Posted on 10/17/2011 2:59:27 PM PDT by La Enchiladita
Dan Wheldon was hugely popular and greatly admired by his fans and fellow competitors around the auto racing world. His tragic death in a crash during Sunday's IndyCar race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway has the auto racing community in a deep state of mourning. Wheldon was an inspiration to all in the sport. He will be sorely missed.
In what was figured to be one of the most thrilling IZOD IndyCar Series races in memory suddenly turned into the racing circuit's darkest moment. Wheldon, 33, was involved in a horrific 15-car crash on lap 11 that sent his car sailing into catch fence along turn two before it erupted into flames.
Wheldon, driving the No.77 Sam Schmidt Motorsports car, had an opportunity to split a $5 million bonus with a fan if he would have won the scheduled 300- mile season-ending race at Las Vegas. The Englishman had to start from the rear of the record 34-car field due to the rules of bonus program.
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation expresses sincere sympathy to the family of Dan Wheldon, whose injuries at the IndyCar race today in Las Vegas resulted in his tragic death. Dan, a Reagan Foundation supporter, drove the Bryan Herta Autosport and Curb/Agajanian 98 car that won the Indianapolis 500 in May bearing the Reagan Centennial Seal. A wreath has been placed in his honor by his 98 Show Car, which is currently on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
Closely matched open-wheel cars, 225 mph speed on a track where they can run flat out the entire circuit and a 34 car field leave no margin for error - Wheldon didn’t cause the crash; he was just the victim. Very sad situation. RIP.
Dangerous sport, hard not to expect something like this more often. Sad for his family, but it’s a huge risk they take when they drive at those speeds.
I`ve NEVER seen drivers NOT slow down and slam headlong into a wreck at top speed.
NEVER.
They had spotters and still they looked like Kamikaze pilots , did not slow down.
Never seen that before.
That was my initial impression. But it is very deceiving, most of the replays are shown in slow motion - look a the crash in at real-time speed and you realize their was virtually no time to react.
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