To all that were their from FR, thank G_d you are safe. RIP Jim and all those that perished. Prayers for those that are injured. The Leeward family is a well known name in the aviation circles and an old friend I lost touch with I think lives on the the "Ranch" in FLA. FWIW, I was at Reno once in the early 90's the last year Tsunami raced, yes it is dangerous, but probably the most thrilling motor-sport event on the planet. I am not sure how the sport recovers from this. I never understood the box seat thing at Reno, I was in the stands and thought that was great. The one thing about those seats is you are real close to the aircraft when the are taxiing out if my memory is correct.
The photo of the missing trim tab, this is not the 1st time a racer has been lost at Reno do to the trim tab possibly fluttering and liberating from the elevator. I believe something similar is what caused the crash of Miss Ashley II in 1997.
In my personal opinion, getting blown to bits as a spectator at an airshow/race is akin to being struck by lightning. The odds are pretty good for the spectators. I see no reason to actually stop this sort of event. I’ve been to a few and thoroughly enjoyed them.