Well shit.
A few words about what happened to Dan Wheldon today:
First of all, I didn't actually see the wreck when it happened. I was laying in bed waiting for my nose to stop being a drippy dick but I had the tv on the race all loud so I could hear it while I was in bed (lol). I heard the race start and then I heard lots of interviews. I heard an announcer say "red flag" and I thought it was way too early for anything like that, they were only on lap 12! I scooped up my iPod to check Twitter. It was full of the NASCAR guys herfing about a huge wreck, how they hoped everyone was ok and then something about doctors surrounding Dan Wheldon. That's always a God-awful sign in racing, so I hopped up to check it out. I caught the Life Flight just leaving, and Dan's tarp-covered car being taken off the track. Very rarely do race cars, even super-gnarly-flaming wrecked cars, get tarped. The last time I have seen that happen was with Dale Earnhardt. Needless to say, that was a very Oh Shit Fuck Ass moment.
I am relieved I didn't see all this happen in real time. I would have lost it. I have a hard time watching that stuff. Shit, last night Jimmie Johnson smacked a wall reaaallllly hard and it made me worried until he peeled himself out the window. And that was nothing compared to today's wreck in the Indy race.
I tried to remain positive about Dan's condition in that time when no one knew anything. All anyone knew for like an hour was that they took him to the hospital. Brad Keselowski was being a negative Nancy on Twitter, saying that it shouldn't take so long to repair a track or SAFER barrier, that they were investigating the wreck. And they only investigate crashes if they are fatal. Damn that Brad K, he was right.
I didn't see a full replay of the crash until after the Head Dude 'o' Izod Indy Racing made the formal announcement that Dan Wheldon had passed away. After seeing that crash from several angles, yeah, no one could survive in the #77. His roll bar failed, and that is the most important thing in an airborne crash, I think.
I mostly feel bad for Dan Wheldon's family, his wife and two young sons especially. I feel bad for his race team and all the ladies and fellers in the Indy Car series. It was awful.
The ironic part, and possibly bittersweet silver lining, of this accident was that Dan helped redesign the 2012 Indy cars. They are going to have bumpers and other safety features to prevent the huge, flying, awful wrecks they tend to get into. Isn't that eerie?
So. I dunno. This was disturbing and sad for all race fans, not just Indy racing. They were having their final race of their season at the Las Vegas International Speedway. All sorts of events happen there. It really puts things into perspective, like the safety of the racers. But also their fierce passion and love of the sport. It's dangerous as all fuck, and sometimes we forget that because of the amazing innovations to the cars and tracks.
At least Dan Wheldon got to die doing something he loved, and not in a quiet way, either.
First of all, I didn't actually see the wreck when it happened. I was laying in bed waiting for my nose to stop being a drippy dick but I had the tv on the race all loud so I could hear it while I was in bed (lol). I heard the race start and then I heard lots of interviews. I heard an announcer say "red flag" and I thought it was way too early for anything like that, they were only on lap 12! I scooped up my iPod to check Twitter. It was full of the NASCAR guys herfing about a huge wreck, how they hoped everyone was ok and then something about doctors surrounding Dan Wheldon. That's always a God-awful sign in racing, so I hopped up to check it out. I caught the Life Flight just leaving, and Dan's tarp-covered car being taken off the track. Very rarely do race cars, even super-gnarly-flaming wrecked cars, get tarped. The last time I have seen that happen was with Dale Earnhardt. Needless to say, that was a very Oh Shit Fuck Ass moment.
I am relieved I didn't see all this happen in real time. I would have lost it. I have a hard time watching that stuff. Shit, last night Jimmie Johnson smacked a wall reaaallllly hard and it made me worried until he peeled himself out the window. And that was nothing compared to today's wreck in the Indy race.
I tried to remain positive about Dan's condition in that time when no one knew anything. All anyone knew for like an hour was that they took him to the hospital. Brad Keselowski was being a negative Nancy on Twitter, saying that it shouldn't take so long to repair a track or SAFER barrier, that they were investigating the wreck. And they only investigate crashes if they are fatal. Damn that Brad K, he was right.
I didn't see a full replay of the crash until after the Head Dude 'o' Izod Indy Racing made the formal announcement that Dan Wheldon had passed away. After seeing that crash from several angles, yeah, no one could survive in the #77. His roll bar failed, and that is the most important thing in an airborne crash, I think.
I mostly feel bad for Dan Wheldon's family, his wife and two young sons especially. I feel bad for his race team and all the ladies and fellers in the Indy Car series. It was awful.
The ironic part, and possibly bittersweet silver lining, of this accident was that Dan helped redesign the 2012 Indy cars. They are going to have bumpers and other safety features to prevent the huge, flying, awful wrecks they tend to get into. Isn't that eerie?
So. I dunno. This was disturbing and sad for all race fans, not just Indy racing. They were having their final race of their season at the Las Vegas International Speedway. All sorts of events happen there. It really puts things into perspective, like the safety of the racers. But also their fierce passion and love of the sport. It's dangerous as all fuck, and sometimes we forget that because of the amazing innovations to the cars and tracks.
At least Dan Wheldon got to die doing something he loved, and not in a quiet way, either.