I was there yesterday and witnessed the crash. A huge fireball explosion as Scott crossed the finish line at about 300mph. Ironically it was this pass that qualified him for Sunday Elimination round.
The explosion destroyed the car body and thus possibility of a normal parachute deployment. I've seen similar type events where the driver is able to slow the car enough using brakes to minimize the impact in the sand trap. But not this time. Scotts car didn't seem to slow much at all after the explosion, which makes be think he could have been unconcious from the explosion or the explosion rendered the brakes useless. You knew something was out of whack right away. It's very unusual to see a car hit the sand traps at such a high speed.
At Englishtown there is a sandtrap about 1/2 mile past the finish line. (You can find it on Google Maps) Scotts car hit the sand trap and skipped through it like it wasn't there and then went through the safety net, which is rarely needed. I think there is a concrete barrier after that followed by trees. Friday night a Top Fuel dragster went into the sand after not deploying a chute but maybe only halfway in. I saw the crew rebuilding the front end of the car Saturday morning. No big deal.
But Scott blew right through the sand and safety net and ended in another fire ball. Very tough to watch. I expected the worst when after 15 minutes there was still no official word on his condition. Usually the track announcer gets an update fairly quickly after a crash. And usually its not big deal- the driver gets taken to local hospital for minor injuries or burns.
Yesterday the ambulance went to site of crash fairly soon but I never saw it come back, even a half hour after crash. When the announcer came back on the PA system and said that it would be at least an hour under best circumstances before racing would resume, I knew the likely outcome. Drivers staged behind Scott had already got out of their cars and taken off their fire suits. They probably already knew.
I follow drag racing news fairly regularly and have heard several times over the past few years that the drivers and crews are concerned that with the ever increasing top end speeds of fuel cars that the tracks' shut down areas aren't long enough.
I'd have to agree. In the twenty or so years I've been going to Englishtown, more cars seem to end up in the sandtrap. At this track It would be very hard to extend the shut down area as there is a public road at the end. I guess the starting line could be moved but that would be a major undertaking.
I expect that the mood at the track will be somber today. The racers are a tight knit group. Everybody knows everybody.
My thoughts and prayers to the Kalitta family as they deal with this difficult event.
