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USA Today June 24 Motor Sports:

Shutdown areas a concern after Kalitta's death in crash
By Gary Graves and Travis Braun, USA TODAY

After inspecting where fellow Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta died Saturday, Tony Pedregon knows what he first must do at this weekend's Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

"My next step is to inspect the track" for shutdown areas, Pedregon said, after the NHRA couldn't answer his questions about whether Kalitta had adequate room to stop before hitting the retaining wall and exploding during qualifying at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J.

"I didn't realize that I'd have to be the one to go to the end of the track to see what was there. My goal is to compose an e-mail for (NHRA president) Tom Compton, because I'd like to get his thoughts and maybe because I should be more proactive in getting" answers.

Kalitta, 46, was a two-time Top Fuel champion who returned to racing Funny Cars in 2006.

The New Jersey State Police's Fatal Accident Unit, which includes a segment that oversees racing, and the NHRA are investigating. The NHRA has hired an outside group to reconstruct the accident scene.

Pedregon said he was bothered to find rocks or gravel instead of sand at the end of the drag strip, which might or might not have been able to stop Kalitta's momentum at more than 300 mph.

Pedregon had his own fiery wreck in February at Pomona, Calif. The defending Funny Car champion, whose Chevy caught fire at nearly the same distance as Kalitta, had only minor burns to his hands because he was able to flee his car.

He wonders if longer shutdown lanes and sand pits or water-filled barrels might slow the nitro-fueled cars in an emergency.