There are two kinds of people in the world...those that love racing and those that wonder how anyone could enjoy watching cars go around and around in circles. I, as most of you know, am a race fan. You could say it's in my blood. My Mom's family gave me passion for cooking and my Daddy gave me a love for racing. When I was a kid, my Daddy had a drag car and for a while he worked on a Pit
Crew for a friend who raced at Hickory Motor Speedway. My middle brother, Chess, raced go-karts for a few summers; he was pretty good. My Daddy sold his drag car when I was still a kid...but he re-bought it a couple months ago and now he's working on it so he can race. He's also on a pit crew for a drag team. I say all this just to back up that it's totally in my blood.
I've enjoyed NASCAR racing for a while but in recent years I've started keeping up with news of other series and watching some drag races and Indycar on television. I didn't watch enough to have a favorite driver, but enough to know what was happening in the series and I could talk with my Daddy about it.
Yesterday, we were traveling on our way home from Concord, and I was keeping up with the beginnings of the Indycar race on twitter. My timeline began to blowup about a "15 car wreck on lap 12"... As soon as someone posted a clip online, I watched it. (http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/10/16/2494174/dan-wheldon-crash-video-indycar-las-vegas-2011) It was devastating. Cars were in pieces and in flames. But, you just assume that drivers will get out of their cars and walk away after crashing at speeds off 200+ mph because of all the safety changes since Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001. Three drivers were transported by ambulance to the hospital but one, Dan Wheldon, was airlifted. It wasn't until I read of the tarps being used to cover Dan Wheldon's car that my brain began to register the seriousness of what happened. It was highly possible that someone was not going to walk away from that wreck alive.
When we arrived home, I was glued to the tv, anxious for any information on the driver's condition. Two hours after the crash, they announced that Dan Wheldon died because of in-survivable injuries. Tears streamed down my face for a man that I knew nothing about other than he had won the Indy 500 this year but didn't have a ride.
I continued to watch as the remaining cars lined up to give him a 5 lap salute. These men, and Danica Patrick, were bawling as they got strapped into their cars, and I was bawling as I watched from my living room. It was a very eery sight to watch these drivers who were his friends, former teammates, and his competitors honor him in a way that seemed very fitting. (http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/10/16/2494389/dan-wheldon-crash-tribute-laps-video-indycar-series-drivers)
My least favorite part of the regular weekend broadcast of NASCAR is after the invocation and National Anthem when the driver's wives, children and loved ones hug them before they get in their cars...there's always a chance that it could be their last. My prayers are with Dan Wheldon's wife Susie and his two sons Sebastian (2) and Oliver (7 months), and his family and friends.
Some great articles...
http://www.popoffvalve.com/2011/10/16/2494351/indycar-dan-wheldon-killed-at-las-vegas-motor-speedway
http://www.sirius-speedway.com/2011/10/wheldons-death-reinforces-racings-sole.html?m=1
