Posted on 10/16/2011 3:21:06 PM PDT by drewh
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died Sunday in a fiery 15-car wreck at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when his car flew over another on Lap 13 and smashed into the wall just outside turn 2.
Wheldon was 33. Drivers were told of Wheldon's death in a meeting about two hours after the fiery, smoky crash that many drivers said was the worst they had ever seen.
He won the Indianapolis 500 twice, including this year.
"IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries," IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today. IndyCar, its drivers and owners, have decided to end the race. In honor of Dan Wheldon, the drivers have decided to do a five-lap salute to in his honor."
It was like a movie scene which they try to make as gnarly as possible," said Danica Patrick, making her final IndyCar start. "It was debris everywhere across the whole track, you could smell the smoke, you could see the billowing smoke on the back straight from the car. There was a chunk of fire that we were driving around. You could see cars scattered.
"I'll tell you, I've never seen anything like it," Ryan Briscoe said. "The debris we all had to drive through the lap later, it looked like a war scene from Terminator or something. I mean, there were just pieces of metal and car on fire in the middle of the track with no car attached to it and just debris everywhere. So it was scary, and your first thoughts are hoping that no one is hurt because there's just stuff everywhere. Crazy."
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
Terrible crash. Prayers with Weldon’s family.
sad....
Condolences to Mr Wheldon’s universe.
I happened to be watching Indy today. Horrible wreck.
Youtube video of the crash posted in a previous thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2793679/posts?page=7#7
What a heartbreaker. What a lovely little boy. So very, very sad.
Listneing to “Amazing Grace” now at the track on TV. R.I.P.
Worst I’ve ever seen.
RIP
and just damn.
May God Bless Dan and his young family !!
The drivers are doing a three-wide, slow five-lap tribute to Dan Wheldon as bagpipes play Amazing Grace.
I have never seen such a horrific crash! It’s amazing that other drivers were not injured as badly as Weldon. R.I.P.
Thanks for info.
My husband I go to many Indy races. Have met Dan Wheldon many times (he also lives here in our town, St. Pete, FL). Great guy, great family. This is horrible. The two kids are young.
Thanks for the link. My God..those cars were flying through the air. Just 33 years old, the same age as my oldest son.
Dan was one of my favorites... This really hit me hard. I have been sick for 2 hours waiting for the word that I knew would come.
I love watching indycar races, but as I have grown older and get a better feel for mortality, I have become very uncomfortable and anxious watching these races on the high banks. It is like I hold my breath for 2 hours and I find that I have more satisfaction from the checkered flag coming out than my favorite driver winning.
RIP Dan...Great Driver...And you would have been a great play by play man in the booth.
Just thought I would vent with my FRiends.
Bloody hell, cars and pieces of cars and burning debris strewn for several hundred meters. What a horrific crash.
Don’t know all that much about the man, but have read several articles about him, his family, and his victory in Indy.
I sounds harsh, but that is racing. You never know, today could be your last. I’ve quit watching racing partially from seeing too many die. I still love auto sports, but I’ve lost my taste for the competition from too many years watching people who I respected and admired being chopped to pieces.
RIP Dan, may God bless your family.
Well said!
RIP, Mr. Wheldon.
I wonder why the moderators removed the news about Weldon’s death from the Breaking News and also Front Page news sidebar?! I was reading one of the threads and it disappeared. Only one left is your thread, drewh. Unless someone accidentally pushed the wrong button, I find it highly disrespectful to Weldon and his fans for basically ZOTTING this news by removing it.
I wonder why the moderators removed the news about Weldon’s death from the Breaking News and also Front Page news sidebar?! I was reading one of the threads and it disappeared. Only one left is your thread, drewh. Unless someone accidentally pushed the wrong button, I find it highly disrespectful to Weldon and his fans for basically ZOTTING this news by removing it.
Wheldon (not Weldon)
Prayers up.
Prayers to all. Memorable win this year at Indy. God Bless the family.
Horrible news did not find out the news till I saw it on my online browser (reminds me of how I found out about Dale E’s death). I saw the interview with Danica Patrick after the accident but before we found out he died and I’m sure Danica will just be heart broken over this. I get the impression they were pretty close.
I am so sad. I loved this guy. I loved his love of life, his love of his wife and child. He was a hero, and great guy, and a great racer.
I am crying as I write this.
My prayers for his family and all those who called him friend.....
This is just awful. Prayers to the family and his friends.
May he be bound in the bonds of eternity, and may G-d comfort his grieving family!
Lots of bad JUJU in Nevada these days ...
My wife and I are both saddened by Dan’s death. What a wonderful guy and representative of the sport. I race Indy F2000 cars as a hobby and my wife has been to the track many times with me so it brings it even a little closer to home when something like this happens. May God pour out his grace and mercy on his wife and children and family in the days and years ahead.
It is a dangerous sport. Any of us that participate know that. It just humbles us all when something like this happens.
RIP
Before we moved to Georgia, hubby and I lived in Mooresville, NC and Huntersville, NC. There were many NASCAR associates all around us- accountants, mechanics, engineers, assistants, the public relations people and drivers. The day after Dale E died was just heartbreaking. A local radio station dedicated the entire day to him and his fans, who were allowed to call in. There is such a love for the drivers and the fans are pretty amazing and very dedicated. I was at a time trials once when a driver was killed and just never wanted to go back to a race after that.
Wheldon leaves behind a beautiful family and, fortunately, they will have much support from the industry to cope with this loss. He died doing what he loved most and had dedicated much of his life to his successes. Everything will be analyzed and hopefully something good will come out it that will save another driver.
To everyone who is mourning him, you are not alone. So many celebrated him and were looking forward to his future successes. I just don’t know why God calls the good ones home so soon but when He says, “Bring her home, son” they have to go.
Dan’s son Sebastian will be 3 in February.
His other son, Oliver, was born just this past March. He’s only seven months old.
Depressing and upsetting news.
There was bad MOJO goin on the track this weekend. They probably should of canceled it like they did at Texas Motor Speedway a few years ago. The cars were just too fast for the track. I think the Danica Patrica interview summed it up properly. She was totally scared sh*tless before Mr. Weldon was pronounced dead.
I agree 100%.....Those cars are just jet wings on wheels and once a front tire looses contact with the pavement, they go airborn
I didn’t see this live; I was at another race event at Laguna Seca. But a few of us got word of the crash during the lunch break yesterday. I watched the clip when I got home and couldn’t get through the entire clip.
R.I.P., Dan.
IMO, putting 34 cars on a high-banked 1.5-miler is just asking for it. With a smaller field (and maybe fewer rookie drivers) they might have been okay there.
But myself, I prefer watching them run on flat ovals; those require the driver to do something besides stand on the throttle.
There were at least 2 cars that went airborne on the clip I saw. Seems like the open wheel cars have a propensity to leave the ground if they rear end another one. It happens in F1 also..
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