The sport of auto racing can bring drivers, crews, broadcasters and fans the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. This was made abundantly and horrifyingly clear last Sunday afternoon. IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon, 33, of Emberton, England, died Sunday following an awful 15-car crash just 11 laps into the season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard made the official announcement of Wheldon's passing about two hours after Wheldon was airlifted to an area hospital. Bernard did not go into detail about the extent of Wheldon's injuries, only saying they were "unsurvivable."
It was only five months ago on Memorial Day weekend when Wheldon won his second career Indianapolis 500. That's what I'm saying; racing really does have two emotional extremes. The Indy 500 is one of the most important races in the world and he had just joined an elite group of drivers who had won it twice. It was the highlight of Wheldon's career, which included 16 career wins and the 2005 IndyCar championship. That Indy 500 win was in May. Now, here we are in October and Wheldon is gone. There's a cruel, cruel finality to that.
Wheldon is the first IndyCar fatality since 2006, when Paul Dana was killed in a practice crash at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Wheldon was running mid-pack on Lap 11 when the crash started a dozen cars in front of him. Two cars touched wheels and turned sideways, blocking the track for everyone behind them. Several cars, including Wheldon's, went airborne. Unlike the other drivers, Wheldon's car hit the catch fence, which sits above the wall and is designed to keep cars from going out of the track. Rescue workers immediately began efforts to get Wheldon out of the car so he could be transported to the hospital.
Wheldon was competing in only his third IndyCar race of the season, as he was without a full-time ride for 2011. IndyCar had offered a $5 million bonus to any part-time driver if they competed in and won the race at Las Vegas. Wheldon was the only part-timer who signed up. If he had won, half of the money would have gone to him and half would have gone to a fan.
The remainder of Sunday's event was cancelled in the wake of the tragedy. The rest of the drivers decided to do a five-lap tribute to Wheldon before parking their cars. Three other drivers involved in the wreck, Will Power, Pippa Mann and JR Hildebrand, were taken to a local hospital for minor injuries and observation.
The race at Las Vegas on Sunday had drivers on edge as speeds reached 225 mph around the 1.5 mile oval. Although none of the drivers, team owners and officials wanted to talk about it on Sunday, Wheldon's accident brings safety back to the forefront of discussion. IndyCar is slated to start using a new style of car in 2012 which is supposed to be safer, among other aspects. Ironically, Wheldon had devoted much of his energy away from full-time competition to help develop and test the new type of car. Wheldon was set to return to the series full-time in 2012 at Andretti Autosport with the intention of taking Danica Patrick's ride as she moves to NASCAR. Now that ride is in need of someone else.
Again, safety now has to be the topic of discussion, especially safety at fast oval tracks like Las Vegas. IndyCar has a mix of ovals and road courses that drivers compete on. While road circuits still present dangers, speeds are often slower than on ovals tracks. Tracks like Texas Motor Speedway, Kentucky Motor Speedway and even Las Vegas have to be looked at in the coming months to figure out if they are still suitable for open-wheel competition. Efforts also should be made to slow the cars down and separate them so they don't run in big packs like they were on Sunday. Up to 20 or 30 cars running inches apart for the entire race can sometimes spell disaster and lead to big pileups. I'm not an expert, but IndyCar has to take a look at itself and what it can do at these bigger, faster oval tracks. Racing in its nature is dangerous, but there's always room to make it safer.
Wheldon's death affects me quite a bit because I am a race fan and always have been. It also affects me because I lost my cousin Wade back in January in an automobile accident. He was 34 and Wheldon was 33, so they were both right around the same age. These are men who were in the prime of their life and were taken away from us too soon. My cousin was not married and had no children, but Wheldon leaves behind a wife and two young sons, aged two and six months. I pray for his family that they make it through this.
Godspeed, Dan. Here's to a safe drive to the other side.