Scott Kalitta's Tragic Accident Shocks Racers at NHRA SuperNationals in E-Town
- Jun 24, 2008
The atmosphere was very different on the track Sunday at the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. The loss of Scott Kalitta on Saturday affected nearly every person associated with motorsports including Del Worsham.
CSK Team worked quietly in the pits after Scott Kalitta's tragic accident at the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, New Jersey
Worsham watched as Kalitta’s car hit the sand trap at a high rate of speed. “That was so hard to
see, and impossible to believe,” he said. “I’m just sick. I’ve known Scott forever, and I know all the people at Kalitta Racing. We knew it wasn’t good as soon as we saw it. We think we’re pretty tough in this sport. It’s going to be a while before we know how to deal with this, before we can move on emotionally. My heart goes out to everyone. Scott Kalitta was a champion.”
Team CSK switched NHRA Funny Car wraps from red to blue at Englishtown
Worsham did not climb into his race car on Sunday with the same tension or the same motivation as any normal NHRA race day. Worsham said he was intent and focused and very much interested in doing well on the track, but the triviality of round wins made
everything somewhat surreal.
Worsham and the Checker, Schuck’s Kragen team approached each lap with a steady demeanor and did their best. In the end, huge wins over Gary Scelzi and Robert Hight propelled the CSK Funny Car with K&N Engineering products into the semi-final, where they took part in a great race between two great teams. Points leader Tim Wilkerson posted a solid 4.93, and that was enough to edge ahead of Worsham’s solid 4.95, which ended the CSK driver’s weekend
“We wanted to win every round, but we got edged out by the guy who is just dominating the class right now and there is no shame in that,” said Worsham. “This was a hard day for everyone and so unlike a normal Sunday at the track.”
Despite the tragedy, it was a big weekend for Worsham and his team. He currently sits at No. 5 in his class. “I just wanted to go home and be with my family,” he said. “The Norwalk, Ohio race is just a few days away, so we’ll hold each other tight and I’ll play with my girls. Then we’ll go racing again. We will also miss Scott forever.”
Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.
CSK Team worked quietly in the pits after Scott Kalitta's tragic accident at the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, New Jersey
Team CSK switched NHRA Funny Car wraps from red to blue at Englishtown
Worsham and the Checker, Schuck’s Kragen team approached each lap with a steady demeanor and did their best. In the end, huge wins over Gary Scelzi and Robert Hight propelled the CSK Funny Car with K&N Engineering products into the semi-final, where they took part in a great race between two great teams. Points leader Tim Wilkerson posted a solid 4.93, and that was enough to edge ahead of Worsham’s solid 4.95, which ended the CSK driver’s weekend
“We wanted to win every round, but we got edged out by the guy who is just dominating the class right now and there is no shame in that,” said Worsham. “This was a hard day for everyone and so unlike a normal Sunday at the track.”
Despite the tragedy, it was a big weekend for Worsham and his team. He currently sits at No. 5 in his class. “I just wanted to go home and be with my family,” he said. “The Norwalk, Ohio race is just a few days away, so we’ll hold each other tight and I’ll play with my girls. Then we’ll go racing again. We will also miss Scott forever.”
Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.
