Dan Wheldon dies in horrific crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Two time Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon died today in a lap 12 crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the Izod IndyCar Series season finale. The crash, which included 15 other drivers, was one of the most horrific on-track incidents I have ever seen. This type of crash has always been IndyCar’s worst nightmare; A high speed track that was built for stock cars, with 34 open wheel cars that can reach speeds in excess of 220 MPH wrecking near the beginning of the race when all of the cars are nose to tail. Simply horrifying.
Yes, motor racing is a very dangerous sport, and yes every time the drivers step into their cars they know that what happened today is a possibility, but that doesn’t make it any less shocking or sad when a tragedy such as this occurs. The remainder of the race was cancelled and the remaining drivers conducted a 5 lap tribute in Wheldon’s honor.
Dan Wheldon was a fantastic racer who loved what he did, he will always be remembered for his friendly smile and jubilant victory celebrations.
33 years of age is too young to die. My thoughts and condolences go out to his wife Susie, his 2 year old son Sebastian, 7 month old Oliver and the rest of his family and friends.
R.I.P. Dan Wheldon (1978-2011)
R.I.P. Dan Wheldon
| Print article | This entry was posted by ZACHISGOD on October 16, 2011 at 7:56 pm, and is filed under Cars, Sports. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |