On the heels of recent green technologies being introduced to INDYCAR, Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon, a British driver in the IndyCar series, died in a fiery crash at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, during the IndyCar series finale on Sunday, October 16, 2011, according to the New York Times. He was 33, and as racers head to Talledega to race this week, the rules are changing to protect drivers on the track.
CNN reports, “NASCAR widened the holes in the restrictor plates for this race, which should translate into an additional seven to ten horsepower in the cars — or roughly three to four more miles per hour of speed. Also, NASCAR tweaked the engine-cooling package so that cars will have a greater chance to overheat if they run in nose-to-tail, two-car tandems for more than a half lap or so.” Read more about the upcoming race here : Sports illustrated preview of Talledega race rule changes made in response to Dan Wheldon death
Dan Wheldon was twice the winner of the Indy 500. He won the IndyCar series in 2005, the same year in which he won his first Indy 500. Earlier this year, in May, he had won the Indy 500 for the second time. Wheldon leaves behind a wife, Suzi, and two young sons, reports CBS. The news source shared the grim news of his passing, saying:
“We all had a bad feeling about this place, in particular just because of the high banking and how easy it was to go flat,” driver Oriol Servia said. “We knew it could happen, but it’s just really sad.”
At speeds nearing 225 m.p.h., drivers, including Wheldon, had little chance to react to the crash. Writer Bruce Martin from Sports Illustrated described the concern on The Early Show on CBS and explained that high banking oval tracks like the Las Vegas Motor Speedway allowed racers to “go flat,” meaning the accelerators were flat to the floor and the drivers all remained grouped closely together at top speed.
When the driver in front of Dan Wheldon slowed considerably because of debris on the track, Wheldon had nowhere to go but straight ahead. In addition to the extreme speeds, the number of cars on the mile-and-a-half track also may have contributed to Sunday’s catastrophe.
The last IndyCar death was in 2006, when Paul Dana died in a crash at a Miami race. Dan Wheldon went on to win that race. This most recent death also comes as Danica Patrick, the first woman to win an IndyCar race in 2008 at the Indy Japan 300, was set to retire from IndyCar racing following Sunday’s race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Rather than continue Sunday’s race, however, drivers completed five tribute laps following the crash before stopping the race.
In addition to recent safety improvements in these types of high-performance races, INDYCAR, the governing body of the series, has been working with GreenFuel Technologies to improve the energy consumption of the cars, to make them more environmentally friendly, according to TMCNet.
In a release, Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division at INDYCAR said, “Switching to 100 percent fuel grade ethanol in 2006 was the first step in INDYCAR’s commitment to leadership in eco-friendly racing. Our partnership with GreenFuel gives us the chance to strengthen that commitment as well as strongly encourage our teams and corporate partners to join the cause.”
INDYCAR and GreenFuel hopes that their work together will not only help grow environmentally friendly technologies, but hopes that their efforts will encourage fans to consider their personal impacts on the global environment and help them make smarter and more sustainable choices.
In the days before his death, Wheldon participated in a fund raiser that netted over $40,000 for charity. Now, his sports memorabilia is being auctioned off to help raise money for his own family.
In that respect, as one of the best known race car drivers to die since Dale Earnhardt died in 2001, Dan Wheldon was a green celebrity who will be sorely missed.