had time to replay Jim Head's interview, but I'm pretty sure he said that Scott's car impacted a "concrete pole that should have not have there."
NHRA stopped the race Saturday because (I believe) the posts supporting the net had to be replaced.
You can bet your ass that if a NASCAR driver was killed, Mike Helton, the President of NASCAR, would be on the media leading a charge to find causes and solutions. Where in the HELL is Tom Compton, who as President of the Association, should be taking action to assure the tracks NHRA sanctions don't kill another driver? -

 

[.]

I haven't had time to replay Jim Head's interview, but I'm pretty sure he said that Scott's car impacted a "concrete pole that should have not have there."

State police investigating Kalitta crash | APP.com | Asbury Park Press

Kalitta cruised into the sandpit at an estimated speed of more than 250 miles per hour and appeared to launch airborne into a concrete-filled metal post positioned just beyond a curved concrete wall.

Don Prudhomme, a legendary figure in drag racing, witnessed the scene and said Kalitta's car "hit a post that's virtually impossible to do'' and "went into a million pieces.''

I've seen pics of the car and there's no way he could have survived with the amount of destruction that happened to the car.

 

[farmje]

I totally respect the wishes of the Kalitta organization to not speculate on the accident itself...I think too often we spend too much time focusing on the problems instead of the solutions.

The bottom line:

The car was going way too fast off the end of the racetrack and did not stop. I will not speculate on the things that Scott could have hit -- I will only say that when a car is going off the end of the track at 200+ mph, there is going to be a major collision.

I agree with Randy Goodwin -- we need to design tracks for drivers who have no idea what's going on (asleep, unconscious, concussed, etc). John Shoemaker, Scott Kalitta, and others who will hit the sand trap at a high rate of speed...we need to create fail-safe things that will minimize the impact on the drivers cockpit, and slow the cars down enough to where the force of impact wouldn't cause a seemingly immediate death.

I don't know what that solution is, but I am tired of burying drag racers. I know we will learn...but I wish preventative maintenance on these things would help us to save lives before they are taken from us...not after.

 

[Randy]

Well, I agree with Randy. Certain parts of cars deemed to be criticial to safety have to be reinspected and tagged every so often. To require that on so many parts, then not have a standard for track shutdown/catch areas? What's required in this area to be an NHRA sanctioned track that can host national events? Someone looks at what you've got and says "Okay"? If that's left up to the tracks then, all those parts should be left up to the racers.

The reason I mentioned certification (like an SFI rating) is to track the age of things like catch nets...and that they are constructed in a predetermined preapproved manner to keep things like funny cars from going right through them. Plus, UV rays will deteriorate them over time. I mentioned our seat belts. Even if they are never taken out of the box they came in, two years after the date of manufacture they have to be rewebbed and recertified to be legal.

 

[Bobby]

for those with google earth , take a look at joliet. then go back and look at etown.
what's wrong with the picture.
end of story.

 

[turbo ken]

These cars are about as safe as they could be, it's those stupid immovable objects like Scott hit that causes a car to stop instantly are the real things that need to be addressed, I don't think 50lbs worth of fire extinquishers (500 lbs might probably be enough) would have helped Scott or other drivers who's had bad explosions with fire. The tracks need safety upgrades in the shutdown area, the tracks haven't kept up safety wise since dragracing started, who ever at the NHRA told E-town where to put those poles and barriers needs his a$$ kicked.