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Kalitta was doing about 300 mph at the time of the crash in a qualifying round in the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals, the Asbury Park Press reported. His parachute failed to deploy and he hit a post.

Don Prudhomme, the prominent drag racer who now owns a team, said that Kalitta's Toyota Solara Funny Car "went into a million little pieces."

"I haven't witnessed anything like that in a number of years", Prudhomme said. "These cars, for the most part, are pretty damn safe. As many runs as we make down a quarter-mile, as many runs as he's made, they're pretty damn safe."

Kalitta was racing Tony Bartrone.

The son of Conrad Kalitta, a longtime racing driver, Kalitta had been racing professionally since 1982 when he began his career at Raceway Park, which is usually known as Englishtown on the NHRA circuit.

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