IZOD IndyCar Series - 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship (Part 19 of 21)

[edsong97]

when i watched tony kannan face i knew somthing wrong just happened.... he is one of the thoughest ones

[Ultimate23Dragon]

@edsong97 My buddy "Greenlight" who was watching with me, saw Kanaan & how he was acting & he told me, "I'm sorry Mar. I think he's gone". Of course I denied that since Kanaan & Wheldon are my top 2 favorites in IndyCar.

... Then I saw Randy Bernard's announcement & figured it out when he said "salute"... it was at that point I yelled "Noooooooooo" & basically lowered myself on to the floor & started crying. This occured 2 days after my birthday. This is one birthday, I'll never forget...

[thevmanvj]

I'm crushed by Dan's passing.....

At the same time...I'm really angry. When a car goes over a wheel (a typical Open Wheel Accident), and cars go airborne, the Safer-Barrier is ineffective, and a wire mesh fence becomes a 200-plus MPH cheese-grader. This is unacceptable. On ovals, I believe the Safer-Barriers should be AT LEAST 10-ft high in the turns (At Indy,10-ft high in the turns and short-chutes). If this means they have to raise the grandstands, or take out a few rows of seats...so be it.

[thevmanvj]

@thevmanvj Afterthought...

A perfect example of a race-track with high barriers is Knoxville Raceway...in Knoxville, Iowa.

Yes...it's a dirt track, and cars are prone to flipping and getting airborne. But these higher fences have saved hundreds of lives and made Knoxville, not only the Home of the Nationals, and The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, but probably the safest Open Wheel Dirt Track in the Country.....BAR NONE.

[phathead50]

I think the hardest part of watching this is when referring to Dan they keep using present tense when you can clearly tell from their faces that he's gone

[smcnew97]

When i saw tony kanaan's expression i knew dan wheldon was gone, kind of the same thing i thought with dale earnhardt when ken schrader was interviewed. RIP Dan Wheldon

[thevmanvj]

@smcnew97 It was a sad day for all of motorsports...as someone who closely follows the sport, unfortunately I knew that someone had died, or has sustained life-threatening injuries when the car was covered with a tarp. This is part of a contingency of procedures that is followed in the event of a fatality...a part of a safety crew's training that they hope they never have to use.

Nonetheless, I'm devastated. My prayers to his wife, Susie, their two boys, his family, his team, and his fans.

[Gamers4rLife]

@smcnew97 I was thinking the exact same thing after hearing some of the driver interviews in this race. Paul Tracy referred to a "long recovery" for Wheldon. Danica Patrick could not complete her sentence after mentioning Dan, and Davey Hamilton declared a "sad day" in the sport. From these interviews I got the bad feeling in my gut that he was gone and yes, I kept thinking back to Schrader on the day we lost Dale Earnhardt.

[AdvanceShippingFan91]

You knew after they came out of the media center, it didn't look good. Everyone seemed liked they were crying. It's not fair Dan Wheldon died yesterday. I think the right decision was made by cancelling and aborting the race. Kanaan's face pretty much tells the sad truth.

[Gamers4rLife]

@AdvanceShippingFan91 Yeah, the looks on their faces said it all when they came out of the meeting. Those looks were not of concern, they were grieving. I knew it at that moment that he was gone. And yes, it was a fitting and appropriate thing to do, to cancel the race and hold the five lap tribute to Wheldon.

[thevmanvj]

@Gamers4rLife

Yes....the appropriate thing to do....WAS DONE.

The race was abandoned.....The utmost sign of respect.

Beside the fact, that no one really wanted to race anymore.

[TheMoezilla]

I waited and waited Sunday afternoon for some good news to come out of this. But, after witnessing the crash and seeing the driver's faces when they walked out of the meeting, my heart sank because I knew what was coming. Terrible, terrible day for motorsports. My thoughts are with Dan's family and friends.