For those that don’t follow NHRA drag racing - Scott Kalitta was one of the most well known names in drag racing and had a career as a professional driver that spanned over twenty years. He first started racing in the 1980’s and made a name for himself as he started winning funny car competitions as well as setting a speed record at one point. Kalitta would go on to become the Top Fuel Season Champion for years 1994 and 1995.

His accident at Old Bridge Raceway was due to an explosion in the engine section of his funny car (it blows off the bodywork), as he was blasting down the drag strip at approximately 300 miles per hour. From the video it looks as if he deployed his parachute immediately after the fire starts but the parachute appeared to be damaged (it spins wildly out of control) from the explosion as it does not slow his car down nearly enough. His car then hits the barrier at the end of the dragstrip and shoots upwards resulting in another larger explosion.

Engine explosions like the one Kalitta’s car went through are not uncommon in this level of drag racing - the extreme levels of boost at high RPM combined with high performance fueling can be a volatile combination that results in the engine blowing a hole in its case and igniting the fuel or oil. NHRA Drivers always wear flame retardant suits and helmets and are able to slow the car down or slide it into the side wall almost every time this happens. The details of Kalitta’s incident are still unclear and are still under investigation, it is possible that he was knocked unconscious from the initial engine detonation and thus was unable to slow the car down.