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NHRA Outlines Safety Initiatives

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By TONY FABRIZIO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 2, 2008

After suffering two fatalities in 15 months, the NHRA is set to get serious about improving safety in its dangerous Funny Car class. The sanctioning body has completed a preliminary investigation into the crash at Englishtown, N.J., that killed Palmetto's Scott Kalitta on June 21 and has promised to do the following:

•Examine data from the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regarding the design of runoff areas in other forms of racing to see whether there are any useful applications in drag racing.

•Establish a task force to consider whether speeds should be limited or reduced to potentially improve safety.

•With the racing community and outside groups, research and analyze catch nets and restraint devices used in other applications, including military uses.

•Work with teams to improve engines to reduce catastrophic failures.

•Work with parachute manufactures to analyze parachute mounting techniques and materials.

•Research ways to increase brake efficiency when a Funny Car loses its downforce because the body is destroyed.

Kalitta was killed after his engine exploded near the end of his run and his parachutes did not blossom. His car continued down the right side of the shutdown area at a high rate of speed, went off track and up the right catch-net pole and then hit a TV camera boom beyond the end of a sand trap.

In March 2007, Eric Medlen suffered fatal head injuries during an accident while testing at Gainesville Raceway.

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