IndyCar star Wheldon dies in crash in Las Vegas race; auto racing world mourns

By JEFF WOLF
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Posted: Oct. 16, 2011 | 1:41 p.m.
Updated: Oct. 17, 2011 | 9:29 a.m.

The No. 77 was the lone car designation illuminated atop the infield scoring pylon.

The sound of bagpipes playing "Danny Boy" and "Amazing Grace" echoed plaintively through the public address system.

Fans stood in numbed silence, their heads bowed, many in tears.

Nineteen drivers -- slightly more than half of the 34 who had started the race about two hours earlier -- circled the 1.5-mile oval at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, three abreast, in droning tribute.

What was to have been a sun-kissed afternoon of exciting open-wheel racing turned into unfathomable tragedy when two-time and reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died as the result of a horrific 15-car crash only 11 laps into the IZOD IndyCar World Championships.

"IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from un­survivable injuries," Randy Bernard, IndyCar chief executive, said in the LVMS media center after informing the series' drivers of Wheldon's death at about 2:20 p.m.

"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 in his honor."

Wheldon, 33, a native of Emberton, England, who lived in St. Petersburg, Fla., died at University Medical Center, where he was taken shortly after the fiery crash. Medical personnel at the track worked on Wheldon before he was airlifted by helicopter at 1:19 p.m.

Wheldon's wife, Susie, and two young sons, Sebastian , 2, and Oliver, 7 months, reportedly were at the hospital at the time of his death. An autopsy is planned for today.

His death was the first racing fatality at the speedway since 1996, when an amateur sports-car driver crashed the day before the track's inaugural Indy Racing League -- now IndyCar Series -- event.

The last death in IndyCar was in 2006 when rookie Paul Dana died during practice at Miami-Homestead Speedway in Florida, another oval track.

Bernard, after meeting with the remaining drivers, announced the race would not be resumed and ruled it "incomplete." Dario Franchitti, who led Will Power by 18 points heading into the season-ending, 200-lap race, was declared series champion.

Power was one of 15 drivers involved in the crash, and he was driven to UMC shortly afterward complaining of lower-back pain. He was evaluated and released.

Two other racers, J.R. Hildebrand and Pippa Mann, also were driven to the hospital for evaluation.

IndyCar said Mann was treated for a burn to her right pinkie finger and will be released this morning, while Hilde­brand was awake and alert but being held overnight for further evaluation.

Franchitti, his actress wife Ashley Judd and team owner Chip Ganassi visited the media center after the on-track memorial to Wheldon, who was racing Sunday as part of an IndyCar promotion that would have paid him and a fan a combined $5 million had he gone from the 34th starting position to winning.

Franchitti sobbed; Ganassi's eyes were reddened as they spoke.

"You know, one minute you're joking around during driver (introductions), and the next Dan's gone," said Franchitti, who was a teammate with Wheldon at Andretti Green Racing from 2003 to 2005.

Winning the series championship, his fifth, was the furthest thing from Franchitti's mind.

"Honestly, I was driving around there on the parade lap we did ... I was thinking about Dan, actually. I was thinking of all of Dan's stories," he said.

"In situations like this, I think obviously (of) the sadness, I was thinking of some of the fun times we had. But really right now it's just sad. It's just really, really sad. It's the ugly, ugly side of our sport. You see it all."

The crash started when Wade Cunning­ham's car swerved in Turn 2 and Hilde­brand inadvertently drove his car over the rear of Cunningham's. That sent Hilde­brand's car airborne, before it darted to the right and into the guardwall.

The suddenness of the contact created a chain reaction with 13 other cars -- all racing at about 220 mph -- caught up in the wreck. A few spun in front of Wheldon and his car was launched into the safety catch fence mounted atop the outside guardwall.

Several cars caught on fire in the knot of collisions and the track was littered with debris, some of which was burning.

"It was like a movie scene (that) they try to make as gnarly as possible," Danica Patrick said during an interview on the ABC Sports telecast, before the news came of Wheldon's death.

"There 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."

Patrick was among several drivers who forecast the potential for devastating crashes because of speeds at 220 mph on the wide, high-banked oval.

"It's friggin' fast out there," Patrick said Thursday after posting the fastest practice lap of 224 mph.

Oriol Servia, who was nearly as fast as Patrick on Thursday, qualified second at 222.061 mph the next day.

"I expect it to be really hairy and dangerous," he said of Sunday's race.

Sadly, he was right.

Wheldon ironically on Sunday morning had signed a contract to drive next year for Andretti AutoSport in the car that Patrick was driving at the time of the crash. Patrick was participating in her final IndyCar race; she will race full time in NASCAR next season.

Wheldon won 15 IndyCar races from 2003 to 2010 -- including the 2005 Indy 500 en route to the series title -- but didn't have a sponsor beginning this season or a team for which to drive.

But he caught a break for this year's Indy 500 when owner Bryan Herta asked him to drive for him.

Wheldon was running second on the last lap of that race, trailing Hildebrand, who had a commanding lead coming out of the final turn. But when Hildebrand spun, Wheldon zipped past for the win.

His victory in May was a feel-good story, and it appeared it was going to carry over to Sunday.

Wheldon was only racing because of the Indy 500 win and a special IndyCar promotion that originally offered a $5 million bonus to any non-IndyCar driver who could qualify for and then win the race. The series' hope was to lure some NASCAR stars, but logistics couldn't be worked out by IndyCar and it then changed the promotion to give only Wheldon the chance, with the money to be split between him and his team, and a selected fan.

Sam Schmidt Motorsports was picked by IndyCar to be the team for which Wheldon would drive.

"Dan Wheldon was a tremendous competitor, a great racer and an even better person," Sam Schmidt said in a prepared statement. "All of us at Sam Schmidt Motorsports are deeply saddened by his passing. ... Our prayers go out to all of his family, especially his wife, Susie, and their two children."

Schmidt, who lives in Henderson and was left a quadriplegic by a racing accident in 2000, went to UMC and was there when Wheldon died. Schmidt could not be reached for further comment.

The crowd for the race was estimated to be about 50,000. Track president Chris Powell said in a release that attendees can receive a full refund by sending their scanned tickets to the speedway's office.

Powell said that despite the tragedy, he expects the series to return as scheduled next year.

"We have a good relationship with Randy (Bernard) and IndyCar," Powell said, "but it's really too soon to think about anything other than Dan's family and friends."

Reporter Antonio Planas contributed to this report. Jeff Wolf is a freelance reporter. He can be reached at 702-406-8165 or nitrorodeo@gmail.com.

RECENT DEATHS IN MAJOR AUTO RACING EVENTS

IRL
• Dan Wheldon, 2011, Las Vegas
• Paul Dana, 2006, Miami
• Tony Renna, 2003, Indianapolis
• Scott Brayton, 1996, Indianapolis

NASCAR
• Tommy Baldwin, 2004, Thompson, Conn.
• John Baker, 2002, Irwindale, Calif.
• Dale Earnhardt, 2001, Daytona Beach, Fla.
• Tony Roper, 2000, Fort Worth, Texas
• Kenny Irwin, 2000, Loudon, N.H.
• Adam Petty, 2000, Loudon, N.H.
• John Nemechek, 1997, Homestead, Fla.
• Rodney Orr, 1994, Daytona Beach, Fla.
• Neil Bonnett, 1994, Daytona Beach, Fla.
• Clifford Allison, 1992, Brooklyn, Mich.
• J.D. McDuffie, 1991, Watkins Glen, N.Y.
• Grant Adcox, 1989, Hampton, Ga.

CART
• Greg Moore, 1999, Fontana, Calif.
• Gonzalo Rodriguez, 1999, Monterey, Calif.
• Jeff Krosnoff, 1996, Toronto
• Jovy Marcelo, 1992, Indianapolis
• Gordon Smiley, 1982, Indianapolis

FORMULA ONE
• Ayrton Senna, 1994, Imola, Italy
• Roland Ratzenberger, 1994, Imola, Italy
• Ricardo Paletti, 1982, Montreal
• Gilles Villeneuve, 1982, Spa Francorchamps, Belgium

NHRA
• Mark Niver, 2010, Kent, Wash.
• Neal Parker, 2010, Old Bridge, N.J.
• Scott Kalitta, 2008, Englishtown, N.J.
• Darrell Russell, 2004, Madison, Ill.

ARCA
• Eric Martin, 2002, Concord, N.C.
• Blaise Alexander, 2001, Concord, N.C.

Trending topics:

• Dan Wheldon
• Dario Franchitti
• IndyCar World Championships
• Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Comments

Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.

1. kjbnlvnv Oct. 17, 2011 | 8:38 p.m. Report Abuse

   i am extremely disappointed in the RJ!.....You have shown very poor taste......Buy this photo???????!!!!!!!!! All of you should be ashamed.

2. betsy.caldwell Oct. 17, 2011 | 5:32 p.m. Report Abuse

   my roomate's mom makes $87 every hour on the laptop. She has been unemployed for 6 months but last month her paycheck was $7759 just working on the laptop for a few hours. Go to this site http://goo.gl/nwbsF

3. Only in Vegas Oct. 17, 2011 | 4:38 p.m. Report Abuse

   Very good article here: http://msn.foxsports.com/motor/story/dan-wheldon-death-indycar-fatal-wreck-las-vegas-101711
   
   
   I'm a very avid racing fan, but that drops off significantly during Football season. Trying to triple motorsport viewing ratings late in the season in the USA is difficult. I just can’t get over how tragic this event was, and that it happened in Las Vegas.

4. MIKE VEGAS Oct. 17, 2011 | 4:00 p.m. Report Abuse

   To many cars for the track, cars to fast for the track and the drivers, promoters and fans all knew. The race was run anyway and now everyone is astounded. WHY ? ---------------------------------------- R.I.P. Dan Wheldon -----------------------------------------SHAME ON LVMS, INDY CAR PROMOTERS AND THEIR GREED.

5. Zee Oct. 17, 2011 | 3:00 p.m. Report Abuse

   "Fans stood in numbed silence, their heads bowed, many in tears".... I was one of those fans. Even though I didn't know Dan Wheldon I am totally devastated. My thoughts and prayers for his family and friends.

6. Only in Vegas Oct. 17, 2011 | 2:52 p.m. Report Abuse

   "Michigan max is 256, California is 241, Indy is 237 "
   Those tracks are 2.0 - 2.5 miles in length. Different animal, and suited for Indy cars.

7. Arjay Oct. 17, 2011 | 2:40 p.m. Report Abuse

   After reading Dan.Joseph's Bruce McLaren quote, I'm reminded of one of my favorite racing quotes regarding motorsports (albeit from a movie)..."It's important to the men who do it well. Racing is life. Everything else is just waiting." -Steve McQueen, LeMans (1971).
   
   With a lovely family and friends, I'm sure Dan Wheldon was not just "waiting" when not behind the wheel but racing is important to those who do it well (and to many who don't). Dan did it well...and really lived.

8. Mark.Anthem Oct. 17, 2011 | 2:33 p.m. Report Abuse

   A more crash-absorbant fence can be built. An array of 24 exterior airbags like the ones that enable rovers to land safely on Mars can be used. LVMS is only an intermediate speed track. Michigan max is 256, California is 241, Indy is 237, Vegas is 226. This year George Poteet went 426 mph for 1 mile at the 2011 Bonneville UT Salt Flats Speedweek.

9. gbororats Oct. 17, 2011 | 2:31 p.m. Report Abuse

   i have an idea, lets shut down downtown, the strip and all other arterial roads so that they can cause traffic for the rest of us residents of LV. The motor speedway wasnt made for indy car racing, it was meant for trucks and nascar and whatever else. Lets drive 200+MPH with no roof and wonder why people die. Is it sad because it was Dan Wheldon, or is it sad because someone lost their life? If it was a no-name indy car driver would we be talking about it as much? Dale Earnhardt died and changes were made. If it were Steve Park who died would changes have been made?

10. Only in Vegas Oct. 17, 2011 | 2:27 p.m. Report Abuse

    If Las Vegas is serious about hosting stellar motor sport venues then they need to bring the Big Boys to town. I would like to see an F-1 track downtown comparable to Monaco or Singapore for a USA GP. Use the LVMS for Cup cars, Nationwide, and Trucks … but fight real hard to get a second venue on the season card. (During the chase)
    Unless you trim the field to around 24, and electronically limit Indy car speeds to around 208ish, and determine starting positions by qualification times only, I really don’t see the safer chassis of the 2012 car preventing what we seen Sunday. Need to abolish the “Change Engine start in back of the pack” rule as well. Kyle Bush started last Saturday night and ended up in second. (Don’t need to start fast drivers in the rear.)

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