Here is an article found on Seattlepi that might be useful, I will try to keep up with new information that come out about this tragic event.

In The Fast Lane: Trying to make sense of Kalitta tragedy

By HOLLY CAIN
SPECIAL TO THE P-I

OKAY, RON CAPPS will admit it. He had a brief reservation about going full throttle Sunday in the opening round of the National Hot Rod Association's race in Englishtown, N.J.

Less than 24 hours earlier, two-time NHRA champion Scott Kalitta, 46, one of Capps' friends and rivals in the Funny Car class, was killed in a horrifying crash during qualifications. His nitropowered Toyota caught fire and the parachutes designed to slow it down never filled. He crashed at the end of the track with a huge explosion at nearly 330 mph -- never really slowing.

"None of us wanted to race Sunday," Capps said by telephone Monday. "But we knew exactly what Scott would say to that, he'd say, 'Quit whining and get in the car.'

"And you know, once I was in the car, there was no where else I'd rather be."

And that says as much about the sport as it does Capps.

Race car drivers are daring but they aren't reckless. The exhilaration doesn't come from crossing that fine line, but of reaching it. They risk their lives, but don't want to die.

When someone does, it's a tough dose of reality. Everyone wants to make sense of it, but the only sense comes in finding out what went wrong and trying to eliminate that set of circumstances.

Problem is, each crash is different. You can improve safety in one area only to discover another vulnerability.

Kalitta's death is the second in the Funny Car class in the past 15 months. Eric Medlen died in a wreck in March 2007 in Gainesville, Fla. Medlen's car owner, 14-time NHRA champion John Force, was nearly killed in a crash last October in Dallas.

It brings to mind a similar time in NASCAR when four drivers were killed in a short span in 2000-01 -- including Richard Petty's grandson, Adam Petty, and one of the sport's greatest champions, Dale Earnhardt.

"With Eric (Medlen) and then John's accident, it got to the full front of your mind and then you have to forget about it," said Capps, a three-time champion runner-up who drives the NAPA-sponsored Dodge Charger.

"You think it's not going to happen again. And then Scott has his accident. That was hard (to race) yesterday."

The NHRA must respond as NASCAR did and use these tragedies to address safety concerns. The sport has evolved and perhaps the older venues and current safety devices haven't kept up with the increase in speed.

After Medlen's accident, Force established The Eric Medlen Project -- a research center that will use the latest in technology and input from engineers, crew chiefs and drivers to create safety innovations.

Most people believe the earliest work from the Eric Medlen Project -- specifically improvements to the driver cockpit -- may have saved Force's life in Dallas.

It may also have kept Force's daughter, Ashley, from being seriously injured in an accident at Pacific Raceways in Kent last July.

"We made more progress after almost losing John Force than we had in the previous 20 years," Capps said.

For his part, Force did not want to comment about Kalitta's accident until an investigation could be completed. His thoughts were with the family, which includes Kalitta's sons, Colin, 8, and Corey, who turns 15 on Saturday.

While Force's work with the cars is essential, it is also imperative the drag strips keep up with the times -- and the speeds. Fourteen of the 19 tracks the NHRA visits -- including Pacific Raceways -- have been holding events for more than 20 years.

The national speed record for a Top Fuel dragster in 1987 was 279.24 mph. Two years ago, Tony Schumacher upped the mark to 336.15 mph.

In most places, the shut-down areas -- the part of the track after the finish line that drivers use to slow their cars after a run -- haven't been renovated to compensate for the speed increases. The parachutes used to slow the cars haven't changed significantly, either.

Pacific Raceways general manager Doug Greenfield said he and the other venues that host a national event have been asked to participate in an NHRA conference call Wednesday that will no doubt address the Kalitta accident.

Pacific Raceways -- which will hold the 21st annual Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals July 18-20 -- has one of the longer shut-down areas on the circuit -- twice the minimum required by the NHRA, according to Greenfield. It is equipped with safety nets.

"I believe the NHRA does a fantastic job with safety and in a lot of cases we go over and above," Greenfield said. "For a national event track like ourselves, safety is number one. This isn't just our career, it's people we know."

And that's the thing about racing. When something goes horribly wrong for someone else, it is deeply personal for everyone. Drivers and crew members are fiercely competitive on race day, but likely have shared cold beers and racing tales only days before. They travel together, work elbow-to-elbow and often spend more time around each other than their own families during a 24-week schedule across the country.

Kalitta -- the son of Connie Kalitta, one of drag racing's original superstars -- was one of the guys who no one minded seeing in victory circle -- even if it came at their own expense. Like his father, Kalitta was outspoken and called it like he saw it. He was seldom without a wisecrack or a pat on the back.

And he was an accomplished driver -- winning the Top Fuel titles in 1994 and 1995, holding the distinction as one of only a handful of racers with wins in both the marquee nitro-classes, dragsters and Funny Cars. He came out of retirement twice and won three more times.

"The worst thing that can happen is we don't learn anything from losing Scott," Capps said. "He would be so mad if we didn't figure out why this happened and do something about it."

NHRA NATIONALS

WHEN: July 18-20

WHERE: Pacific Raceways, Kent