|| *Comments on the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championships:* View the most recent comment <#109> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. 00andJoe posted: 10.17.2011 - 2:59 pm Rate this comment: (7) (0) R.I.P. Dan Wheldon, 1978-2011. You will never be forgotten. 2. 00andJoe posted: 10.17.2011 - 3:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #8 sponsor: Motegi Wheels/Arma Energy/McAfee #30 sponsor: Big O Tires 3. 00andJoe posted: 10.17.2011 - 3:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm pretty sure all the lap counts are one lap too high: the race was red-flagged at the conclusion of lap 12, with the 18 and 14 -1 lap and the crashed cars -2 laps. Screenshot of IndyCar timing and scoring: http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/4126/indyvegas.png 4. RIP Danny Boy posted: 10.17.2011 - 3:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I do not believe the race was called, rather it was cancelled outright, and they reverted to series points after Kentucky. But don't hold me to that. 5. Matthew posted: 10.17.2011 - 3:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) WE LOVE YOU DAN,from his hometown of Tampa 6. Sebastien posted: 10.17.2011 - 3:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) R.I.P. Dan Wheldon. 7. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 10.17.2011 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) R.I.P. Dan Wheldon, A fantastic driver and two time Indianapolis winner, in my opinion one of the most underrated drivers in the sport, you will be missed. 1978-2011. 8. Dodge posted: 10.17.2011 - 3:58 pm Rate this comment: (3) (4) It doesn't matter what lap # the race was stopped at. That is irrelevant since a loss of life happened. And yes, the person that said that they think the IndyCar championship is now as of Kentucky, that is accurate from my understanding too. 9. Smiff_99 posted: 10.17.2011 - 4:05 pm Rate this comment: (6) (0) That wreck was straight-up terrifying. Makes you wonder how Conway, Briscoe, and Brack made it through their fence-shredding wrecks, but Dan didn't.......just one of those things. I don't think I've ever seen so many cars airborne all at once. Absolutely terrifying. 10. CBASS posted: 10.17.2011 - 4:06 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Race control made a great call in calling the race, and performing the 5 lap tribute. RIP Dan. :( 11. Greg G posted: 10.17.2011 - 4:48 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) For once Barnhart made a good call. St. Pete. will not be the same without you Dan. Who cares about points now. Dario sure doesn't. Hopefully the 2012 car will keep cars from flipping over wheels. 12. Talon64 posted: 10.17.2011 - 5:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) On lap 10 Wade Cunningham made contact with the right rear wheel of James Hinchcliffe in turns 1/2. Cunningham spun out, which collected Charlie Kimball and eventually collected 15 cars in total with a number that took into the air and went into the wall and catch fence, including Dan Wheldon. The race was red flagged for 2 hours before Indycar announced that Dan Wheldon had passed away due to his injuries. Indycar and the drivers agreed to cancel the race and make 5 parade laps around the track in honor of Wheldon. Dan Wheldon ended up being involved in 2 of the most shocking racing moments of 2011. The first was his Indy 500 win in a one-off after JR Hildebrand crashed into the wall coming out of turn 4 in the final lap, a shocking but amazing turn of events. But this was shocking and tragic. Wheldon's a 2 time Indy 500 champions (2005, 2011), along with 2 runner-up finishes and 5 total podiums in 9 career starts at Indy; it's a track record that should be good enough for him to rank among the top 10 all time drivers at Indy. Dan had 16 career wins in 133 starts in Indycar; he was the 2003 ROTY, the 2005 champion with Andretti Green Racing and finished 2nd in 2004 and tied for the points lead but losing due to a tiebreaker in 2006. He also won the 2006 24 Hours of Daytona driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, with whom he drove for in Indycar from 2006 to 2008. 13. 1995z71 posted: 10.17.2011 - 5:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I truly believe this will change the IRL in a big way. 34 cars, 1. mile track, 225 mphs speeds from what we've heard so far no one really liked this idea. Dan Wheldon was he only guy in the field going for the $5 million bonus. What a shame this ended the way it did. YOU WILL BE MISSED DANNY BOY! 14. DaleJrFan20 posted: 10.17.2011 - 5:22 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) I was curious if the results were going to be put up here, I guess that answers my question. I'm still speechless about the whole thing, so I'll just let Marty Reid do the talking: "People always ask me why I sign off with "'Till we meet again" and it's because "Goodbye" is just so final. Goodbye, Dan Wheldon." 15. Anonymous posted: 10.17.2011 - 5:33 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) There were other drivers that were offered to the 5 million dollars such as Scott Speed, Kasey Kahne, and Travis Pastrana. Kasey actually wanted to be in the race, but Rick Hendrick didn't all allow him to race. Based on what I read on ESPN, Kasey actually realized that what happen to Dan could have happened to him. 16. JP88 posted: 10.17.2011 - 5:54 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I was just so stunned when they announced that Dan had passed away... Like the drivers, I had a bad feeling from when I first heard that they would race at Vegas. It just didn't make sense to race on a track with that much banking. I cringe when wrecks happen at Indy and that's a flat track. When I saw that 34...34 cars were starting, I just knew something would happen, which is why I decided not to watch the race and continue watching football. After one of my friends texted me saying "did you see that wreck." I immediately said uh-oh...when I turned it on and saw the replay...I knew. Just so much irony in Dan's death, it's really eerie. 1. If he didn't win Indy, that might of been his only race 2. If the guy never put out the $5 million bonus, he might of not raced and also since he had to start last, he might of been somewhere else if he had a full-time ride or if there was no promotion. 3. And the creepiest, ABC had his on-board and was just talking about him right as the wreck began. "People always ask me why I sign off with "'Till we meet again" and it's because "Goodbye" is just so final. Goodbye, Dan Wheldon." - Marty Reid RIP Dan Wheldon (1978-2011) 17. AlmirolaFan88 posted: 10.17.2011 - 6:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't remember which two drivers it was, but just a few laps into the race two drivers rubbed wheels and almost crashed on the spot. Right then I was concerned that the field wouldn't spread out in time as the race progressed in order for mass chaos to be avoided. 18. 18fan posted: 10.17.2011 - 6:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dan was arguably the best oval track driver in his era and was definitely the most successful Indy 500 driver of this era. Usually the Indy 500 is the only IndyCar race I watch and having Dan Wheldon as a contender to win basically has gone hand in hand with all the Indy 500s I can remember. It will be so different next year at the Brickyard without him in the field. A tremendous driver and a tremendous loss for the entire racing community. RIP Dan, you were awesome. 19. JAMIE88FAN posted: 10.17.2011 - 6:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The eerie one that gets me is this is the 2 time that alex tagliani had a teamate killed in a race 12 years ago he was greg moore was killed in CART FINAL in 99. It erie to the fact he was driving tags car in this race ... RIP Dan you will be missed ... 20. RaceFanX posted: 10.17.2011 - 6:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) None of it matters now but this was a race and there were several storylines of note coming in. The championship for on the line in a battle between Dario Franchitti and Will Power. Even if this race had been restarted and counted for points Franchitti would have won it as Power was taken out in the crash taking a wild roll over dangerously similar to Wheldon's. The in-car footage of Wheldon's car in the crash was thankfully not aired by ABC. Due to similar nature several media outlets doing stories on the crash showed Power's on-board shot and claimed it to be Wheldon's, most likely just confusion. This was to be Danica Patrick's last start in IndyCar as a regular before her move to the NASCAR Nationwide series full-time. Who knows if she'll be back for Indy. This was the final race for the Dallara/Honda spec car IndyCar has used for the last half decade or so. The new Dallara chassis with different available aero kits and Chevrolet, Honda or Lotus engines available is set to debut in 2012. Sadly ironic given the new cars were extensively tested by Wheldon. About two dozen drivers from across the motorsports spectrum applied to compete for the $5 million challenge for drivers outside IndyCar including former Indy 500 winner and F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, NASCAR racer A.J. Allmendinger and WRC champion Petter Solberg. IndyCar admitted the only drivers with enough 'mainstream appeal' to be seriously considered were Kasey Kahne, Travis Pastrana and ex-CART driver Alex Zanardi. Pastrana's X-Games injuries, Kahne's insistence on driving a Penske car and Zanardi's insistence on driving for his old friend Chip Ganassi when the latter two teams were more focused on the championship fight led to all three deciding to skip the race. The gimmick with Wheldon taking part and start lasting with him splitting the money with a fan was a fallback plan. 21. 18fan posted: 10.17.2011 - 6:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think the saddest part of Wheldon's death is that he had just signed a deal with Andretti Autosport to replace Danica next year, so he was on the brink of making a full time return to the series. 22. Foyt 14 posted: 10.17.2011 - 6:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dan Wheldon's 5 Indy 500 podium finishes is the 6th-best mark in a century of racing. Less than 20 have ever won the race more than once. Fewer still will be remembered as fondly by the Indianapolis fans. When you've made it here, you're part of history, and your name belongs alongside the greats. Dan Wheldon was a true champion and gentleman, and a legend of the Brickyard. Nothing else needs to be said. 23. 00andJoe posted: 10.17.2011 - 6:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Four cars got airborne in the final wreck: Wheldon, Power, Hildebrand, and Mann. AlmirolaFan88: I -think- the two rubbing wheels were Tagliani and Hinchcliffe, but I can't be certain on that. 24. 00andJoe posted: 10.17.2011 - 6:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Laps led: Tony Kanaan, 1-13. 25. 00andJoe posted: 10.17.2011 - 6:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) post #4: The race was cancelled, the same as the 1999 race at Charlotte, due to the fact the race had not reached the halfway point. 26. Schroeder51 posted: 10.17.2011 - 7:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It was Tagliani and Briscoe, actually. 27. 00andJoe posted: 10.17.2011 - 7:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ah, thanks - I knew Tags was one of them, couldn't remember the other. 28. Eric posted: 10.17.2011 - 7:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) RaceFanX, Scott Speed was the driver insisting on driving a Penske car. Scott Speed even said that himself that wanted to driver a Penske Car after Indy and wanted the best Penske car matter of fact. Proof: http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/Former-open-wheel-driver-Scott-Speed-AJ-Allmendinger-discuss-dangers-of-oval-racing-101611 29. Billy posted: 10.17.2011 - 7:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Pole speed: 222.078 mph 30. Eric posted: 10.17.2011 - 7:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Proof of Rick Hendrick not allowing Kasey Kahne to be in this race: http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/story/_/id/7114985/kasey-kahne-had-eye-5m-godaddy-challenge-dan-wheldon-took 31. 00andJoe posted: 10.17.2011 - 7:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Qualifying results: 1. (82) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 222.078 2. (2) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 222.061 3. (67) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 221.509 4. (98) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 221.330 5. (6) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 221.130 6. (26) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 221.129 7. (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 221.040 8. (38) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 220.958 9. (7) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 220.925 10. (27) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 220.922 11. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 220.907 12. (17) Wade Cunningham, Dallara-Honda, 220.790 13. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 220.715 14. (06) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 220.701 15. (4) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 220.639 16. (5) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 220.627 17. (12) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 220.524 18. (10) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 220.489 19. (34) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Honda, 220.335 20. (19) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 220.314 21. (83) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 219.982 22. (22) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Honda, 219.942 23. (57) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Honda, 219.816 24. (11) Davey Hamilton, Dallara-Honda, 219.493 25. (14) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 219.273 26. (8) Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 218.661 27. (15) Jay Howard, Dallara-Honda, 218.577 28. (30) Pippa Mann, Dallara-Honda, 218.157 29. (24) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 218.153 30. (78) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 218.132 31. (59) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, no speed 32. (18) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, no speed 33. (44) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, speed disqualified 34. (77) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 218.410 32. awesomegordonfan posted: 10.17.2011 - 7:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) See my Dan Wheldon comment. 33. Indycar1 posted: 10.17.2011 - 8:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually when Greg Moore was killed, it was Patrick Carpentier that was his teammate at the time, not Tagliani. Tagliani was the guy that ended up replacing Greg Moore on the Players/Forythe team. 34. DaleSrFanForever posted: 10.17.2011 - 9:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hopefully this race will bring about much needed rules changes. They fell into the same trap NASCAR did over a decade ago, ignoring all the danger signs and other fatalities of drivers that hadn't established yet until it takes a recognizable superstar. Very fortunate more drivers weren't critically injured. I tuned in just as they announced Dan had passed. I looked online and it said something to the effect of "Dan Wheldon killed in fiery airborne crash". I watched the replay and saw 4 cars burst into flames and 4 going in the air. I haven't watched it much, but with the replays I have seen, I honestly still don't know which car was Dan's. Again, my prayers to Dan's family and friends. Knowing his two kids won't grow up with their Dad just breaks my heart. Only 33. So sad. 35. Ryan posted: 10.17.2011 - 10:04 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) You knew something was very badly wrong when they showed the drivers come out of the office trailer and so many were visibly upset and some were crying. Days like this, I struggle to find words to explain why I am a race fan, and why I my dream will continue to be driving a race car. In the end, I suppose there really is no point. Racing is the farthest thing from most people's minds right now. Its Dan Wheldon's two small children, who will grow up not knowing their own father apart from aging pictures, videos, and stores. Last night I made sure to give my 2-year old sister an extra long hug while I let the tears flow down my face, because it was reinforced in my mind how quickly that can all be taken away. R.I.P. Dan Wheldon, more than just a race car driver. 36. Thomas posted: 10.17.2011 - 10:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A couple of sad ironies that I've noticed. 1. Wheldon was the 1st indy car driver killed since Paul Dana in 2006 in morning warm-up for the season opener at Homestead. The winner of the race? Dan Wheldon. 2. The hot rumor was that Wheldon was going to fill the high-profile seat vacated by Danica Patrick for next season. In the 1999 season finale when Greg Moore was killed, his crash happened 9 laps into a 250 lap race (at a similar point in the race to Wheldon). It had already been announced that Moore was going into a high-profile ride for Roger Penske in 2000. 37. joshfarmer posted: 10.18.2011 - 12:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) worst race ever, period. Dan Wheldon is still my favorite indycar driver, in death as in life. as michael schumacher said after the 1994 san marino grand prix, "hopefully we can learn from this, i think there is a lot to learn from". all comments aside, I haven't been able to stop crying for the past day and a half, I met dan in nashville in 2007, and he was the nicest driver i have ever met. He autographed my hat, and I will treasure this forever and wear it as my personal tribute to the best indycar driver of modern times. May he rest in peace and my condolences to his wife, two children, the rest of his family, and the rest of the Izod Indycar Series family. 38. potatosalad48 posted: 10.18.2011 - 12:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I am still in shock over the tragic events that occured on October 16, 2001 which claimed Dan Wheldon's life. He will never be forgotten. 39. potatosalad48 posted: 10.18.2011 - 12:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) *2011 40. AutoRockinRacing94 posted: 10.18.2011 - 12:57 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) First cancellation since Charlotte in 1999 First fatality in a IndyCar race ever 41. AutoRockinRacing94 posted: 10.18.2011 - 1:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Another irony is this: First race as Honda being the lone make was Homestead 2006 when Paul Dana was killed. Last race as Honda being the lone make was this race and Dan Wheldon was killed. He, Earnhardt, and Senna had onboard cameras 42. Anonymous posted: 10.18.2011 - 1:26 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 38. potatosalad48 posted: 10.18.11 - 12:27 am "I am still in shock over the tragic events that occured on October 16, 2001...." Scary typo. I know you ment 2011, but that date was only a mere 12 days after the death of ARCA driver Blaise Alexander. 43. 24 and 48 fan posted: 10.18.2011 - 1:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) May God be with him and his family. 44. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 10.18.2011 - 1:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is undoubtedly the saddest weekend in IndyCar since the death of Greg Moore. Just seeing how many people that both incidents affected is just gloomy, to say the least. The death of Paul Dana back in 2006 was sad as well. #36 and #41, those are indeed sad ironies. Moore and Wheldon were more than likely on their way to bigger and better things at the time of their death. I think Moore would have done an excellent job driving for Roger Penske, as Wheldon would have with Andretti. I am hoping this series looks at what happened this weekend and makes safety improvements for the future. These cars really should be a lot safer than they are. We, as fans, do not want to see tragedies happen, and in fact, a lot of us feel that these cars should already be safer than they are. 45. 18fan posted: 10.18.2011 - 2:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't know what shocked me more, watching Dan win the Indy 500 this year after Hildebrand, in Dan's old ride, crashed or hearing the news of his death. 46. Foyt 14 posted: 10.18.2011 - 2:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "First cancellation since Charlotte in 1999 First fatality in a IndyCar race ever " I assume you mean the Indycar series specifically, because at least a dozen men have died during, or as a result of crashes sustained during the Indianapolis 500 alone. It's the most dangerous circuit in the world, if you go by the number of fatalities from races, practice, and qualifying. Heck, even more spectators have died *watching* the Indianapolis 500 than drivers have died at most other tracks. Not that that is something we are proud of here, it's simply another part of the history and legend that has been built around our beloved Speedway. A comprehensive list of deaths at the track over the years: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indianapolis_500_fatal_accidents#Drivers_killed_in_the_Indianapolis_500 It's really quite remarkable just how many names are on that list. Still, it's the greatest spectacle in racing, and any driver will tell you that racing in the Indianapolis 500 is worth the risk. And the fans love them for what they are willing to put themselves through to have a shot at winning this race. Just making the field of an Indy 500, practically guarantees you will never have to buy your own drink in the city of Indianapolis for the rest of your life, such is the respect the fans here have for the drivers. The city wouldn't be what it is without that race, and we truly love the sport of open wheel racing. And with Dan being a two-time winner, who time and again demonstrated his love of our speedway and our race, he was a hero here. A true hero. He was one of us, practically a full-blooded Hoosier in every way except for his accent. I stopped by the memorial outside the gates at IMS today, and had my own moment of silence, as I have for every driver who has ever competed at the track. This is one of the saddest, for it has rarely happened to a more successful, or more beloved driver here. 47. Jon posted: 10.18.2011 - 3:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) RIP dan 48. John Royal posted: 10.18.2011 - 4:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) So we had to wait for another champion to die to realize that you can't drive these cars with open cockpits at these tracks. Bräck was lucky to escape death, only because his head did not hit the god damn fence. Same applies to many other drivers that have crashed into a fence. In this Vegas race too. Tony Renna's accident wasn't pretty. You just can't have this equation: Flying cars + fence + open cockpit Either you stop going to fast ovals all together, you build 30 feet high SAFER barriers, or you dont drive over 150mph. Or then you just openly admit that drivers can die and show must go on - how is up to that? No one. Safety and fast speedways can't happen in same sentence. You must leave other out. Heck even in stock car classes drivers had died because fence teared their cockpits open. Only because of death of Earnhardt, NASCAR is much safer for drivers now yes, but there is still danger of one of those cars going through the fence one day and kill several spectators. But it is still possible to crash into a fence so that cockpit area tears open, probably leading instant death. Edwards and Setzer were lucky. Russell Phillips was not. I feel that era of fast oval speedways is going to end soon if we don't want to see drivers lose their lives. This is not 1940's anymore. Big ovals are dinosaurs from gladiator era when piece of rope on your lap was safety device. Then people were used to face death, WW2 had just ended, cold war and fear of death was everyday realism. Heck many drivers were actually vets. Society has changed. Does this society need these race tracks of death? I don't know, but surely it can't handle it when something happens. But then again, here we still are, after Le Mans 1955. My point, I don't really know... I just feel bad for all this. Hard to be a race fan. 49. Billy Kingsley posted: 10.18.2011 - 5:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Such a tragedy- I'm so sad this happened. I'm more of a NASCAR fan, why don't the open wheel cars run with even a small rollcage over the drivers like a NHRA Top Fuel car? I don't know if it would have prevented this, just a thought I had. Rest in Peace, Dan. 50. nascar_vd posted: 10.18.2011 - 1:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) R.I.P. Dan Wheldon A very bad day for the motorsports family. 51. Matt posted: 10.18.2011 - 5:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wheldon is the 4th Indy 500 winner to be killed in a racing accident in the same calendar year as their win. The others were Gaston Chevrolet (1920), Ray Keech (1929) and George Robson (1946.) Two others were killed in the following year's Indy 500: Floyd Roberts (1938 winner) and Bill Vukovich (1954 winner). 52. Randy posted: 10.18.2011 - 11:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) So sad... Rest in Peace Dan 53. AutoRockinRacing94 posted: 10.18.2011 - 11:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @ Foyt 14...Yes I mean IndyCar Series or IRL and isn't he the first to die in the same year of winning the 500? 54. AutoRockinRacing94 posted: 10.18.2011 - 11:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nevermind about my question 55. Aaron posted: 10.19.2011 - 1:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) RIP Dan Wheldon 56. Biscuits in a Red Bull posted: 10.19.2011 - 6:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (4) Typical top level American motorsport. Never learn until too late. RIP Dan Wheldon. You'll always be my favourite. 57. jensenators posted: 10.19.2011 - 5:06 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) biscuits - formula 1 didn't learn til after senna died. you guys are just as stupid as us. wheldon shouldn't of died. but it's not an american motorsport problem to not react til someone dies, it's a world motorsport problem. 58. most posted: 10.19.2011 - 11:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Greg Moore's father had not been to a race since the fateful day his son died in 1999, his first time abck at the track, this race! How very tragic for him to have to see that :( 59. most posted: 10.19.2011 - 11:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A side not on the race, Wheldon and Mann flipped, Power flew through the air on his side and another unidentified car flipped. I have narrowed this down to Paul Tracy or Alex Lloyd. It was reported that it was Townsend Bell who flipped but he verified on Twitter that he did not. Sorry, if anyone finds this offense to bring up, just noting the unfortunate historical fact that I have never seen 4 cars flip in 1 crash (closest to this is the CART race at Surfers in 2002) 60. Anonymous posted: 10.20.2011 - 9:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yes, many cars flipped, I think Lloyd was the last car. Pictures clearly show Pippa flipping like a fighter jet, and Tracy was run into by Wheldon. Power also managed to fly through the air. It was brutal, I have never seen a scene like that. 61. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 10.21.2011 - 2:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "(closest to this is the CART race at Surfers in 2002)" That race was quite a debacle, from what I hear. I heard that a big crash was caused by the track being really slick due to rain. Hopefully this is the first and last time that this many entries enter a race at Las Vegas when it comes to an IndyCar race. Ever since they reconfigured it, my opinion is that it is too treacherous for a bunch of IndyCars to race close together. 62. Darrell posted: 10.22.2011 - 12:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) More coincides regarding Wheldon: He died at the age of 33 after making 133 starts. 33 is traditionally he number of cars that race in the Indy 500. 63. RaceFanX posted: 10.25.2011 - 11:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Correction: As implied by a few earlier posters the lap total for all drivers is off by one. I inadvertly added a lap to everyone's totals putting these together, the crash cars completed 10 laps, the lapped cars including the wrecked out car of Meira completed 11 laps while the cars that were on the lead lap had 12 laps. 64. Evan posted: 10.29.2011 - 5:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It was to be THE biggest event that IZOD Indycar ever had and it would have been the most exciting event in the sport's history. Had it all went as planned. Dan Wheldon's death will have a profound impact on the sport as a whole and will prompt that drivers will have safer cars next year. Indycar will have a season next year, but I hope that it will be safer as a result. Flat ovals and road courses work but I hope that they will return to a track like Charlotte or Las Vegas again and also make it so thay can crash without flipping or going straight up in the air. 65. RaceFanX posted: 12.02.2011 - 3:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This turned out to be the final race for the legendary Newman-Haas Racing team. The team that won so many races and titles in CART and several IRL events shut down for good due to sponsorship issues less than two months after this race. The closing came after a season which saw the Newman-Haas crew somewhat returning to form, as seen here where both Oriol Servia and James Hinchcliffe were in contention early. 66. Unser1 posted: 12.08.2011 - 9:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race was originally scheduled as part of a three-year deal. The 2012 race was cancelled as the series continued its investigation into Wheldon's crash. 67. Anonymous posted: 12.15.2011 - 12:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Report released today. 68. DaleSrFanForever posted: 12.15.2011 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) According to the report, Dan had slowed to 165MPH at the time he made the contact that sent him airborne, and he was at the very bottom of the banking. Yet he still managed to fly all the way into the fence (unfortunately cockpit first causing his head to hit one of the posts). If that doesn't spike the "Dear God!" meter I don't know what does. That absolutely blew my mind. 165MPH and these cars can still manage to fly all that distance? It was obvious they needed a big change after this, but now we see they need a monumental change. Restricting the speed will do no good. If you can still get that kind of flight at 165, that part doesn't matter. I was thinking he must been going 200+. I'm not sure we can blame LVMS for this one. It wasn't overly high speeds that got him. It was the construction of the car. Hopefully this raises some major flags for the IRL with their new car which is supposed to prevent this (which Dan was a major driving force behind). If that can happen at 165 (NASCAR speeds), they need to make sure the new chassis is radically different. 69. Anonymous posted: 12.20.2011 - 2:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If Townsend Bell claimed he wasnt the one they showed upside down on the broadcast, who was it? 70. Rob posted: 12.21.2011 - 10:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (4) i hate that people put qualifying speeds and points on here. none of that matters. all that matters is that wheldon died, and hopefully he didnt die in vain, and they can stop this crazy pack racing. im shocked that it took as long as it did for an established driver to die in indycar. considering how unsafe these cars are. the last one to die was dana and he was forgotton by most because he was a rookie in practice. this race was scrapped from the record books and it shouldnt be listed on here anyways. and im sure im not the only one that feels this way. 71. nascarman posted: 12.23.2011 - 6:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 69. Anonymous posted: 12.20.11 - 2:20 pm If Townsend Bell claimed he wasnt the one they showed upside down on the broadcast, who was it? That was Pippa Mann's car. 72. Ed posted: 12.27.2011 - 11:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Someone mentioned in an earlier comment that this was the second time Tags lost a teammate. He wasn't actually driving for Players in 1999, he replaced Moore there at the start of the 2000 season as Moore was to leave for Penske Racing, a seat that was eventually filled by Helio Castroneves. 73. Mike posted: 12.28.2011 - 1:43 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) nascarman: It wasn't Pippa, the car that was upside down had a blue nose, and the nose on her car was white. I'm guessing that was Alex Lloyd who was upside down. 74. matthew posted: 02.18.2012 - 1:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) espn after news report-ok,we came in late on that,and..folks this is the hardest part of our jobs,and we last had to do this in 2006 with paul dana,but,we have lost Dan Wheldon today,here at the Las Vegas Motor speedway,killed in the crash on lap 10,and dan wheldon,Killed today at Las Vegas,we'll have a 5 lap tribute,stay with us..... ^^ ironic,right? 75. 10andJoe posted: 03.22.2012 - 1:45 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) #70: The race wasn't 'scrapped from the record books'. Under standard rules, as the race did not reach halfway+one lap, it was not an official race and, thus, ineligible to be put into the record books. 76. Ed posted: 05.10.2012 - 3:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #73: Yes it was Pippa. Lloyd's car didn't flip. Only Pippa and Dan flipped. Hildebrand popped a wheelie off of Saavedra's car, and Will Power flew several hundred feet through the air. 77. joey2448 posted: 09.11.2012 - 2:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nearly 11 months later, and I still get choked up watching video of the broadcast. Marty Reid announcing Dan's death is just heartbreaking. RIP Danny boy. 78. tyler posted: 09.20.2012 - 5:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) he was one of the nicest drivers to ever drive an indycar. And he was my hero. I still cry wathching the tribute laps. RIP dan wheldon. 79. 44andJoe posted: 12.15.2012 - 1:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Laps led: Kanaan (12). 80. Unser1 posted: 07.27.2013 - 7:37 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) In addition to Danica Patrick this ended up being the last IndyCar race for CART champion Paul Tracy, Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice, and early IRL standout Davey Hamilton as well as the last to date for IRL race winner Tomas Scheckter, Alex Lloyd, Jay Howard, and Vitor Meira. Following her wreck Pippa Mann was on the sidelines for over a year before returning at the 2013 Indy 500. 81. JasonB72 posted: 08.31.2014 - 1:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Comment 80 beat me to it, but it is interesting to see how many drivers never ran another IndyCar race after this, especially since its been almost three years now. 82. Thomas posted: 01.23.2015 - 10:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) To add to Jason's thoughts in post #81, it never seemed like Hildebrand was ever the same driver after this race like he had survivor's guilt. Being that if he hadn't wrecked coming out of turn 4 at Indy, then Wheldon may never have been in this race to begin with. 83. Braindead Zombie posted: 04.01.2016 - 8:41 am Rate this comment: (5) (0) I know we all like to give Marty Reid crap for all the bad mistakes he'd make but I will always hold a soft spot for what he said at the end of this broadcast. 84. Tylor Thaber posted: 05.30.2016 - 9:47 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) You're back in victory lane, Dan... 85. 77fan posted: 06.19.2016 - 5:42 pm Rate this comment: (1) (25) Wow what a race! Great win by Kanaan. His dominating 100% lap led performance will be remembered forever! 86. JRacingFast posted: 06.19.2016 - 7:31 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) ^Not cool man 87. Anthony posted: 07.14.2016 - 10:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was also the last race for the great Newman/Haas team 88. JSPorts posted: 07.15.2016 - 10:57 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) RIP Carl Haas! A great car owner, one of a group of interesting guys to own that team. 89. Football Fan posted: 09.03.2016 - 12:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was watching this race live.. and I was very shocked! Las Vegas was too thin to have these kind of cars and speeds. That wreck was terrifying! I also forgot how hyped this race was. R.I.P Dan :( 90. RaceFanX posted: 05.22.2017 - 8:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Adding to #80, Jay Howard finally returned to IndyCar after this one in the 2017 Indy 500. 91. Anonymous posted: 05.31.2017 - 6:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) And he was involved to a similar accident. Luckily both drivers involved were safe. 92. Turn 4 posted: 07.05.2017 - 1:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (3) Probably the shortest race in indy car history 93. Anonymous posted: 08.27.2018 - 6:04 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) At least Danica came back to IndyCar one more time. It didnt go so well but at least she got a proper sendoff. 94. RaceFanX posted: 02.06.2019 - 1:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul Tracy decided to retire from IndyCar competition and auto racing in general after this race. While he has come back for a few races since then, playing around in the Stadium Super Trucks and doing a few Trans-Am sports car events, he never raced in open wheel again following this one. 95. Matt posted: 03.07.2019 - 8:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is one of those days where you remember exactly what you were doing when it happened. For me, I was 11 years old, trying to find something to watch on TV. When I found "IndyCar World Championship" on ABC, I was overjoyed, but when I saw "red flag" my attention span got the better of me, and instead of waiting around to see why, I decided to switch to Cartoon Network to see what was running. In hindsight, I'm kind of glad I did. Dan Wheldon was one of my favorite drivers, the others being Tony Kanaan & Dario Franchitti. If I had waited around to see what had happened, I probably would've been traumatized beyond belief. I only first watched the replay when I was 13, and YT decided to recommend it to me. Hopefully there won't be another freak accident like this one again. 96. Jason24 posted: 03.07.2019 - 11:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^Wheldon was my favorite as well. For some reason I did not watch this race at all. I didn't find out until later that night when I saw the news online. Still have trouble watching IndyCars to this day.... 97. TeamDCRfan posted: 03.07.2019 - 11:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I remember sitting watching baseball (I think) with my great grandmother. Nothing was happening so I switched over to the race. We could tell something was up and she asked what was going on. I said there must've been a bad accident. We then changed the channel. It wasn't until I got home that evening and while watching Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain that I had learned that Dan had passed away. 98. TeamDCRfan posted: 03.08.2019 - 1:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I remember sitting watching baseball (I think) with my great grandmother. Nothing was happening so I switched over to the race. We could tell something was up and she asked what was going on. I said there must've been a bad accident. We then changed the channel. It wasn't until I got home that evening and while watching Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain that I had learned that Dan had passed away. 99. Leo posted: 03.08.2019 - 7:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Time zone differences mean that races on Sunday in America are shown in the early hours of Monday morning here, so I record the races and watch them when I get home from work that evening. The championship fight was intense, with Will Power taking the points lead just a few races ago, before handing it back to Dario Franchitti during an intense race at Kentucky. I was extremely excited at the prospect of my local driver being in with a realistic shot at the championship going into the final race of the year. Midway through the day at work, someone makes the comment to me that there was a bad racing crash today. I thought this was an odd comment, because I didn't really work with any real race fans at the time, so where did they get that info from and why would they have heard about it? I got home and started the recording....and well, you all know the rest. 100. Sector posted: 03.08.2019 - 7:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "We could tell something was up and she asked what was going on. I said there must've been a bad accident. We then changed the channel." I wonder... You two weren't curious at all about what was happening at the time? I literally cried my eyes out in this moment. 101. TeamDCRfan posted: 03.10.2019 - 1:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 100 We watched for a while but they weren't giving updates regarding wheldon, so we changed it. Between that time and when I went home was when they made the announcement. And, when you're in a room with elderly people who want to watch something else instead of red flag coverage, its best to change the channel. 102. newman posted: 01.10.2020 - 4:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) With the announcement of Justin Haley bumping the total to 41, someone asked me why we can't let everyone race? I know it's an entirely different sport, but this is the first thing that always crosses my mind. I remember I had this race taped since I went to somewhere fun with my family, then I heard the news when I got home, and I couldn't even bring myself to delete the tape. It wouldn't be until months later I'd even glance at the footage of the wreck. Nascar is a lot different however. In the grand scheme of things a 43 car field would very likely do little harm compared to a 40 car field, so I can't honestly tell you why this is the first thing that appears in my mind. Man I miss Dan. 103. rateus posted: 04.08.2020 - 2:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Still my worst day in racing. I'd met Dan Wheldon at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that summer and he became the first (and so far only) person I've spoken to to die in a race car. That 5-lap tribute was unbearable poignant... Speaking of tributes, every Indycar race since has been run using the Dallara DW12 chassis - DW of course standing for Dan Wheldon, who was the first person to drive one. Fitting. 104. RaceFanX posted: 05.21.2020 - 9:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Scott Speed was offered a chance to run for the $5 million in this race but turned it down, supposedly saying it too dangerous to race IndyCars on ovals like Las Vegas. Speed was racing NASCAR part-time in 2011 but may have been a better fit than most for the challenge as he had driven a modern IndyCar earlier in the year, attempting the Indy 500 but failing to qualify. 105. Fede_4 posted: 07.04.2020 - 1:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) If I recaled correctly, Scott Speed wanted to race for the $5 Million bonus, but wasn't a big enough name and couldn't qualify for the 2011 Indy 500 so Indycar offered the challenge to Dan Wheldon. Kahne didn't get permision from Hendrick and Travis Pastrana was injured, so no other "big name" was availabable. Those were the most serious about doing this race. Others like Raikkonen, Montoya, Zanardi, JJ Yeley, Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ron Capps were just rumors but not quite realistic for different reasons. 106. Rich posted: 09.17.2020 - 6:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever were the commentators. Rick DeBruhl, Vince Welch and Jamie Little were the pit road reporters. 107. BillyKingsley posted: 09.27.2020 - 8:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race happened on my birthday. Due to my health problems I keep odd hours and didn't see it live. When I woke up that night I could tell by the look on my Mom's face that something horrible had happened. Like was said above, this is one of those events that when and how you found out is forever etched in your memory. Hard to believe it's going to be ten years next year. 108. RaceFanX posted: 02.22.2021 - 3:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Among the other drivers who were rumored to want a chance at the $5 million promotion but likely declined were Jason Leffler, Nelson Piquet, Jr., and even Supercross bike racer James "Bubba" Stewart. ALMS GT class champion Joey Hand probably would have been declined too but still appears to have come the closest to actually getting on the grid as he tried to get a deal together with Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan (who he raced for in road racing) but it didn't work out. With only Pastrana, Kahne, and Zanardi given serious consideration and none of the big name NASCAR talent, like Tony Stewart, with prior Indy 500 experience interested the promotion was largely a bust before the ill-fated Wheldon deal came together. 109. Anonymous posted: 04.12.2021 - 8:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Even though race did not count statistically, This would be the last Indycar appearance for several drivers: - Tomas Scheckter - Buddy Rice - Vitor Meira - Davey Hamilton - Alex Lloyd - Paul Tracy - Dan Wheldon (Fatal Accident) Drivers who didn't appear in 2012 Indycar season but came back years later: - Pippa Mann (Came back at 2013 Indy 500) - Danica Patrick (Came back at 2018 Indy 500) - Jay Howard (Came back at 2017 Indy 500) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: