Wheldon’s Death Highlights Need for IndyCar Changes, a Fan’s Take

The IndyCar Series simply will not be the same without Dan Wheldon.

The IZOD IndyCar Series will host the season's grand finale at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 16, 2011
Wikimedia Commons

Dan Wheldon was one of the most popular drivers in the IndyCar Series as well as very successful, having won this year's Indianapolis 500. In only his third start of the year, Wheldon, along with 14 other drivers, got into a horrific crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 16. Wheldon's car actually went airborne for a few seconds and went up against the safety fence, while many other cars involved in the wreck were in flames. It was truly one of the worst accidents I have ever witnessed in a racing event, and changes must be made to improve the safety of the drivers.

What kind of safety changes should be made? There are three that I have in mind, although there are many others that could be implemented as well. First, the shapes of the cars need to be changed so that they do not get airborne so easily. Wheldon's horrific accident was not the first time a car has been airborne during a crash, and if something is not done it will certainly not be the last.

Second, the IndyCar Series needs to look into changing the venues away from oval race tracks. It would not only be a great way to differentiate NASCAR from IndyCar, but also provide added safety to IndyCar drivers. The cars are much faster in the latter, making crashes that much more deadly. That is not to say that non-oval tracks never have crashes, but it is much harder to have crashes in which there are multiple drivers bunched together on tighter courses as opposed to the wider oval venues.

Third, is it really necessary for cars in the IndyCar Series to go over 200 miles per hour? It is just common sense that the faster someone drives, the more harm they are potentially putting themselves in. If they were to go, say, 100 miles per hour would that make very much of a difference in the sport? It will still be competitive overall, and the risk for accidents such as the one today would be lessened that much more.

Dan Wheldon will truly be missed in the sport; he was a champion in every sense of the term. Hopefully some good can come out of what happened today in the form of safety changes.

Ryan has been a fan of professional racing for well over a decade. He covers sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and currently resides in Virginia. His personal blog can be found here.

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