RIP Dan Wheldon

[MON5T3R]

Damn very sad RIP.

Those cars dont look safe at all to be honest.

 

[hugo]

sad. RIP

 

[statis22]

RIP. Its sad dying doing what you love to to and condolences to his family.

 

[tim teufel]

damn he was a good guy too r.i.p

 

[dlo13]

They shouldn't have these open-wheel races on these large, banked ovals. Not built for that.

 

[harlemtothebronx]

Terrible.

I feel for his family.

 

[mr marcus]

Originally Posted by HarlemToTheBronx

Terrible.

I feel for his family.

 

[fundamental21ticket]

Sad. He was one of the few NASCAR drivers I actually followed since he was sponsored by David Letterman at one point. He was also on the his show this year so it's just sad.

 

[eddiehouse5]

 

[DeadsetAce]

crazy


RIP

 

[jkballer5]

sigh, RIP

 

[dyyhard]

RIP. dont really follow racing but only knew who he was cus he won races. knew he was good cus one year he won a lot.

 

[hoosiergunner]

I got to meet Wheldon at a Pacers game several years ago. He was signing autographs with a couple other IndyCar drivers. They looked like they would rather be anywhere but there, while Dan was smiling and posing for pictures and signing for everyone. From then on, he became a personal favorite, he will be missed greatly. RIP.

 

[bryscooplaygrifhold]

To some degree I blame the organizing body for putting that many cars on that track.  34 is too many based on the speeds they reach, and when you "dillute" the field with 8-10 "fringe" guys/gals who aren't seasoned vets, it only adds to the uncertainty.  The 20-24 who regularly run the series have a relative amount of "trust" built up that allows them to run closely at these high speeds and not have many major incidents.  Obviously accidents are always going to be part of the scene, but when you throw in more and more wild cards, the likelihood dramatically increases.  Not surprisingly, this accident took place mid-field, and probably had something to do with the wrong mix of people running way too close together way too early.  Add to that you basically can drive flat out( throttle completely down ) all the way around the track and not lift, and this is a recipe for disaster. 

Its unfortunate, terribly tragic, and probably unnecessary to some degree, but that's what happens when promoters are looking for ratings- Add cars, add "excitement- i.e potential for accidents", and people will watch/come.  Well, Indy Car got there accident, and at the expense of D.W's life.  I know they aren't any better off for it, and I am sure drivers and team owners alike are pissed and rightfully so about losing one of theirs.

Bottom line, open wheels, and 220 + do not mix well, and the more cars you add will only make it more painful when the "big one" happens.  No coincidence you see NASCAR constantly making their cars tank-like and being able to withstand big wrecks.  They know they are coming, especially on big tracks, and basically just brace for it.  There really is nowhere to hide in an open wheel style car especially when you get airborne- basically just a 200 mph dart waiting to hit a wall or in this case a catch fence.  Just sad.

R.i.p DW, and may God be with your family as they struggle to deal with their loss.

 

[hoosiergunner]

Gotta get away from flat out tracks, the only ovals they should be racing in open wheel cars are Indy, bullrings like Milwaukee/Loudon, and wide tracks like Michigan/California.

Today was still somewhat of a freak accident though, had the car not gone top-first into the catchfence he probably would have survived.

And just this morning he signed to take over Danica Patrick's ride at Andretti Autosport for 2012, bearing eerie similarities to Greg Moore's death in 1999.

 

[bryscooplaygrifhold]

Originally Posted by hoosiergunner

Gotta get away from flat out tracks, the only ovals they should be racing in open wheel cars are Indy, bullrings like Milwaukee/Loudon, and wide tracks like Michigan/California.

Today was still somewhat of a freak accident though, had the car not gone top-first into the catchfence he probably would have survived.

And just this morning he signed to take over Danica Patrick's ride at Andretti Autosport for 2012, bearing eerie similarities to Greg Moore's death in 1999.

Great points all the way around.  Agreed on the "freakishness" of the wreck- IMO Kenny Brack's wreck a few years back was just as bad if not worse, but angle not as extreme as today's "spearing" towards the catchfence- unfortunate in every way possible.  A buddy indicated he didn't seem to let off much before getting airborne and had he had a "spotter", may have avoided it entirely.  Not sure if they don't use one or if it all just went down too fast.

Sad indeed that he was signed with Andretti and GoDaddy just as Moore was with Penske for the following year prior to his death.  Another "freakish" angle in that wreck that doesn't happen 99 % of the time.

 

[kookcle]

RIP

 

[gaseousfashion]

R.I.P.

Crazy to see the crash from his eyes.

 

[on1ybloke]

R.I.P.

 

[Sinner]

I don't follow Indy car, but as a fan of motorsport, this is very sad and shocking.

RIP

A moving tribute.

 

[dmbrhs]

The broadcaster's sign-off was the most moving part of that tribute video. So understated and appropriate.

 

[cafinest23]

RIP I couldn't finish that video.

Dan you will be missed.

 

[mazzo1]

That's was a crazy crash! RIP

 

[solesavage]

Was that 5 car salute done the same day of the accident? Too soon?

 

[dredwards]

R.I.P. Dan..