IRL Crash, Paul Dana passed away

[.RJ]

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And video here:

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RIP

You wont ever find me in an open wheeled car.

Originally Posted by espn.com
HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Driver Paul Dana died after a two-car crash Sunday during the warmup for the season-opening Toyota Indy 300 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Recent motorsports deaths
IndyCar: Paul Dana, Homestead, Fla., 2006
NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt, Daytona, Fla., 2001
Champ Car: Greg Moore, Fontana, Calif., 1999
Formula One: Ayrton Senna, Imola, Italy, 1994

The other driver, Ed Carpenter, was awake and alert at a Miami hospital, IRL officials said.

The race will start as scheduled, officials announced. However, Rahal Letterman Racing co-owner Bobby Rahal announced that drivers Danica Patrick and Buddy Rice, teammates of Dana, will not race. (even though Danica qualified third says Wes)

"Obviously, this is a very black day for us," Rahal said. "This is a great tragedy."

Dana is the first IRL driver killed since Tony Renna died in a crash during testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October 2003, and the third to die in the 10-year history of the series. Scott Brayton perished in a practice crash at Indianapolis in May 1996.

The last NASCAR driver killed was Dale Earnhardt in February 2001, and the last driver to die in Formula One was Ayrton Senna in May 1994.

It is the third racing death at the Homestead track -- John Nemechek was killed in a NASCAR truck race in February 1997 and Jeff Clinton died in a Grand Am sports car event at the track in March 2002.

Dana, 30, a former motorsports journalist with a degree from Northwestern, competed in three IRL races for Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing last year with a best finish of 10th in the race at Homestead.

Carpenter, the stepson of Indy Racing League founder Tony George, spun his Vision Racing car exiting Turn 2 of the 1.5- mile Homestead-Miami Speedway oval and hugged the outside wall before slowly creeping back onto the racing surface. It was nearly stopped when it was hit in the left-rear corner at nearly full speed by Dana's car.

Rahal said that there were no radio communication problems with Dana's car and that he was informed by his spotter of the accident ahead. Dana cannoned into Carpenter's crippled race car approximately six seconds after yellow lights were displayed around the track warning of Carpenter's spin.

Dana's car nearly split in half. The chassis flew about 6 feet off the ground and pieces were strewn down the track. It nearly turned over, but landed on its wheels before sliding to a halt.

It took track safety workers about 15 minutes to get both drivers out of their cars. The practice session did not resume.

Dana and Carpenter both were airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. IRL officials said Dana died shortly before noon.

In 2005 for Hemelgarn Racing, he broke his back in a practice crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Vision Racing team manager Larry Curry was more optimistic about Carpenter's condition. "I've been told he is awake and alert and is going to be fine," Curry said. "They want to check him out at the hospital, but he should be fine."

[HAULN-SS]

i was wonderig why no one posted about this

[Mike]

i was wonderig why no one posted about this

none of us care much for anything on an oval.

[BLINGMW]

an interesting, kinda harsh truth kind of article:

http://speedtv.com/commentary/22748/

"With all due respect to the deceased and his family, Paul Dana was in over his head; the victim of a system where people have been buying rides at the highest level for more than 25 years." .........

.........a good read

[Evan]

an interesting, kinda harsh truth kind of article:

http://speedtv.com/commentary/22748/

"With all due respect to the deceased and his family, Paul Dana was in over his head; the victim of a system where people have been buying rides at the highest level for more than 25 years." .........

.........a good read

I think thats complete BS
Dana was a rookie, and had a pretty impressive bio of racing. He did 3 IRL races last year (including a top 10 at that very same track) as well as a full season and 2nd place overall finish in the IRL Pro Feeder series. Some Skippy and Bridgestone school experience as well. Im willing to bet he has more experience than 90% of "rookies"

[JustinG]

sad event, crazy crash, feel bad for her teamates. Much respect to professional drivers for risking their lives for our entertainment.

[G.Irish]

Yeah I thought it was pretty crappy and erroneous of Robin Miller to say that.

It would be one thing if this guy raced gokarts then all of a sudden got an IRL ride but this guy had come up through all steps of the IRL ladder and done fairly well. Even if he was a pay driver there are plenty of those at every goddamned level of motorsport. That was tasteless, unprofessional, and idiotic of Robin Miller to say that about this guy who just lost his life.

Putting "With all due respect to the deceased..." in front of his hogwash doesn't make it any less wrong or disrespectful.

Tony Renna lost his life, I didn't see anyone saying shit like that about him. Kenny Brack almost got killed a few years ago I didn't hear him talk shit about him. Alex Zanardi lost both of his legs but he wasn't a rookie pay driver.

Countless others have gotten maimed or killed in the history of open wheeled oval racing in the United States. Its dangerous and it gets the best of even the best of them.

[BLINGMW]

Countless others have gotten maimed or killed in the history of open wheeled oval racing in the United States. Its dangerous and it gets the best of even the best of them.

I don't think anyone's saying that, and it's not really related to the article. I don't know thing one about the IRL or this driver, but it didn't sound to me like this Robin Miller guy is way out in left field. He does have some support for his commentary and comments from other drivers. He does make it clear that Dana was by no means the least qualified driver to ever do this, and that he did go through the normal ladder.

At a smaller level, just because someone shows up to a local SCCA race having gone through the requirements to do so (which are almost none), does that mean he's qualified to be out there? Clearly some other drivers didn't think he was qualified from their experience with him on track, and you know what? They're probably the most valid opinion on the subject.

I guess I thought the article made some good points, more about the problem(?) of people buying rides in all forms of motorsport. I have to agree, it was a little harsh to use this incident as a springboard for the issue, especially since it was so fresh, but someone's gotta say it sometime.

His comment that, "That kind of Walter Mitty scenario cannot happen in baseball, basketball, football, hockey or golf. You've got to earn a place on the roster, you just can't walk up and buy your way onto a foursome with Tiger Woods at Augusta" just rang pretty true to me. It's one of the facts about motorsport that's bothered me for years.

[G.Irish]

Yeah the issue of pay drivers is a valid one, but I don't think that's very relevant to this guy's death, nor would it be the right time to bring it up if it was.

If the guy had poor situational awareness then say that. I mean damn, plenty of guys much more skilled than him have made mistakes that have gotten them hurt or killed. He made a mistake, he died. It happens. But choosing his death to launch into a soapbox about pay drivers in motorsport is just ridiculous.

Sure, one pay driver got killed. However, there are plenty of these guys in just about every form of motorsport and they manage not to get killed on a regular basis. Dana made a mistake, as sometimes racers are prone to do. I don't think he was a 'victim of the system'. He was a rookie. Rookies make mistakes.

I don't see a problem with saying, "Hey maybe this guy was not a good enough driver for the series. I think he might have been dangerous to himself and others." But that still doesn't have anything to do with him being a pay driver. You could say the same thing about a lot of guys in motorsport, Takuma Sato comes to mind. Hell, even Michael Schumacher was considered a dangerous driver at a time.

I think the fact that the financials for a lot of race series sucks is a big issue. I just don't think it had much to do with this guy getting killed.

[.RJ]

If the guy had poor situational awareness then say that.

Well, he did - given that the track was yellow, he didnt see the lights, listen to his spotter, or notice that he had passed 5 or 6 cars. I'm sorry, but 200mph around a concrete lined oval is no place to have lacking situational awareness. That kind of stuff will get you killed, as opposed to buying a ride in Speed WC where you might bang up the car a bit.

I havent read enough into it, but if other drivers were criticising his skill level and awareness, that would be a big red flag, IMHO.