Simply put fire is every drivers worst fear. God forbid people will write, “Well at least he died doing what he loved.” I will admit I have made that same comment when drivers have lost their lives but I can honestly say I have never said it about anyone who has been overcome by fire.

I never met Scott that I know of but I had been around his father quite a bit back in my straight-line days. I suppose it’s possible he was there as a little boy but I don’t remember him back then. Even though I never raced at his level back in the 60’s and 70’s it was common place to pit right next to all the big names like Garlits, Muldowney, Prudhomme, Wild Willy Borsch and the rest of them on any given race weekend. Nobody had those big rigs back then and everything fit on one flatbed trailer typically towed with the family station wagon. All of them always treated everyone like you were best friends. One of the reason I liked Connie Kalitta so much is I read so much about him when I was a boy growing up in Oregon and he always drove the coolest cars and he seemed younger than many of the others. I honestly still have pages of his cars that I tore out of magazines and tacked to my bed room wall when I was a teenager. He helped me set up the carbs on one of my cars one time in between rounds. I used to sit in The Bounty Hunter and somewhere I have photos of it.

Having known Connie Kalitta so well I have no doubt Scott was a chip off the old block. Gods Speed Scott and my thoughts an prayers go out to his family and friends during these tough times.