The IndyCar Series season came to a close at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. This was to be a day of celebration, exciting racing and the crowning of a champion. Under the clearest, blue sky you could see on race day, Will Power and Dario Franchitti were fighting for the title, Danica Patrick was making her final start in the series before moving to Nascar full-time next season and 2005 Series champion Dan Wheldon was making just his third start of the season.This mood quickly turned, however, as Wheldon tragically lost his life in a 15 car pileup just 11 laps into the 200 lap event. He was only 33-years-old.
The wreck began with a couple cars getting loose, but because of the close-quarters racing that was taking place, the drivers had nowhere to go. A few even locked wheels, like Wheldon and Power, which sent them airborne and into the wall. If you want to see a replay of the accident (remember, this does involve the loss of a human life) you can click here.
The race was red flagged for two hours so crews could clean the track, repair the safer barriers and fix holes in the track surface. Wheldon had been airlifted to an area hospital for further treatment, despite the fact that his wreck was pretty much unsurvivable. The drivers who were still running were summoned to the tracks media center where they were no doubt informed
about the passing of their colleague and discussed how the finish of the race should be handled.
The race was never restarted (definitely the right move by IndyCar officials) but the drivers did return to their cars to run five parade laps in honor of their fallen brother while Wheldon's No. 77 was lit up atop the scoring pylon and bagpipes played "Amazing Grace" over the track's PA system. You can see this very moving tribute here.
Dan Wheldon came to the States from England to make a name for himself in IndyCar racing and was able to do so with very little help. He made it on his own and was able to win the 2005 Indy 500 and the championship in that same year. He was a 16-time winner in the IndyCar series and won his final race in the biggest one of them all, the centennial anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 this past May.
Going into the first IndyCar race at Vegas, every driver on pit road was wary of what could possibly happen. Speeds in practice reached 225 mph in the corners! But because they are racers, they went out and did what they do, fully aware of what could happen to them. But then again, that is what racers in any series do every week. The thrill of competition and the excitement of winning are more important to them than the reality of the danger they stare in the face every week.
Seeing replays of the wreck are still surreal knowing what happened during those few seconds. As a Nascar fan, I had flashbacks to Adam Petty's fatal wreck in 2000 and Dale Earnhardt's in 2001. Watching the Indy 500 this year, seeing J.R. Hilldebrand wreck off the final turn and watching Wheldon win at the Brickyard for the second time is definitely something I will always remember.
IndyCar lost a phenomenal driver, but the saddest part of this tragedy is that Wheldon's wife Susie lost her husband and his two young sons Sebastian (two years old) and Oliver (seven months old) lost their father. That is what makes this tragedy even harder to take. Nobody should ever have to experience that.
On days like today, we are not IndyCar fans or Nascar fans. We are not fans of this driver or that driver. We are race fans. We love the thrill and competition as much as the drivers do. Racing is safer than it has ever been, but the inevitable danger will always be there and people will say that Wheldon wouldn't have perished had it not been for the $5 million bonus (which should go into a trust fund for Dan's kids) for the non-IndyCar regular that could win the event. That wasn't why he started the event Sunday. He raced in Vegas because racing was this man's passion and he knew the risks going in.
So say a prayer for Susie, Sebastian and Oliver in the coming days. May God give them peace as they go through this unimaginably difficult time. And as the Nascar truck and Cup Series' race at Talladega this weekend, remember this. We love some and hate others, but we should always appreciate what ALL of them do. We should never take that for granted.
There will be debate as to wheter or not Vegas was the right track for IndyCar and what could have been done, if anything, to slow the cars down. But there will be time for that later. Now is the time for reflecting on the life of a great champion and a great human being.
Rest in peace Dan Wheldon. You're personality, you're talent and you're infectious smile will be sorely missed.
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