33 replies to this topic

[Lee Tilton]

15 car horrendous accident at Las Vegas took Dan's life. Prayers are with his wife and kids.

[Cy Peake]

RIP Dan Wheldon.

[Danny Steyn]

Heavy heart - so sad.

[Mike L]

Godspeed Dan. Very emotional tribute by his fellow drivers.

[Jim Drago]

Very sad!

[dtfastbear]

That crash was hard to watch. Tribute was incredibly classy and moving. A sobering reminder that even when all the safety equipment does its job, racing is dangerous.

[dstevens]

It was a pretty horrific sight. I've never seen that many people in a track that big be so quiet. The 5 lap tribute was excellent.

[Gatoratty]

Watched him race at St. Pete GP. Great driver and even better person.

[Rob Burgoon]

That crash was hard to watch. Tribute was incredibly classy and moving. A sobering reminder that even when all the safety equipment does its job, racing is dangerous.

All the safety equipment can't change the fact that they are in openwheel cars on a big fricking oval. I just don't get IRL.

[Blake Clements]

Dan was great for this sport and will be greatly missed. From karting on up he left an impact, and continued racing karts even after his Indycar successes. A great ambassador for grassroots racing. Godspeed.

[Sphinx]

All the safety equipment can't change the fact that they are in openwheel cars on a fricking oval. I just don't get IRL.

Amen! Look at how many folks have gotten maimed or killed in the IRL since 1996. Sam Schmidt in a wheel chair, kenny Barack broke his back, Stan fox was almost killed (died of other reasons), etc. Remember some years ago when they cancelled the Texas race because speeds were too high and drivers were getting dizzy?

Racing in the IRL on an oval is one step short of Russian roulette. Wheldon's death didn't have to happen.

[Ernie Jr.]

Very sad I remember watching him win the 500 very good driver. Godspeed!!

[pat slattery]

We had the pleasure of seeing Dan at the WKA Manufactures Cup race ( karting) the weekend before the Runoffs. He routinely raced 2-3 race every year for the last four year with the WKA. He was always very kind to all in the karting community, and would always be just one of the guys. There was not a better Ambassador for the sport. He was a great driver, a great husband and parent, and he will be sorely missed. God bless Dan and his family.

Pat

[Alex Bolanos]

Amen! Look at how many folks have gotten maimed or killed in the IRL since 1996. Sam Schmidt in a wheel chair, kenny Barack broke his back, Stan fox was almost killed (died of other reasons), etc. Remember some years ago when they cancelled the Texas race because speeds were too high and drivers were getting dizzy?

Racing in the IRL on an oval is one step short of Russian roulette. Wheldon's death didn't have to happen.

Agree, I can't even watch IRL... It's like an accident waiting to happen, is that really what the fans want?

[Keith Andrews]

It was tough to watch. Godspeed.

[dmathias]

Agree, I can't even watch IRL... It's like an accident waiting to happen

And this is different than a Spec Miata race how?

Don't kid yourself - we've been real lucky so far.

[tony senese]

Unbelievably sad, IRL MUST slow down the cars on those tracks, Dan Wheldon was one of the best and the edge of the knife was too sharp even for him. THERE IS NO NEED FOR 200 MPH in open wheel racing.

[Qik Nip]

Being old enough to remember the 500 when it ran on Memorial Day, the loss of life both leading up to May 31 and in the race itself was routine. Seeing Salt Walther simply distingegrate a car hitting the pit-in wall at 200+ is one such memory seared in my conscious. The broad range of safety improvements over the past ten to twenty years has led many fans to think of crashes as entertainment in what is an otherwise boring event. Dan's Wheldon's accident changed that for a lot of folks yesterday.
Rick

[Dave Lewis]

Very sad indeed. I found ABC's continuous replay of the accident to be in very bad taste. Within seconds of the news of his demise they replayed the accident and continued to do so until GMA this am. So sorry for his family and friends, what a loss.

[Sphinx]

And this is different than a Spec Miata race how?

Don't kid yourself - we've been real lucky so far.

That's true that we've been lucky. But it is totally different than Spec Miata in a few respects. First, Indycars were going around Las VEgas flat out all the way around. So, 200 mph is not sustainable unless everyone is content to hold their position for the whole race. That makes passing difficult and risky. Second, we have roll cages. We are only driving up to 120mph or so, with full cages. Third, we get runoff areas, gravel traps, and tire barriers. Those guys get safer barriers and concrete. Forth, compare average speeds on a road course lap v. on an oval.

Either these cars need to be slowed down or they need to stop racing ovals. Otherwise, we can expect another fatality in the next few years.

I think the better analogy would be NASCAR, but even they got smart with the safety features of the COT.

When watching oval racing, I feel like we have a weight on a string that we are swinging over our head in a crowded room. The string is going to fail and someone will get hurt, those are certain in every single case.