American veteran drag racer Scott Kalitta died Saturday after apparently winning a qualifying race in the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals taking place in Old Bridge, New Jersey. Kalitta had a great start and was about to win the race, but his Toyota Solara Funny Car burst into flames.

It appears that the car was traveling at almost 300 miles per hour at the time, and his engine exploded. Subsequently, the body flew off as the car was engulfed by flames. The parachutes, launched from the burning car, did not manage to slow down Kalitta before he hit the end wall, pulverizing his car in a gigantic fireball.

Scott Kalitta was still alive immediately after the crash, but died shortly after he was pulled out of the car. The legendary drag racer, the son of veteran NHRA driver and crew chief Connie Kalitta and cousin to teammate Doug Kalitta, is survived by his father, his wife, Kathy, and sons Corey, 14, and Colin, 8.

This is the second Funny Car death we've seen this year, as it appears that National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is behind in safety measures which have already been implemented by other racing organizations such as NASCAR and the Indy Racing League.

His back-to-back Top Fuel title years in 1994 and 1995 have established Scott Kalitta as one of the best drag race drivers in recent history. He retired in 1997, but came back to Top Fuel in 2003. Last year, he had a weak season on Funny Car, as his best finish was a semi-finals appearance at Denver in July.