NHRA Funny Car star Robert Hight did the best he could to deal with an awful situation.
Forced to run alone in Sunday’s first round of eliminations in Englishtown, N.J., after the tragic death of Scott Kalitta in a Saturday qualifying crash, Hight used the run to honor the former two-time world Top fuel champion.
Hight took the green light, as Kalitta’s team stood in the lane beside him, and he slowly drove his Auto Club Ford Mustang down the quarter mile in 23 seconds.
“I thought it would be nice to do in memory of Scott,” Hight said through his team.
“Why not do something as a tribute to him and get ready for the next round? At a time like that reaction time, ET and lane choice don’t mean anything.”
Hight’s tribute was well-received by the fans in attendance at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
The idea to use the run as a tribute was Hight’s, with the blessing of crew chief Jimmy Prock and team owner John Force.
“I was very proud of him,” Force said. “I see that they care (about) more than just running low (elapsed time) and getting the lane choice or winning a race. When a man makes a statement like that you want to support him. It was good timing because all of Scott’s team was up there. So many people thanked us.
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