2011 Izod Indy Car Las Vegas Race - Dan Wheldon's Last Interview (Wreck and Tribute Included)

[juniorgeneric]

Did anyone notice how close Vitor Meira came to making contact with Dario Franchitti? I wonder 2 things.

1. If Vitor Meira did hit Dario Franchitti, would it have been enough to put Dario into the wall?

2. If Dario did hit hit by Vitor, would he have hit Scott Dixon as well? He looked pretty close to Scott.

[joe744]

he said great way to go out..didnt like that either..even tho he meant for 2011..just too many cars (34) many rookies...also..bad luck the way he hit the fence..too dangerous sport..to put even more risks.he flew 3 secs on the air before hitting the fence at maybe 300 km..

[HitMAN019977]

When Dan tell that he was going to race this last race I knew something bad was going to happen

[azapro911]

In the week after this appalling tragedy, I thought to myself that the upcoming MotoGP race in Malaysia would be just the exciting tonic that motor sport needed. Boy...I couldn't have been more wrong... :-(

[juniorgeneric]

@azapro911 Yeah. Just what we didn't need. 2 fatal crashes in a week. RIP Dan Wheldon and Marco Simoncelli.

[jorgemdllin]

it was intense,to hear him talking good and happy just a couple of minutes ago and then nothing,felt really sad for that.

R.I.P.

[WWJDBibleStudyTime]

just goin fast thought the bottom was gonna work you can tell he never reallly slowed RIP we miss you

[luisamotta1992]

i just.... i still cant believe this :(

[krzysiek000]

In-race reporter? o.O

[Michi1998IN]

R.I.P DAN

[Michi1998IN]

WHY ??? WHY ??? WHY ???

[bantugla]

Dan Wheldon's and Marco Simoncelli r.i.p from Italy

[cheekyontour]

R.I.P. Dan.

[yellowbelly701]

The main problem was with 34 cars running 220 mph in a 1.5 mile track. When CART used to run at Michigan and Fontana it was an average of 30 cars running over 220 on a two-mile oval. Besides for Greg Moore's fatal crash at Fontana in 1999, I don't recall seeing a big crash other than the 1996 embarrassment at the start in Michigan. So, if anything, IndyCar should impose a limit to how many cars can enter oval races, at least for those tracks that are less than two miles long. RIP Dan.

[yellowbelly701]

The main problem was with 34 cars running 220 mph in a 1.5 mile track. When CART used to run at Michigan and Fontana it was an average of 30 cars running over 220 on a two-mile oval. Besides for Greg Moore's fatal crash at Fontana in 1999, I don't recall seeing a big crash other than the 1996 embarrassment at the start in Michigan. So, if anything, IndyCar should impose a limit to how many cars can enter oval races, at least for those tracks that are less than two miles long.

[DieKolkrabe]

@yellowbelly701 Michigan was a bigger track though. Yes, in the late 90s/early 2000s, CART had close to 1000hp on ovals, but CART had natural differences, various chassis makers and engine makers. At Fontana in 1999, Richie Hearn crashed a few laps before Moore in the same place, but walked away.

Like you I don't recall a huge crash in CART on an oval, even with the Handford device that levelled the playing field.

[awsomeHAWKS23]

Dan died in "The Safer 2012 car" but it killed him R.I.P 

[RacingGaming888]

i'm not a indy car fan but this is so sad

just too sad

it was nice of NASCAR to put In The Memory of Dan on Brad's car

[corky7ca]

Does anyone know how the other drivers are? There were so many cars that were involved I'm amazed only 1 was killed. I feel so bad for his wife and 2 boys who will grow up without him. R.I.P.

[juniorgeneric]

@corky7ca J.R. Hildebrand had a bruised Sternum and Concussion. Pippa Mann had a severely burned right hand, held overnight, had skin graphs October 26. Will Power had a concussion and a compression fracture of the fourth thoratic verterbrate. This injury ruled Will Power out of the V8 Supercar race at the Gold Coast which he was scheduled, along with Tony Kannan who also pulled out, and Dan Wheldon, to race in. They're OK now, but not so much then.

[donsta3000]

9 dislikes. God help those people.

[GraniteTH]

''Good bye today Dan?'' I lost respect for ESPN commentators. Better late than never.

[snyderd5]

Thank you for putting that together. RIP

[mossmusic]

I have to admit the last few words from the commentator choked me up. "Goodbye Dan Wheldon".... Rest In Peace.

[emgwin]

The announcer that signed off gave me chills...so true

[killjoy270]

the sad part is i saw this helicopter fly over my house from the speed way and i thought it was coming from somthing else

[hanzokeeper1]

Poor fuck

[djangelish]

R.I.P

[SportDogg2008]

Scott Goodyear must of been speechless when DW crash.. he was the last one to talk to him... u can tell they switch cameras once he hit that other car and went airborne ans is that his spotter telling him to slowdown at 3:00-3:05? R.I.P DW

[zthomasack]

R.I.P.

[2whiteboys101]

R.I.P

[Ducksoup67]

Danica has to be freaking, along with others caught in the fray - but she was literally a fraction of a second from being in Wheldon's shoes.

R.I.P. I feel so deeply for his kids.

[PinchinTheBear]

That is so fucking sad....Im sorry for his family, for Indycar, the kids in the audience, his family ESPECIALLY his kids......prayers with them

[LifeThug196]

ILLLLUMINATIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

[TheCanadianPublic]

What's incredible is that no one else was killed or seriously injured in this accident, a true testament to the many safety features built into these cars. But as we've seen, the cars can only protect the drivers to a certain extent.

Goodbye Dan.

[DeathBat4REVer]

@TheCanadianPublic i will second that, i do not follow open wheel racing as much, but people will complain everywheres that the cars are not safe enough, what everyone must remember is that if you crash anything at over 200mph, there is not enough protection in the world that will save you eveytime, its a risk they take, and they know it could happen, but seriously from the bottom of my heart - RIP Dan :( God needed someone to teach him how to race, I guess

[beuk31]

"great way to go out he said..." 2011

[PaladinHludwig]

@beuk31 Yes it was eery, almost like he had a feeling something bad would happen. Terrible and very sad loss.

[xlBlackOpz]

R.I.P

[RemiGFX]

Rest In Peace :'( <3

[hunterrocks54]

RIP :"(

[piwaynumber1]

RIP

[333PvR]

[*][*][*]



[2004delfinolibero1]

QUESTE IMMAGINI DICE LA TRAGEDIA UNICA MACCHINA COPERTA SU 15 LA NUMERO 77 VUOL DIRE MOLTO CIAO ANGELO PILOTA MAGIO DAN NUMERO 77

[mkay2k11]

RIP Dan

[lanatureestbelle]

RIP

[TheOne42]

:'-( 

[Wireman134]

Bernard should be forced to watch Wheldon's in car video every waking moment after he is removed from INDY car

[1960twilight]

@Wireman134 Boy do I agree with that one! I hope Bernard never has another peaceful nights sleep again as long as he lives..I'm sure Dan's wife won't.

[akanehimura]

I can't even imagine what the drivers in the tribute were thinking each time they passed the spot where the accident occurred. My heart goes out to his family. RIP Dan Wheldon.

[PeatCowman]

@FoxifiedNutjob: No. If the cars wrecked and he didn't he would have been ahead of them. Don't make ill-informed, insensitive guesses.

[FoxifiedNutjob]

It looked like he didn't even let off. You can hear him feather the throttle for a sec but you can then hear he still has his foot in it. I wonder if he was trying to exploit the fact he had a chance to win so much money with a win and thought he could gain the advantage by taking a risky move to quickly go around the wreck before yellow/red came out...

[ALLRacingTV]

@FoxifiedNutjob I almost agree with you, because that's what I thought in the beginning. But now that I look at it over he slowed down a little. It looked like the cars just came down in front of him that he had now where to go. It's really hard to say because everything just happened so fast.

[vandeimen]

@ALLRacingTV I think you nailed with your with your last sentence , the speed is massive , and these cars dont react well in terms of stability when a driver lifts so its very hard for avoiding action to be taken, the second stage of the crash sees, what looks from the comfort of my chair, an over reaction as one of the cars tries to go low , If he d hung it out and kept his line?? .......... shame real shame.

[arikula1]

@ALLRacingTV At those speeds it would be very difficult to make those judgments on speed and turning but I think he honestly was driving like he was trained to drive in that instance. His scouter called to him to go low but the cars came down in front of him too quickly, even though he attempted to throttle through quickly enough. Had he simply braked hard to avoid the cars he would have locked up much like 2 of the other cars attempted to do, thus still crashing and possibly dying.

[richiedarko]

@ALLRacingTV Will Power was more guilty of keeping his foot in. He came from way back and didn't let off at all. Weldon goes very low and has no time to ease off.

[willpym1]

Yeah thats what i thought when i saw the footage he was a fair way back from all the other cars

[nswkilla]

@FoxifiedNutjob you dont try to stop, you try to avoid the accident there is no stopping, there isnt enough time to react... thats a couple hundred yards while going over 300mph... and if he brakes the car loses control... try going 100mph and slamming on your breaks... it doesnt work.

[PhilipTheBigOne]

@FoxifiedNutjob: He did slow down a little... Will Power and Pippa Mann were moving quicker in the air than Dan. I'm sure they never lifted. Had Dan not lifted at all, he could be alive now (could have had an accident like Will's or Pippa's)!!!

I'm just saying, I may be wrong...

[sesselfurzer2000]

@PhilipTheBigOne I don't think so.. One of the replay shows how he flies up into the air just like Power and Pippa Mann and then catches the right rear of a car what turns him the wrong way heading into the catchfence.. The 15 mph he probably slowed down wouldn't have changed much. Sad tragedy.

[PhilipTheBigOne]

@sesselfurzer2000: I said it, I could be wrong... That's just my opinion...

[TheAmazingMattYoung]

@FoxifiedNutjob Every driver knows that you cant stop to avoid these kind of wrecks, all you can do is use the throttle to drive through it.

[theAmdisen391]

@FoxifiedNutjob he had 2 secs to think about what way to go. i just think he was not trying to hit anything

[die420x]

@FoxifiedNutjob i dont agree with you, your going 200mph and when a crash happens you have no time to react it was a horrible accident. and we will miss you "Dan Wheldon" R.I.P

[nbenge141995]

@die420x i have to agree with you. When they are going over 220mph at some times in the corners, there is little if anytime to react to the incident.

[24jeffgordan88JRfan]

@FoxifiedNutjob "It looked like he didn't even let off."- he didn't when theres a crash at those speed your not supposed to slow down to keep from cars pilling into you,but sometimes it just doesn't matter what happnds, i know that goes for NASCAR i think indycar goes the same

[FoxifiedNutjob]

Testing for Fascist "Comment Pending Approval" bullsh!t!

[MADJIHAD1942]

Open wheel is that fastest and the crashes are the worst because if one car touches a tire it can send it airborne as what happened in that race... RIP

[nismoperformance]

RiP from Manila

[F1biggestfan100]

RIP Dan Wheldon, you were one of the true greats of this motorsport and its so hard to belive that you are gone. RIP.

[pollomannaro]

RIP from Italy

[Phinfan2006]

God Bless you and keep you Dan....I saw you win your first Indy 500, and you were always a class act. The love shown by family, friends and fans is your legacy. Your memory will live on brother.

[omegafolf]

Still find it ironic that they were in his car cam when it all happened. RIP Dan, go race with the angels.

[sanfranciscobay]

Rest In Peace race car driver Dan Weldon.

At speeds of 225mph, the body cannot survive these kinds of impacts involved. We are very fragile internally. Our organs, blood vessels, tear, bruise, severe fairly easy. Maybe this is a good reminder for the race promoters to slow things down a bit.

[samk418]

i remember watching him win the indy 500.i never thought this would happen. R.I.P

[ragnarzuzu]

I am an IRL fan. Do not have cable so I cannot watch much. Seems like regular TV coverage went down this year for IRL.. From that I can see from videos of this horrible accident and loss to all, it looks like a nascar race with IRL cars. Looks like bumper cars with IRL cars as it got started. The 5 million prize, the only reason Mr Wheldon was in the race. I don't get it. Very sad for Mr. Wheldon's family and his loss. I doubt IRL will recover. Could have had the finale elsewhere safer

[applesauceman]

@ragnarzuzu hindsight is 20/20.

[ragnarzuzu]

@applesauceman That is what the IRL organizers are paid to do, foresee something like this and avoid it. Drivers complained before the race. IRL will never recover, and they were in bad shape to begin with this year. That is why they had this "special" race and added drama to have 5 million winnings for someone like Mr. Wheldon. This is what you get when you run IRL cars in NASCAR style race.

[applesauceman]

@ragnarzuzu drivers werent forced.

[cannonman4287]

who would of thought that was going to be his last day RIP

[DeDan29]

R.I.P Dan Wheldon. You will never be forgotton

[amoul100]

Rest in Peace at the end of the video is misspelled rest in Piece

[kylieannify]

A true champion... RIP Dan.

[Miradart]

The 5 lap tribute was a very classy thing for Indy to do. It was right on so many levels.

1. It gave the racing community that were present at the track a chance to be together and support each other. They won't all make the funeral.

2. It gave the drivers a chance to be alone with their thoughts where no one could pester them.

3. It put the drivers back in the seat of a racecar. The last thing you want is to mess up a driver's head by having this hanging over them till next season.

Well done.

[juansct]

@Miradart [Dan] W[h]ell-done

[MrPapparpad]

Dan Wheldon rest in peace..... :(

[topherd2]

That race was the first Indy car race I've ever watched, I have do much respect for these drivers after seeing what could happen when something goes wrong.

[rovirarene9]

my respect for all this driver they are amazing racers . r. i . p man

[maweenova]

r.i.p dan wheldon

[Tenisberja29]

R.I.P :'( Thumbs up for this legend who didnt deserve that :(

[thommobris]

Terrible & tragic what happened in this race, a grand tribute from the remaining drivers that were racing at that point. Let's hope Indycar learns from this like Formula 1 did when Ayrton Senna died. Thoughts go out to his family & closest friends, in the words of Jamie Little "Goodbye Dan Wheldon"

[MDCSWildcats86]

The IndyCar series is a class act in my opinion. They are "patriots" all.

[r3ject2]

he still talked with the commentator and the the next minutes he don´t survive this crash. omg. it´s a real tragedy. good bye dan. unbelievable

[dudikpal]

Convey our felicitation to Gonzalo Rodriguez, Jeff Krosnoff, Greg Moore and other greatful drivers Dan...will never forget YOU.

[ThePabartl787]

The 4 dislikes are from 4 heartless assholes.

[brandonGCHACHU]

Rip Dan

[GeorgeJansen]

maybe the Sprint Cup racers will do something simular at the Dega' Sunday.....I hope

[GeorgeJansen]

look at me, a big fat bald head 42 year man watery eyed........

[moizaiky]

Tout a fait d'accord!! On s'en cogne, y'en a qui meurt pour moins que ça. c'est pas moi qui vais plaindre un abruti qui se lance a 360 a l'heure!!

[WiZe1972]

@moizaiky Tiens, un frouze qui s'est perdu......

[moizaiky]

@WiZe1972b Keeps your comment without interest for you

[mat355]

@moizaiky Well if you dont care, just dont waste your time watching and commenting that video..

You must be what they call a "putain de connard de merde" in your country, right?

[jeflehardi91]

certains crèvent de faim ; j'ai plus une pensée pour eux vous m'excuserez ! (je critique pas du tout le fait de faire de la tutur mais après je vais pas non plus pleurer..)

[WiZe1972]

@jeflehardi91 encore un frouze qui fait tâche.......

[bradjaycee2006]

they should find a medium between the metal fence structure and a netting... so it gives more and saves the drivers but also protects the fans in the stands...

[bradjaycee2006]

why didnt the teams that didnt have cars able to drive use back up cars for the memorial laps... im sure most teams had back up cars.. that could keep that 75 mph pace for 5 laps..

[TheSpiralZeroTheory]

@bradjaycee2006 You want to put a driver that was just involved in an accident where one of their own was killed...? There's a good reason why they didn't.

R.I.P Dan, gone but never forgotten

[juniorgeneric]

@bradjaycee2006 Some drivers, eg, Will Power (back) and J.R. Hildebrand (concussion) were hurt and were not cleared by the doctors so they couldn't get back to the memorial laps.

[jasonsjwou]

R.I.P. Dan Wheldon...



[90barns]

I enjoy this sport and have been for many years. I enjoy the competitiveness and the speeds that they go, however, the loss of a driver, regardless how good they are, is the only thing I hate about this sport. Dan Wheldon, you were a great competitor and many fans as I will not forget you and your love for this sport. God has taken you for his reasons and may you rest in peace as your soul joins with others who have died doing what they love.

[Chirsb109]

@90barns Well Said Brother ;(

[maflff]

@90barns The truth is, I did a job that is dangerous as is racing, firefighting. When I decided to take up that profession, as did Dan, you know there is a chance that you may not come home one day. You have to make peace with that otherwise you can't do your job well. My wife knew there was always that possibility, but knew, as I am sure his wife does, that he died doing something he truly loved. R.I.P. Dan

[uk4ever95]

heres the one thing i still want to know:

why didnt espn show a replay of what happened to wheldon as he wrecked? i realize now that it should be out of respect for dan, his fans, and his family, but they had the on-board camera and everything. did espn loose the feed to the car-cam or something? did they know this was inevitable?

anyways, RIP Dan. the motorsports world salutes you

[ehrenq2003]

@uk4ever95 I think they panned away to show the crash up ahead. and now after the fact they wouldnt show it for reasons of respect

[Bassic92]

@uk4ever95 Yeah, you could say that they lost the feed to the onboard cam. The fence shredded the roll hoop on Wheldon's car. That's the reason he died :(

[TheRealChrisOwen]

A sad day for indycar. Prayers for Dan, his wife and children. May we never forget him, his legacy, nor what he was doing and did for the sport. Let us mourn his passing, and use it as a reminder as to how precious and delicate life really is. May he rest in peace, Amen.

[mksoles69]

to an ace driver, true brit doing it in america....R.I.P

[schynowethable]

I've known people that died in various circumstances ... I can not imagine watching something like this happen (especially for the crew), and knowing that there is 100% nothing that you could've done to change things because everything happened this fast.

[njlegodude2000]

Horrible.



[xHUNG3R4D3ATHx]

R.I.P.



[dannypmc2001]

rest in peace brother....god bless

[greatdane6886]

Man, what a tragedy for the entire racing world. My heart goes out to the family of Dan Wheldon.

[nicholeshand]

RIP Dan, met him at Watkins Glenn. He was kind enough to stop and give an autograph when Danica couldn"t be bothered. Great guy, incredible driver.

[schummi08]

RIP

[unam008]

You can tell Dan Weldon was loved by fans and drivers. He was absolutely a great driver and he will be missed terribly. My prayers are with his family. RIP Dan Weldon

[Lagana0]

Auch die Deutschen Indy-Car Fans trauern mit.

[peacelovers23cafe]

Thanks! dan

RIP

[mcanimx]

Thank god for SAFER barriers. This could have possibly claimed more than 1 life without them. RIP Dan...  We'll miss ya...

[suicyderider]

at 59 secs he said its a great way to go out then pauses before continuing

[musicpolicemofo]

Thanks for the extended upload mate.  What a horrible mess to be caught in the middle of... we'll miss ya Dan.

[td2271]

How tragic, May your spirit be as free and happy as you were on the track, and may your family know that you left this world doing what you loved. Rest in peace and deepest sympathy to those that were blessed by your good grace

AMEN

[hsvhookey]

R.I.P Dan see you on the otherside

[salt2822]

the crash was like the seen out of final destination. rip dan

[bopeesdad]

Such a terrible loss! However, because of tragedies like this, the safety implemented into Indy cars and NASCAR cars finds its way into the cars we drive on the roads. We should thank ALL race car drivers, their crews, and owners for their hard work and sacrifices. In part, it is because of their innovations and research, our cars become safer and safer each passing year.

RIP Dan. You will be missed!

[Singh3200]

RIP.. It's never good to hear about someone losing their life my prayers are with your family

[terryk1233]

that tarp meant one thing, and one thing only.... rip dan wheldon

[jltjake66]

@terryk1233 that it wasn't dan in the helicopter....

[jaymes24885]

This is a really sad way to end the indycar season. This is kinda like when Dale Earnhardt died at daytona. I know Dan Wheldon isnt as well known as Dale was but he was a great and respected driver. Dale and Dan died doing what they love to do and thats racing. I know indycar will not be banned. This will be a step forward in safety for indycar. Like NASCAR indycar will make safety improvements with the new car they have next year and the high speed tracks. R.I.P Dan Wheldon. We love you Dan

[ShinigamiLuv]

IndyCar has great respect for its atheletes, I'm proud of the way everyone involved handled the tragedy that occured today. I hope that they will determine what went wrong today and how it can be prevented from now on.

[spudracer13]

@ShinigamiLuv the freak accidents are the ones you cant prevent or figure out

[spudracer13]

unfortunatly what is going to come out of this is idiot fans and media and others that will either call for a ban of indy car racing or racing in general or severly regulate it. and im sure that is something the drivers will not want to see happen

[Dllshockk]

Is there no video of him being airlifted.. or the actual announcers realizing someone isnt physically okay down there? All the videos I have seen cut out after like 3 minutes into the crash.

[beamer767]

During the interview, he said: "What a great way to go out." He was obviously talking about how the fastest IndyCar race of the year is an exciting way to end the season, but now it's kind of creepy. RIP.

[FearlessHedgehog]

@beamer767 I know what you mean. Strange to think that just a short time after he was talking he was gone. :(

cant get my head around it really. strange he said what a way to go out. RIP

[ilikepepsi3883]

@beamer767 I was thinking the exact same thing.

[Tide12NC]

R.I.P Dan Wheldon. May Gods loving Grace be with your wife and two small children. They are in my prayers. God be with you.

[betinhoy2k]

RIP Dan.

[iProjectMobius]

RIP, Dan Wheldon. I'm not a believer, but there's definitely a reason why he left us today, why he left us this year. Does it not seem any more right that he won the Indy 500 from a freak accident on the last turn that came from nowhere? Does it not seem any more right that he happened to be racing for $5M in the last race of his career, that he was the last person interviewed before the crash, and that we were looking in his in-car camera during the crash? Thanks for all you have given us, Dan.

[Dakota24Fan]

RIP Dan. Prayers with your family tonight.

[05CammedTiburonSE]

at least Dan Wheldon left this world doing what he loved and surrounded by his closest friends. my thoughts are with all members of Wheldon's family and all of the members of the IZOD Indycar community. this is a sad day that will always be remember by those who witnessed it. RIP Dan Wheldon, may you watch over the rest of these brave men and women who risk their lives every weekend doing what they love and protect them from injury in the future.

[samymotors]

no puede ser , ERES UNO DE LOS MEJORES DE LOS MEJORES ,

DAN.

[kuladeeluxe]

RIP Dan. My heart goes out to your family. You will be missed .

[pocomoke1]

So sad

[coachmillsblog]

Unreal!