Scott Kalitta

In the quickest drag race in National Hot Rod Assn. history, Scott Kalitta defeated Cory McClenathan to collect $100,000 Saturday in the 12th annual Budweiser Classic for top fuel cars at Pomona Raceway. Kalitta, the defending NHRA top-fuel champion from Chelsea, Mich., raced the quarter-mile in 4.64 seconds at a track-record 316.56 mph. He was driving the family-owned American International Airways dragster prepared by former world champion Dick LaHaie.

After Scott Kalitta's fatal crash nearly eight months ago, National Hot Rod Assn. racing underwent major safety changes. And Kalitta's racing cousin, Doug, went without a victory. But Doug Kalitta's winless streak ended Tuesday when he beat Antron Brown to win the top-fuel race -- shortened to 1,000 feet after his cousin's death -- at the rain-delayed NHRA Kragen O'Reilly Winternationals in Pomona. It was the first win at Auto Club Raceway for Kalitta, 44, and his first overall since 2007.

It may come as a shock to some race car drivers, who spend every waking moment thinking about or working on their cars, but Scott Kalitta, the newly crowned top-fuel drag racing champion, considers racing his weekend hobby. During the week, Kalitta is president of his own air-freight company, Trans Continental Airlines, in Ypsilanti, Mich. If Kalitta sounds like a familiar name in both drag racing and air-freight circles, it should.

In the time it takes to read this sentence, a car in big-league professional drag racing can reach a top speed of 330 mph as it traverses one quarter of a mile, or 1,320 feet, in less than five seconds. That's five times faster than one drives on the freeway. Now, in the aftermath of a crash that killed one of its competitors, drag racing believes that's too fast. And the sport's drivers are now willing to accept less speed for more safety.

After Scott Kalitta's fatal crash nearly eight months ago, National Hot Rod Assn. racing underwent major safety changes. And Kalitta's racing cousin, Doug, went without a victory. But Doug Kalitta's winless streak ended Tuesday when he beat Antron Brown to win the top-fuel race -- shortened to 1,000 feet after his cousin's death -- at the rain-delayed NHRA Kragen O'Reilly Winternationals in Pomona. It was the first win at Auto Club Raceway for Kalitta, 44, and his first overall since 2007.

Scott Kalitta, John Force and Warren Johnson clinched Winston championships Sunday at the Chief Auto Parts Nationals at the Texas Motorplex. Only Kalitta managed to cap the championship with a victory in the $1,368,550 event, the 18th stop in the 19-race NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series. Yorba Linda's Force lost to Chuck Etchells in the Funny Car finals, and Johnson exited in the semifinals as his son, Kurt, picked up the Pro Stock victory.

For as long as there has been drag racing on the old Fairgrounds track at Pomona, there has been a Kalitta there. Connie Kalitta, racing's original "Bounty Hunter," chased Don "Big Daddy" Garlits across the finish line in the 1963 Winternationals when races were won in 8.26 seconds at 186.32 mph. Four years later, his one good eye focused on the blinking lights of the Christmas tree they used back then to start races, Kalitta drove his Ford dragster to victory in 7.17 seconds at 218.43 mph.

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. -- Scott Kalitta died Saturday when his funny car burst into flames and crashed at the end of the track during the final round of qualifying for the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. The NHRA said the 46-year-old Kalitta -- the 1994 and 1995 top-fuel season champion who had 18 career victories, 17 in top fuel and one in funny car -- was taken to the Old Bridge division of Raritan Bay Medical Center, where he died a short time later.

In the time it takes to read this sentence, a car in big-league professional drag racing can reach a top speed of 330 mph as it traverses one quarter of a mile, or 1,320 feet, in less than five seconds. That's five times faster than one drives on the freeway. Now, in the aftermath of a crash that killed one of its competitors, drag racing believes that's too fast. And the sport's drivers are now willing to accept less speed for more safety.

The 35th Chief Auto Parts Winternationals, opening event of the National Hot Rod Assn.'s 19-race, $27-million Winston Drag Racing Series, will begin today at the PomonaRaceway on the Los Angeles County Fair-grounds. Pro qualifying for top fuel, funny car and pro stock classes will begin at 2 p.m.Qualifying will continue Friday and Saturday, followed by 16-car eliminations Sunday at10:30 a.m. Defending champions in the $1.4-million Winternationals are Shelly Anderson in top fuel, K.C.

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. -- Scott Kalitta died Saturday when his funny car burst into flames and crashed at the end of the track during the final round of qualifying for the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. The NHRA said the 46-year-old Kalitta -- the 1994 and 1995 top-fuel season champion who had 18 career victories, 17 in top fuel and one in funny car -- was taken to the Old Bridge division of Raritan Bay Medical Center, where he died a short time later.

For as long as there has been drag racing on the old Fairgrounds track at Pomona, there has been a Kalitta there. Connie Kalitta, racing's original "Bounty Hunter," chased Don "Big Daddy" Garlits across the finish line in the 1963 Winternationals when races were won in 8.26 seconds at 186.32 mph. Four years later, his one good eye focused on the blinking lights of the Christmas tree they used back then to start races, Kalitta drove his Ford dragster to victory in 7.17 seconds at 218.43 mph.

In the quickest drag race in National Hot Rod Assn. history, Scott Kalitta defeated Cory McClenathan to collect $100,000 Saturday in the 12th annual Budweiser Classic for top fuel cars at Pomona Raceway. Kalitta, the defending NHRA top-fuel champion from Chelsea, Mich., raced the quarter-mile in 4.64 seconds at a track-record 316.56 mph. He was driving the family-owned American International Airways dragster prepared by former world champion Dick LaHaie.

Scott Kalitta, John Force and Warren Johnson clinched Winston championships Sunday at the Chief Auto Parts Nationals at the Texas Motorplex. Only Kalitta managed to cap the championship with a victory in the $1,368,550 event, the 18th stop in the 19-race NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series. Yorba Linda's Force lost to Chuck Etchells in the Funny Car finals, and Johnson exited in the semifinals as his son, Kurt, picked up the Pro Stock victory.

It may come as a shock to some race car drivers, who spend every waking moment thinking about or working on their cars, but Scott Kalitta, the newly crowned top-fuel drag racing champion, considers racing his weekend hobby. During the week, Kalitta is president of his own air-freight company, Trans Continental Airlines, in Ypsilanti, Mich. If Kalitta sounds like a familiar name in both drag racing and air-freight circles, it should.

Dan Wheldon celebrated his 30th birthday in style Sunday, winning the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Newton for his second Indy Racing League victory of the season. "What a great day for Target Chip Ganassi Racing and a great birthday present for me," Wheldon said. Wheldon plans to donate his winnings to the victims of Iowa's recent floods and tornadoes. Wheldon took the lead out of a caution flag 60 laps from the finish while almost every other driver took a pit stop.

Cruz Pedregon, car owner Joe Gibbs' former National Hot Rod Assn. funny-car champion, provided most of the excitement Friday in qualifying for drag racing's Winston Select Finals at Pomona when his Pontiac Firebird disintegrated after a supercharger exploded at the end of the day's fastest funny-car run. "I had absolutely no warning," the Camarillo driver said after going 276.75 m.p.h. in 5.13 seconds. "The car was running fine and then it blew.