There were no driver introductions and quite simply, no one was offended – racers or fans.

A dark cloud of emotions permeated the entire Old Bridge Raceway Park a day after the tragic loss of Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta, killed in a top-end accident during Saturday’s final qualifying session.

Many race fans and racers filed into the Sunday morning Racers for Christ chapel service and the large congregation listened to Pastor Larry Smiley deliver a message on how to cope with the tragedy.

Somber day faces drag racers and fans in Englishtown 

There were no driver introductions and quite simply, no one was offended – racers or fans.

A dark cloud of emotions permeated the entire Old Bridge Raceway Park a day after the tragic loss of Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta, killed in a top-end accident during Saturday’s final qualifying session.

Many race fans and racers filed into the Sunday morning Racers for Christ chapel service and the large congregation listened to Pastor Larry Smiley deliver a message on how to cope with the tragedy.

Smiley explained the protective instincts the second-generation Kalitta had for Hillary Will in the first season she raced Top Fuel. He explained how Kalitta wrote notes and followed up with special instructions.

The Oberhofer brothers, longtime Kalitta Racing figures, spoke on behalf of the team. There was a roller coaster of emotions as Jim and Jon both shared their feelings and fond memories of racing with the Kalitta family.

Jim, tuner for Will, shared a memory he experienced with Kalitta on Friday. Kalitta ribbed him about the special crew shirts they were given to promote K2M and spinal awareness.

The ice blue colored shirts inspired a chuckle from Kalitta.

“Scott said, ‘Jim O, you know what you look like with that shirt? You look like the iceberg that took down the Titanic.”

The remaining Team Kalitta teams elected to sit out Sunday’s final eliminations in honor of their fallen comrade.

Bob Vandergriff [Hillary Will], Cory McClenathan [Doug Kalitta] and Larry Dixon Jr. [David Grubnic] all won their first round races on single passes.

Many of the drivers raced on this somber day because that is what they do; they race.

“I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do today,” Dixon said. “Driving back to Indianapolis today would really suck.”

Funny Car eliminations opened with what was scheduled to be the match between Kalitta and Robert Hight.

Replacing the yellow DHL-sponsored Toyota Solara the left lane was nearly three-dozen members of the Team Kalitta operation. Hight burned out in the same right lane Kalitta had made his final run and took the green light amidst a standing ovation from the Raceway Park race fans.

Hight idled down the track at 75 miles per hour in tribute to his fallen competitor. The John Force Racing team driver remembered all too well the pain invading the Kalitta camp after losing teammate Eric Medlen during testing last year.

“It wasn’t much when you consider what the Kalitta family is going through,” Hight said of his efforts to honor his scheduled first round opponent. “I have a good idea what they are going through. There wasn’t much to get up for this morning when you don’t have a friend or a good racer in the other lane.

“When you were racing the guy [Scott Kalitta], you had better be up for it or he’ll whip you.”

Defending Funny Car world champion Tony Pedregon won the first round and expressed the emotional grief many of his fellow racers were experiencing.

“[I’m] kind of numb,” Pedregon sobbed. “It’s hard to get in the car and I don’t know if I’ve ever got in the car when I didn’t care about anything. God bless the Kalitta family and all of the people who come out here and make this sport what it is. We’ve got a great product; we just have to find a way to make it better and safer.”