2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship

Race in the 2011 IndyCar championship April 2023 USA IZOD IndyCar World Championship Las Vegas Motor Speedway diagram.svg The layout of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where the race was held October 16 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship 18th IndyCar Series Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada Permanent racing facility 1.544 2.485 12 18.528 29.817 200 308.800 496.965 Temperatures reaching up to 93.9 F C; wind speeds up to 17.1 mph km/hhttp://m.almanac.com/weather/history/NV/Las%20Vegas/2011-10-16 https://archive.today/20141023021410/http://m.almanac.com/weather/history/NV/Las%20Vegas/2011-10-16 dead October 23, 2014 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship weather information The Old Farmers' Almanac Yankee Publishing October 22, 2014 Tony Kanaan KV Racing Technology 50.0582 (2-lap) BRA None, race abandoned after 12 laps N/A N/A The 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship Presented by Honda was a cancelled IZOD IndyCar Series motor race that was held on October 16, 2011, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was to be the 18th and final round of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series, with a scheduled distance of 200 laps and 308.8 mi km out. thumb|2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship program cover The race was red-flagged after 12 laps had been run due to a massive 15-car crash, which resulted in the death of former IndyCar Series champion Dan Wheldon and injuries for drivers Will Power, Pippa Mann and J. R. Hildebrand. Contact between drivers Wade Cunningham and James Hinchcliffe triggered a chain of incidents in a cluttered 34-car field, with Wheldon, Power, and Hildebrand getting airborne due to contact with slowing vehicles. Wheldon's No. 77 car somersaulted in the air and crashed into the Turn 2 catch fence at a 90 degree angle, cockpit side first, with his helmet hitting a fence post.Sam 2011-12-16 "The Perfect Storm" https://www.racecar-engineering.com/articles/the-perfect-storm/ 2025-01-10 Racecar Engineering en-US After a two-hour stoppage, the event was abandoned when IndyCar announced that Wheldon had died, less than five months after his second Indianapolis 500 victory.16 October 2021 Dan Wheldon's fatal crash at LVMS recalled 10 years later https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/motor-sports/dan-wheldons-fatal-crash-at-lvms-recalled-10-years-later-2460694/Garrett Jerry 18 October 2011 Worries Circled Las Vegas Track Before a Pileup https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/sports/autoracing/worries-circled-las-vegas-track-before-a-pileup.html The New York Times As the necessary minimum of 50% of the race distance (101 laps) had not been completed, no winner was declared, and the event was voided entirely. KV Racing Technology driver Tony Kanaan started from the pole position, and was leading at the time of the crash. The race was to feature a title fight between championship leader Dario Franchitti and Will Power, who was eliminated from contention after being involved in the crash. With the race being scratched, Franchitti won his fourth IndyCar Series title by default.Victory is ‘nothing’ after losing Dan https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2011/10/25/franchitti-title-nothing-after-losing-dan 2025-01-10 Al Jazeera en The circumstances of the event were heavily criticized afterwards. Immediate blame was put on the experience level on high-speed ovals of some of the drivers, the Dallara IR-05 aerodynamic package that allowed drivers to follow each other closely in a huge pack, and the unsuitability of the Las Vegas oval, whose configuration allowed for up to four-wide, side-by-side racing at speeds in excess of 224 mph. Further criticism was levied on IndyCar's management for the number of cars entered, and the show-first approach of the event. The fallout of the race led to major changes in IndyCar racing beyond the scheduled and safer Dallara DW12, the new spec chassis for the series from 2012, for which Wheldon had been the development driver. Oval racing became less prevalent in IndyCar competition, as the contract with Las Vegas was terminated, and the 'pack racing' style adopted by the Indy Racing League since the early 2000s on high speed ovals was subsequently avoided, with further recurrencies of the phenomenon (such as the 2015 MAVTV 500 and the 2017 Rainguard Water Sealers 600) being compared to the Las Vegas disaster.Kirby Gordon 2015-07-03 IndyCar's pack racing problem https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/us-scene/indycar/indycars-pack-racing-problem/ 2025-01-10 Motor Sport Magazine en-GB2017-06-14 Some Food For Thought On Pack Racing https://oilpressure.com/2017/06/14/some-food-for-thought-on-pack-racing/ 2025-01-10 Oilpressure en Report Media The event was televised by ABC in the United States. Marty Reid led the commentary team in the booth, with Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever as analysts. Vince Welch, Rick DeBruhl, and Jamie Little reported from pit road. IMS Radio handled the radio broadcast with Mike King and Josef Newgarden in the booth and Mark Jaynes and Jake Query reporting from the track. Davey Hamilton, who was normally in the broadcast booth, served as in-race reporter. Background The Las Vegas race was added to the schedule for the 2011 season,http://www.lvms.com/superspeedway/news/indycar-cap-2011-season-las-vegas-motor-speedway.html INDYCAR to cap 2011 season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway Speedway Motorsports, Inc. February 22, 2011 October 24, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171025074512/http://www.lvms.com/superspeedway/news/indycar-cap-2011-season-las-vegas-motor-speedway.html 2017-10-25 dead replacing the event at Homestead-Miami Speedway as the final race of the IndyCar season. The races at Homestead and the International Speedway Corporation tracks were removed from the schedule following the previous year's season. Las Vegas Motor Speedway was returning to the IndyCar schedule for the first time since 2000, and the event marked the first open-wheel race at the circuit since the Hurricane Relief 400 Champ Car event in 2005. The circuit since was reconfigured in 2006, which saw a greater degree of banking added to the circuit to encourage side-by-side racing.https://news.yahoo.com/factors-converged-crash-killed-dan-wheldon-225755544.html Factors converged in crash that killed Dan Wheldon October 18, 2011 October 18, 2011 Jenna Fryer Yahoo! News Yahoo Inc. Associated Press October 19, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111019221332/http://news.yahoo.com/factors-converged-crash-killed-dan-wheldon-225755544.html live The race was scheduled for 200 laps around the 1.544 mi km on oval, totaling 308.800 mi km on. As the final race of the 2011 season, this was also the final race for the Dallara IR-05 chassis, which would be replaced by an all-new design the following year.The new chassis timeline: From sketch to track https://www.indycar.com/News/2012/07-July/7-12-New-Chassis-Timeline 2024-11-01 IndyCar.com This situation, combined with the great deal of publicity and expectation surrounding the race, encouraged multiple teams to field additional entries for this race. The entry list featured a total of 34 drivers, five more than the previous event at Kentucky.2011-10-06 34 cars set to race at Vegas IndyCar Crash https://www.crash.net/indycar/news/173745/1/34-cars-set-to-race-at-vegas 2024-11-01 www.crash.net en It had the highest number of drivers entered for an American open-wheel racing event outside of the Indianapolis 500 since the 1993 Toyota Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca Raceway, the highest number of starters since the 1997 Indianapolis 500 that featured 35 drivers, and the highest outside of the Indy 500 since the 1983 Domino's Pizza 500 at Pocono Raceway.1993 Toyota Grand Prix of Monterey https://www.champcarstats.com/races/199316.htm 2024-11-01 www.champcarstats.com1983 Domino's Pizza 500 https://www.champcarstats.com/races/198307.htm 2024-11-01 www.champcarstats.com Among the 25 cars that contested the full season, Sebastián Saavedra returned to the No. 34 car for Conquest Racing after missing the Motegi and Kentucky races because of an sponsorship shortfall, and Townsend Bell remained in the No. 22 car for Dreyer & Reinbold, having become the fourth injury replacement for Justin Wilson at Kentucky.October 7, 2011 Sebastian Saavedra returns to Conquest Racing for Las Vegas https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/indycar-sebastian-saavedra-returns-to-conquest-racing-for-las-vegas-2/412921/ Motorsport.comOctober 13, 2011 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing heads to Las Vegas finale https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/indycar-dreyer-reinbold-racing-heads-to-las-vegas-finale-2/2592073/ Motorsport.com Dreyer & Reinbold fielded the No. 11 as its third car for veteran Davey Hamilton, as the last of his three-race deal along with Indianapolis and Texas, and Buddy Rice joined Panther Racing in a second No. 44 car for a two-race deal at Kentucky and Las Vegas, having also driven the car at Indianapolis.March 26, 2011 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing adds Davy Hamilton https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/dreyer-reinbold-racing-adds-davy-hamilton/2549757/ Motorsport.comSeptember 6, 2011 Buddy Rice to drive for Panther Racing in final two races of 2011 https://www.autoweek.com/racing/indycar/a1988476/indycar-buddy-rice-drive-panther-racing-final-two-races-2011/ Autoweek Part-time teams in the series also took part, as Sarah Fisher Racing was fielding their regular oval specialist Ed Carpenter in the No. 67 after his surprising win at Kentucky. He was joined in a one-off entry, the No. 57, by Tomas Scheckter, who had contested three races that season for other teams.September 25, 2011 Tomas Scheckter to drive for Sarah Fisher Racing at Las Vegas https://www.autoweek.com/racing/indycar/a1988916/indycar-tomas-scheckter-drive-sarah-fisher-racing-las-vegas/ Autoweek AFS Racing, who had missed a number of races before striking an alliance with Sam Schmidt Motorsports, entered the No. 17 car for Wade Cunningham, fresh from a 7th-place finish at Kentucky in his third IndyCar start. Cunningham had initially signed its three-race programme with Schmidt shortly before the team regained full time status by buying FAZZT's assets, and he was farmed to AFS for the final two races of the deal.2011-02-19 IndyCar: Wade Cunningham to run partial schedule Car News Auto123 https://www.auto123.com/en/news/indycar-wade-cunningham-to-run-partial-schedule/38676/ 2024-11-01 auto123.com en Dragon Racing contested their seventh event of the season with Paul Tracy, who was making his fifth appearance in the No. 8 in 2011. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing entered Pippa Mann in the No. 30 for the final race of her three-race deal after New Hampshire and Kentucky, and she was joined in the No. 15 one-off entry by Jay Howard, who had last raced at Indianapolis and the Texas twin races for Sam Schmidt. 2011-06-14 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Signs Pippa Mann to Three-Race Indy Car Program https://rahal.com/rahal-letterman-lanigan-signs-pippa-mann-to-three-race-indy-car-program/ 2024-11-01 Rahal Letterman Lanigan en-US 2011-09-21 RLL Adds Jay Howard to Indy Car Lineup for 2011 Season Finale https://rahal.com/rll-adds-jay-howard-to-indy-car-lineup-for-2011-season-finale/ 2024-11-01 Rahal Letterman Lanigan en-US Finally, there was the Bryan Herta Autosport entry, which involved a switch of drivers between Dan Wheldon and Alex Tagliani (see The 5 Million Dollar Challenge below). This race was also touted in the leading weeks to the event as the potential final entry for Danica Patrick in IndyCar racing, after she had announced a full-time move to the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2012.Danica’s IndyCar run coming to a close https://www.sportsnet.ca/auto-racing/danica-exit/ 2024-11-01 www.sportsnet.ca en Patrick wouldn't race in IndyCar again until 2018, where she would participate in the Indianapolis 500 to conclude her racing career.2018-05-27 Danica crashes out of Indy 500, her final race https://www.espn.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/23623589/danica-patrick-crashes-indianapolis-500-final-race 2024-11-01 ESPN.com en The 5 Million Dollar Challenge On February 22, 2011, IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard announced that a $5,000,000 (USD) purse would be awarded to any driver not on the IndyCar circuit to enter the race at Las Vegas and win while starting from the back of the field.https://www.espn.com/racing/racing/indycar/news/story?id=6147966 ESPN Outsiders eligible for IndyCar title race February 22, 2011http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2011/10/dan-wheldon/ Dan Wheldon James Allen on F1 James Allen James Allen James Allen (journalist) October 16, 2011 October 17, 2011 October 18, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111018151127/http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2011/10/dan-wheldon/ live Bernard's original offer was exclusively to "any race car driver in the world outside of the IZOD IndyCar Series," hoping to attract interest from Formula 1 or NASCAR.https://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/indycars-5-million-las-vegas-challenge-is-a-ringers-delight/ IndyCar's $5 Million Las Vegas Challenge Is a Ringer's Delight The New York Times Caldwell Dave February 24, 2011 October 24, 2017 October 25, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171025022724/https://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/indycars-5-million-las-vegas-challenge-is-a-ringers-delight/ live Bernard received offers that he deemed viable from motocross racer and X Games gold medalist Travis Pastrana, former IndyCar champion Alex Zanardi, and NASCAR's Kasey Kahne, but all three offers were not without issue.http://www.racintoday.com/archives/30140 Bernard Revises INDYCAR Vegas Challenge John Sturbin Racintoday.com September 14, 2011 October 16, 2012 November 20, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111120125853/http://www.racintoday.com/archives/30140 live Pastrana, who also drove rally cars and would eventually compete in NASCAR, showed formal interest in taking part in the challenge in July 2011.2011-07-21 Pastrana ready to take IndyCar's $5M challenge https://www.espn.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/6791635/travis-pastrana-ready-take-5-million-indycar-challenge 2024-11-01 ESPN.com en Shortly after, he broke his foot and ankle in the Best Trick event at X Games XVII in Los Angeles, after crashing on landing during his attempt at a rodeo 720, which ruled him out of his planned NASCAR Nationwide Series programme.2011-07-29 Pastrana injured at X Games, out of N'wide race https://www.espn.com/action/xgames/summer/2011/news/story?id=6814387#:~:text=Travis%20Pastrana%20fractures%20foot,%20ankle&text=Pastrana,%20who%20was%20taken%20off,from%20the%20hospital%20Thursday%20night. 2024-11-01 ESPN.com en Zanardi's problem was twofold. He had not competed in an IndyCar event since the 2001 American Memorial at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, during which both of his legs were severed on impact after Alex Tagliani hit his car after Zanardi, who had been exiting off pit road and lost control of his vehicle. Zanardi also requested to drive for his former team, Chip Ganassi Racing, and they were unable to fulfill his request due to a lack of available resources. Kahne also had this problem, as he desired to drive for Team Penske. In his case, cross-country travel would cause a logistical issue; NASCAR would be running the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway the night before IndyCar's event. Bernard later revised the challenge to include a driver who had only competed in IndyCar part-time during the 2011 season; on September 11, 2011, the challenge was officially accepted by 2011 Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, who agreed to split the purse with a fan if he went on to win. To compete in the event, Wheldon reached a deal with Sam Schmidt Motorsports to drive the No. 77 car, raced by Alex Tagliani during the season, in a joint effort with Bryan Herta Autosport. Wheldon had won the Indianapolis 500 in the No. 98 car fielded by Herta, which was loaned and prepared by Sam Schmidt's team, but that car was crashed at the following event in Texas by Wade Cunningham, while driven as the No. 99.2011-06-12 Indy 500 winning car wrecks in Race 1 https://www.espn.com/blog/dallas/motorsports/post/_/id/698/indy-500-winning-car-wrecks-in-race-1 2024-11-01 ESPN.com en Therefore, the deal allowed Wheldon to race the car on which Tagliani had scored the pole position at Indianapolis and Texas, the two high-speed ovals that had been raced until that point. In return, Tagliani would get to drive the No. 98 car for Bryan Herta Autosport at Las Vegas. Up until that point, Wheldon had only run at Indianapolis, but he later reached a deal to race the No. 77 at the Kentucky Indy 300, the penultimate round of the season, as a warm-up to Las Vegas.2011-09-26 Dan Wheldon to drive SSM's No. 77 at Kentucky https://us.motorsport.com/indycar/news/indycar-dan-wheldon-to-drive-ssm-no-77-at-kentucky-2/2588796/ 2023-12-29 us.motorsport.com en December 29, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231229181239/https://us.motorsport.com/indycar/news/indycar-dan-wheldon-to-drive-ssm-no-77-at-kentucky-2/2588796/ dead Also starting towards the back of the field after failing a pre-qualifying tech inspection, Wheldon went from a 28th starting position to a 14th-place finish at Kentucky. Championship battle Entering the race, the only two drivers still in contention for the IndyCar Championship were Ganassi's Franchitti and Penske's Power, for the second year in a row. Franchitti was 18 points ahead of Power, retaking the championship points lead from him with a second-place finish at the 2011 Kentucky Indy 300 two weeks prior. Power was still mathematically in the points race despite a poor finish at Kentucky, but needed to finish far ahead of Franchitti in order to win the championship. Power had to finish in the top 6 to have any chance of taking the title, and a top 10 finish by Franchitti would've forced Power to finish first or second, positions he hadn't achieved yet in a full-distance oval race.https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-xpm-2011-oct-03-la-sp-1004-motors-indycar-20111004-story.html IndyCar racing fires on all cylinders at Kentucky event Los Angeles Times October 3, 2011 Peltz Jim live https://web.archive.org/web/20111023063912/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/03/sports/la-sp-1004-motors-indycar-20111004 October 23, 2011 The race's honorary grand marshal was skateboarder Tony Hawk, who gave the command to start the engines.http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/story-175835.html Hawk to be Grand Marshal at Vegas PaddockTalk October 12, 2011 February 13, 2015 February 15, 2015 https://archive.today/20150215204603/http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/story-175835.html live Qualifying thumb|left|Tony Kanaan won the pole position with an average speed of 222.078 miles per hour All thirty-four entered cars qualified for the race. Tony Kanaan, driving the No. Number 82 Dallara for KV Racing Technology, qualified on the pole, scoring the 15th and final pole position of his career, and his first one since the 2008 SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond Raceway. Kanaan had started on the pole in the second of the twin-races at Texas earlier in the year, but it didn't count towards his total as it was achieved through a draw. Kanaan shared the front row with Oriol Servià, who fell short of his second career pole by 0.017 mph driving the No. 2 Dallara for Newman/Haas Racing.2011-10-15 Tony Kanaan captures Las Vegas pole https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/indycar-tony-kanaan-captures-las-vegas-pole/413283/ Motorsport.com Ed Carpenter, the winner at Kentucky two weeks earlier, qualified third in the No. 67 Dallara for Sarah Fisher Racing ahead of Indianapolis 500 polesitter Alex Tagliani, driving the No. 98 Dallara for Bryan Herta Autosport that had been driven to victory by Dan Wheldon at Indianapolis. Danica Patrick, driving the No. 7 Dallara for Andretti Autosport, started 9th in what was her final IndyCar start before joining NASCAR. Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing unexpectedly struggled in qualifying, only making the top 10 with Ryan Briscoe, who was fifth in the No. 6 Dallara, and Graham Rahal, who qualified 8th in the No. 38 Dallara, splitting the four Andretti Autosport cars. Their two championship contenders qualified on row 9, with Power 17th in the No. 12 Dallara and Franchitti 18th in the No. 10 Dallara.Tony Kanaan takes pole for season finale in Las Vegas http://www.autoweek.com/article/20111014/IRL/111019915 AutoWeek Crain Communications October 14, 2011 October 17, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111017181951/http://www.autoweek.com/article/20111014/IRL/111019915 October 17, 2011 Wheldon, who was publicly unhappy with the performance of the No. 77 Dallara in practice, posted the 29th fastest time in qualifying, defaulting to the 34th spot in the field for the $5 Million Challenge. Buddy Rice, who had qualified in 19th place, was also forced to start from the rear of the field for driving the No. 44 Dallara below the track's white line. Start of the race The race started at its scheduled green flag time of 12:45 p.m. PST (3:45 p.m. EST) before an estimated crowd of 50,000 spectators, who had either bought a ticket for the race or had been given one for attending another IndyCar event during the year.2011-10-17 IndyCar Opts Not To Finish Race Following Wheldon's Death; Was LVMS Safe Enough For Cars? https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2011/10/17/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/IndyCar.aspx 2023-12-29 www.sportsbusinessjournal.com en Wheldon had been chosen as the 'in-race reporter' for the ABC broadcast, and spoke briefly with the TV booth during the pace laps. As it had been predicted by drivers and teams alike since practice, the first laps were characterized by high intensity and a consistent trait of pack racing, similar to that experienced at a former venue like Chicagoland Speedway, but in a narrower surface and with a higher car count. Tony Kanaan led the field from pole, and Oriol Servià lost second place to Ed Carpenter at the end of Lap 1, eventually falling back to the fifth spot behind Ryan Briscoe and Marco Andretti. "Coming out of Turn Four, Graham (Rahal) and (Ryan) Hunter-Reay were banging wheels and Helio (Castroneves) and I had to lift. That allowed Wade (Cunningham) to get a run on us and we went three-wide into Turn 1. Wade got into my right rear (tire) with his front wing and that's what made his car loose and he spun out in front everybody." James Hinchcliffe's description of the on-track fight that led to the 15-car crash on Lap 11.Tim Tuttle https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/news/a17684/dan-wheldon-triumph-and-tragedy/ Dan Wheldon: Triumph and Tragedy RoadAndTrack.com October 17, 2011 December 29, 2023 31% left During the 10 laps of green flag racing, there were multiple instances of three-wide and four-wide racing at various points, as some drivers tried to advance through the field. Most notably, Alex Tagliani and Ryan Briscoe touched wheels on Lap 6 while battling for fifth place, before the top 6 drivers eventually settled into a single-car line formation. By the time Lap 11 started, the top 13 cars were running within a second of each other, and all 34 cars were separated by just 4.2 seconds, with no small packs breaking up the field yet. Jay Howard had been the biggest mover, climbing from 27th to 15th, and Dan Wheldon had already gained 10 spots through this period, placing 24th at the end of the tenth lap. Sam Schmidt stated in a 2016 post that Wheldon was 'hooting and yelling' over the radio due to the good performance of his car, after multiple changes had been made overnight.No rhyme or reason: Wheldon taken far too soon https://www.indycar.com/News/2016/10/10-16-Wheldon-anniversary-excerpt 2023-12-29 IndyCar.com Other drivers like Townsend Bell, Tomas Scheckter, Vitor Meira and E. J. Viso had also made up between 6 and 8 places during their early run. Multiple drivers complained afterwards about the aggressive racing from some drivers in such an early stage of the race.Associated Press 2011-10-17 Factors converged in crash that killed Dan Wheldon https://lasvegassun.com/news/2011/oct/17/car-indycar-las-vegas-wheldon-killed-3rd-ld-writet/ 2025-01-10 Las Vegas Sun enWheldon airlifted to hospital after multi-car accident at Las Vegas https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/wheldon-airlifted-to-hospital-after-multi-car-accident-at-las-vegas-4450132/4450132/ https://web.archive.org/web/20230205020258/https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/wheldon-airlifted-to-hospital-after-multi-car-accident-at-las-vegas-4450132/4450132/ February 5, 2023 2025-01-10 en live 2011-10-16 Dan Wheldon Killed In Las Vegas Crash http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-massive-crash-mars-start-to-las-vegas-finale https://web.archive.org/web/20111018103331/http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-massive-crash-mars-start-to-las-vegas-finale 2011-10-18 2025-01-10 speedtv.com Championship leader Dario Franchitti took the bottom lane to avoid being caught up in any incident and dropped from 18th to 21st. His rival for the IndyCar title, Will Power, was even more conservative and lost 10 places, running in 27th spot. A similar approach was followed by drivers like Danica Patrick, Scott Dixon and Mike Conway, all of them electing to play it safe in the bottom lane while dropping down the order.ABC7 Crash that killed Wheldon raises safety questions ABC7 San Francisco abc7news.com https://abc7news.com/archive/8395318/ 2025-01-10 ABC7 San Francisco en2011-10-18 Motorsport: Disbelief from Dixon over death of 'dearest friend' https://www.odt.co.nz/sport/motorsport/motorsport-disbelief-dixon-over-death-dearest-friend 2025-01-10 Otago Daily Times en Lap 11 crash – Death of Dan Wheldon 400px|thumb|The crash scene just shortly after it began. Dan Wheldon's car, seen at the bottom of the picture (white nose cone, damaged front wing), has just left the racing surface. The accident began on the front straightaway as the field headed into turn one. Wade Cunningham, Wheldon's teammate in No. 17, who was running in 12th place at the time, tried to make a pass on the outside of a three-wide situation with James Hinchcliffe, driving No. 06, who had Hélio Castroneves in the No. 3 car on his inside.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95471 Charles Bradley IndyCar finale red-flagged after 13-car accident Autosport Haymarket Publications October 16, 2011 October 17, 2011 October 18, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111018084125/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95471 live As the drivers approached the turn, Cunningham's left front tire touched with Hinchcliffe's right rear tire. Cunningham swerved to the inside of the track as a result, and J. R. Hildebrand in No. 4 drove over the rear of his car, causing him to go airborne. Cunningham collected Jay Howard in No. 15 on the inside and then Townsend Bell in No. 22 on the outside before colliding with the retaining wall. Attempting to avoid the crash ahead, Vítor Meira lost control of his No. 14 and spun inward, collecting both Charlie Kimball's No. 83 and E. J. Viso's No. 59. Tomas Scheckter, in No. 57, was also attempting to avoid the crash by rapidly slowing down on the outside. Following that, Paul Tracy ran into the back of his car with his No. 8 and Pippa Mann, rapidly approaching in No. 30 and jerking to the outside to avoid crashing into Alex Lloyd in No. 19, went over the top of Tracy, which caused her car to make a high-speed barrel roll towards the SAFER barrier. As cars continued to drive through the accident scene, the No. 77 car driven by Wheldon and the No. 12 driven by Power left the racing surface. Wheldon was racing at 220 mph kph when he came upon the scene, frantically trying to avoid the collision. Although he was able to considerably slow it down, Wheldon's car went airborne about 325 ft m after running into the back of Kimball's and went barrel-rolling into the catch fence cockpit-first, causing the lower right-hand side of his head to hit one of the poles. The No. 77 landed back on the racing surface having been sliced apart by the fence.https://www.espn.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/7111348/indycar-series-dan-wheldon-death-stuns-racing-world Dan Wheldon's death stuns racing world John Oreovicz ESPN ESPN Internet Ventures October 17, 2011 October 17, 2011 October 18, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111018031209/http://espn.go.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/7111348/indycar-series-dan-wheldon-death-stuns-racing-world live Meanwhile, Power went airborne when he ran over the back of Lloyd's car and struck the SAFER barrier. The car landed sideways on the track and rolled over, which caused the front wheel assembly to break; one of the front tires flew over Power's head and barely missed hitting him. Wheldon's car came to rest close to Power's machine, along the apron at the exit of Turn Two.IZOD IndyCar World Championship October 16, 2011 Cheever Eddie American Broadcasting Company Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Eddie Cheever Television production In 2021, Power claimed that he immediately knew that Wheldon had died as the visor on his helmet was missing.https://podcasts.apple.com/mt/podcast/will-power-part-2/id1355538998?i=1000512127012 Will Power (Part 2) Rusty's Garage 8 March 2021 The seven drivers that were running behind Power at the time of the crash took evasive action into the apron, but Buddy Rice's No. 44 car suffered damage from flying debris and crashed at low speed into Meira's stationary car.2021-10-16 Dan Wheldon’s fatal crash at LVMS recalled 10 years later https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/motor-sports/dan-wheldons-fatal-crash-at-lvms-recalled-10-years-later-2460694/ 2025-01-10 Las Vegas Review-Journal en-US James Jakes in the No. 18 was closely behind Rice and had a minor contact with his car. Jakes stopped his car further down the track, but it was eventually refired and was able to make it back to the pits. Meira's car was also refired and completed lap 11, but it was officially retired in the pits due to damage. "The debris we all had to drive through the lap later, it looked like a war scene from [The] Terminator or something. I mean, there were just pieces of metal and car on fire in the middle of the track with no car attached to it and just debris everywhere." Ryan Briscoe's reaction to driving through the scene of the accident, one lap after the collision.Laine Clark http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/indycar-drivers-want-change-after-fatality-20111017-1ls27.html IndyCar drivers want change after fatality The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media Australian Associated Press October 17, 2011 October 17, 2011 October 18, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111018074409/http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/indycar-drivers-want-change-after-fatality-20111017-1ls27.html live 31% left A total of 15 cars were involved, with the most severe injuries suffered by Wheldon, Power, Hildebrand, and Mann.Dan Wheldon dies in huge crash at IndyCar finale http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/motor/indycar/story/2011-10-16/las-vegas-300-dan-wheldon-crash/50795256/1 October 16, 2011 October 17, 2011 USA Today David Hunke; Gannett Company Associated Press January 6, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130106192015/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/motor/indycar/story/2011-10-16/las-vegas-300-dan-wheldon-crash/50795256/1 live Wheldon was extricated from his car and was airlifted to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. He was officially pronounced dead on arrival two hours later at 1:54 pm Pacific Daylight Time. The official cause of Wheldon's death was given by the Clark County Coroner as blunt force trauma to his head due to the incident.https://sports.yahoo.com/irl/news?slug=ap-indycar-lasvegas-wheldonautopsy Wheldon died of head injuries Ken Ritter October 17, 2011 October 18, 2011 Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Associated Press https://web.archive.org/web/20111022011808/http://sports.yahoo.com/irl/news?slug=ap-indycar-lasvegas-wheldonautopsy October 22, 2011 Mann and Hildebrand were later taken to the hospital for overnight observation, while Power was evaluated and released that day. IndyCar officials stopped the proceedings one lap later and put the race under a red flag. The nineteen cars that were still running were called to their pit boxes, and work began on the cleanup. The damage caused by the crash was significant. The catch fence had been damaged where the No. 77 had made contact with it and would need to be repaired before racing resumed. In addition, as some of the drivers drove through the scene during the brief caution period, they reported massive amounts of debris that they could not avoid driving over and that the asphalt surface had received several gashes in it that would need to be patched. With all of the work that needed to be done, there would be a significant delay in resuming the race. The only thing left to be determined would be to see who would win the race. Power's involvement in the incident had resulted in Franchitti clinching the points championship, and with Wheldon also out of the race, since no other driver had taken the $5,000,000 challenge, there would be no prize awarded. Still, IndyCar officials elected to keep the race under red flag conditions as they worked on a solution. The delay extended for nearly three hours, and tension began to mount over both the status of the race and the condition of Wheldon, as there had been no updates since the accident. During the lengthy delay, ESPN conducted interviews with several drivers, who expressed their growing concern for their fellow competitor, as well as team owner Michael Andretti, who took it upon himself to head to the trailer on pit road where the officials were located. After being turned away at first by the officials, Andretti eventually returned, along with Kanaan and Franchitti. In the meeting, IndyCar Series director Brian Barnhart transmitted that Wheldon had died on the medical helicopter, on his way to the hospital. Afterwards, Barnhart called for all race team personnel to gather at the infield media center. The meeting was closed to the media, but ABC's Vince Welch reported that Kanaan and Franchitti broke the news of Wheldon's death to the other drivers. The network's cameras recorded the drivers leaving the meeting with grim expressions; Kanaan was seen sobbing in his pit box after returning to his car. During the course of the meeting, there was talk of where to go from that point forward. Some, like Mario Andretti, felt the race should continue to its conclusion; others, meanwhile, felt that there was nothing more that could be done. After the meeting adjourned, Randy Bernard called a press conference. There, he announced that Wheldon had died from his injuries and that the remainder of the race was being cancelled. He then stated that the drivers would be honoring their fallen colleague with an on-track ceremony, then left without taking any questions. ABC cut into the press conference after Bernard had begun to speak and therefore missed his announcement of Wheldon's death; this left Marty Reid to make the announcement to the viewing audience.Moody Dave 2011-10-18 The Godfather's Blog: Tracy Mulling Retirement: "I Saw Him Dying In Front Of My Eyes," https://motorsports-soapbox.blogspot.com/2011/10/tracy-mulling-retirement-i-saw-him.html 2023-12-30 The Godfather's Blog "IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today. IndyCar, its drivers and team owners, has decided to end the race. In honor of Dan Wheldon, the drivers have decided to do a five-lap salute in his honor. It will take place in approximately 10 minutes. Thank you." Randy Bernard, announcing the confirmation of Wheldon's death to the media.https://www.espn.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/7111712/dan-wheldon-dies-following-indycar-crash-vegas Dan Wheldon dies following IndyCar crash at Vegas ESPN ESPN Internet Ventures October 17, 2011 October 17, 2011 October 18, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111018031253/http://espn.go.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/7111712/dan-wheldon-dies-following-indycar-crash-vegas live 31% right The ceremony, conceived by Bernard in the meeting, was referred to as a "five-lap salute", with Wheldon's #77 sitting alone at the top of the scoring tower. With Kanaan, Ed Carpenter, and Ryan Briscoe leading, nineteen cars took part in the ceremony. Eighteen of the nineteen cars that were still running after the accident lined up in six rows of three, akin to the starting formation for the Indianapolis 500, with the exception of Bryan Herta Autosport's car, which Wheldon drove to victory at Indianapolis earlier in 2011 but was driven that day by Alex Tagliani. Behind them, James Jakes also took part in the salute, after repairs had been done to the primarily cosmetic damages on his car.2023-10-16 IndyCar: Why the Dan Wheldon tribute was missing a car https://beyondtheflag.com/2023/10/16/indycar-dan-wheldon-tribute-missing-car/ 2025-01-10 Beyond the Flag en-US The safety car then led the cars back onto the track while every crew member and person behind the wall moved to the grass separating pit road from the track to watch.Briton Dan Wheldon dies in IndyCar race in Las Vegas https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/motorsport/15330202 October 17, 2011 October 17, 2011 BBC Sport BBC April 12, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140412150003/http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/motorsport/15330202 live The track loudspeakers played bagpipe renditions of "Danny Boy" and "Amazing Grace" while the cars went around the track at pace lap speed, and each time the cars passed the start/finish line the fans remaining in the front-stretch grandstand offered applause. At the end of the five tribute laps, the starter waved two checkered flags to signify the end while the cars proceeded around the track one more time before exiting for the pits in turn four. The race was the first IndyCar event to be abandoned since the 1999 VisionAire 500K, which was cancelled after debris from a crash entered the grandstands and killed three spectators. Wheldon's death was the first suffered by an IndyCar driver since Paul Dana was killed in a race-morning practice crash at Homestead-Miami in 2006, and the first during a race since Greg Moore died in a crash at Auto Club Speedway in 1999, also at the final race of the season. In the lead-up to the race, SPEED reported that Wheldon was set to replace Danica Patrick at Andretti Autosport for 2012 in the GoDaddy sponsored car, with the company having also sponsored the $5 Million Challenge.2011-10-15 AUTO RACING - INDYCAR: Wheldon Set For Andretti Return In 2012 http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-wheldon-set-for-andretti-return-in-2012/ https://web.archive.org/web/20111015201235/http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-wheldon-set-for-andretti-return-in-2012/ dead 2011-10-15 2023-12-30 Michael Andretti later confirmed that a multi-year contract was signed on Sunday morning, just hours before the race.Anderson Lars DAN WHELDON 1978--2011 https://vault.si.com/vault/2011/10/24/dan-wheldon-19782011 https://web.archive.org/web/20210302152707/https://vault.si.com/vault/2011/10/24/dan-wheldon-19782011 dead March 2, 2021 2023-12-30 Sports Illustrated Vault SI.com en-us James Hinchcliffe was eventually signed in early January to take Wheldon's place, and GoDaddy honored the two years of their sponsorship deal.2012-01-12 Andretti Autosport signs Hinchcliffe for 2012 https://us.motorsport.com/indycar/news/andretti-autosport-signs-hinchcliffe-for-2012/2603032/ 2023-12-30 us.motorsport.com en December 30, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231230044251/https://us.motorsport.com/indycar/news/andretti-autosport-signs-hinchcliffe-for-2012/2603032/ dead Championship resolution The accident on lap 11 ended the championship points battle and would have clinched the season championship for Franchitti regardless of the results of the race. Since the event did not reach IndyCar standards for an official race, meaning it did not pass the halfway mark before it was abandoned, none of the drivers involved were awarded points and the driver point totals entering the race stood as the final totals for the season. The race itself was erased from IndyCar records, and does not count towards drivers totals or statistics,NTT INDYCAR SERIES Race Results Official Site of INDYCAR https://www.indycar.com/Results 2025-01-10 IndyCar.com except for Tony Kanaan's pole position, which was computed as the last of his 15 pole positions. Tony Kanaan https://www.indycar.com/Series/IndyCar-Series/Tony-Kanaan https://web.archive.org/web/20230519131944/https://www.indycar.com/Series/IndyCar-Series/Tony-Kanaan 2023-05-19 2025-01-10 indycar.comTony Kanaan https://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/KanaanTony.htm 2025-01-10 www.champcarstats.com This was Franchitti's third consecutive and fourth overall championship, and fourth consecutive championship for Chip Ganassi Racing (equaling a feat achieved in CART from 1996 to 1999). Indy Racing League, LLC. delayed all official prize-giving, choosing instead to conduct it during the annual State of IndyCar speech in February 2012; Franchitti also delayed his own celebration of his championship victory. Reactions thumb|After the race was abandoned, the 19 cars that were not involved in the accident returned to the circuit at pace-lap speed for five laps as a mark of respect to Dan Wheldon. At the far right of this photo is the scoring pylon showing Wheldon's No. 77 at the top. At the time of his death, Wheldon had been working with IndyCar officials to develop the ICONIC chassis with the intention of improving safety in the sport.http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/motor/indycar/story/2011-10-16/Dan-Wheldon-had-been-helping-IndyCar-with-2012-safety/50798370/1 Dan Wheldon had been helping IndyCar with safety for 2012 USA Today David Hunke; Gannett Company Curt Cavin October 17, 2011 October 17, 2011 April 18, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150418050934/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/motor/indycar/story/2011-10-16/Dan-Wheldon-had-been-helping-IndyCar-with-2012-safety/50798370/1 live Planned changes to the chassis include larger cockpits for driver protection and bodywork over the rear wheels to prevent cars from launching off one another in the event of a collision, long a problem in open-wheel racing, regardless of oval or road course, but troublesome on high-speed ovals and tight street circuits with a long straight and a tight turn, similar to the style of many modern road courses.http://www.perthnow.com.au/archive/sport/dan-wheldons-death-ignites-fresh-indycar-danger-debate/story-e6frg26l-1226169541811 https://archive.today/20141012004125/http://www.perthnow.com.au/archive/sport/dan-wheldons-death-ignites-fresh-indycar-danger-debate/story-e6frg26l-1226169541811 dead October 12, 2014 Dan Wheldon's death ignites fresh IndyCar danger debate October 18, 2011 October 18, 2011 PerthNow News Limited Agence France-Presse Prominent figures within the IndyCar fraternity and the wider international motorsport community expressed their condolences to Wheldon and his family.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95474 Motorsport pays tribute to Dan Wheldon Autosport Haymarket Publications October 16, 2011 October 17, 2011 October 18, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111018084231/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95474 live Wheldon had been scheduled to take part in the Gold Coast 600, a round of the V8 Supercars championship, on October 22, racing alongside his friend James Courtney. Upon hearing of Wheldon's death, Courtney described the accident as a sobering reminder of the dangers faced by racing drivers.https://speedcafe.com/courtney-wheldons-fate-a-reality-check/ Courtney: Wheldon's fate a reality check Speedcafe.com SpeedCafe October 17, 2011 October 17, 2011 June 8, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120608154704/http://www.speedcafe.com/2011/10/17/courtney-wheldons-fate-a-reality-check/ live As the first major international motorsport event after Wheldon's death, organizers of the V8 Supercars series planned a series of tributes to him at the Gold Coast 600.https://speedcafe.com/v8-supercars-plans-tribute-to-wheldon/ V8s and teams plan tributes to Wheldon Speedcafe.com SpeedCafe October 18, 2011 October 20, 2011 October 19, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111019144611/http://www.speedcafe.com/2011/10/18/v8-supercars-plans-tribute-to-wheldon/ live Wheldon's place was taken by another British driver, Darren Turner, an FIA GT1 World Championship competitor. Wheldon's name was left on the car as a mark of respect,https://speedcafe.com/wheldons-name-to-run-on-1-hrt-window/ Wheldon's name to run on #1 HRT window Speedcafe.com SpeedCafe October 20, 2011 October 20, 2011 October 22, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111022082341/http://www.speedcafe.com/2011/10/20/wheldons-name-to-run-on-1-hrt-window/ live while British drivers at the event paid tribute to him with helmet decals, and several other drivers planned individual tributes to Wheldon.https://speedcafe.com/brdc-members-pay-tribute-to-dan-wheldon/ BRDC members pay tribute to Dan Wheldon Speedcafe.com SpeedCafe October 20, 2011 October 20, 2011 October 22, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111022080645/http://www.speedcafe.com/2011/10/20/brdc-members-pay-tribute-to-dan-wheldon/ live Kanaan, who had also been scheduled to race in Australia, announced his withdrawal from the event out of respect for Wheldon. However, Briscoe, Tagliani, and Hélio Castroneves, all of whom raced at Las Vegas, along with other part-time IndyCar drivers Sébastien Bourdais and Simon Pagenaud, who were not at Las Vegas, did race.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95484 Tony Kanaan and Will Power pull out of all-star Surfers race Autosport Haymarket Publications October 17, 2011 October 17, 2011 Jonathan Noble October 19, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111019122304/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95484 live Bourdais, the best performing "International" driver, received the Dan Wheldon Memorial Trophy. Sam Schmidt, for whom Wheldon had been racing at the time of his accident, admitted that the events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway had prompted him to re-evaluate his involvement in motorsports.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95504 Sam Schmidt could close team following Dan Wheldon's death Autosport Haymarket Publications October 18, 2011 October 18, 2011 Jamie O'Leary Simon Strang October 20, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111020051123/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95504 live "I could see within five laps [that] people were starting to do crazy stuff. I love hard racing, but that to me is not really what it's about. One small mistake from somebody [...] right now I'm numb and speechless. One minute you're joking around in driver intros and the next he's gone. He was six years old when I first met him. I told his son Thursday night at the parade on The Strip that I’ve known his dad since he was about your size. And then I talked to a friend of mine, Jesse Spence, that I used to race go-karts with that we’ve known him since he was this little kid. His mouth worked plenty good, but he was just this little kid and the next thing you know he was my teammate in IndyCars. We put so much pressure on ourselves to win races and championships, it’s what we love to do, it’s what we live for, and then on days like today it doesn’t really matter. Everybody in the IndyCar Series was Dan's friend." Dario Franchitti, describing his feelings in the aftermath of the accident.Lewandowski Dave http://www.indycar.com/news/show/55-izod-indycar-series/50911-wheldon-succumbs-to-injuries-in-crash/ Wheldon succumbs to injuries in crash IndyCar Series IndyCar October 16, 2011 October 17, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111019125000/http://www.indycar.com/news/show/55-izod-indycar-series/50911-wheldon-succumbs-to-injuries-in-crash October 19, 2011 31% left In the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, several drivers at the 2011 Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega on the weekend after Wheldon's death put special tributes on their cars, like NASCAR issuing the "Lionheart Knight" decal Wheldon wore on his helmet,Newton David https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/7126922/dan-wheldon-tribute-planned-nascar-talladega Wheldon tribute in works at Talladega ESPN ESPN Internet Ventures October 20, 2011 January 12, 2014 October 13, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131013085820/http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/7126922/dan-wheldon-tribute-planned-nascar-talladega live which were placed on the cars' b-pillars,http://www.autoweek.com/article/20111020/nascar/111029991 IndyCar: NASCAR drivers to display Dan Wheldon tribute decals at Talladega Autoweek October 20, 2011 January 12, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20111227124936/http://www.autoweek.com/article/20111020/NASCAR/111029991 December 27, 2011 along with T. J. Bell putting Wheldon's name on the namerail.The Racer's Group http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/nascar-trg-motorsports-to-field-two-cars-at-talladega-ii-2/ TRG Motorsports to field two cars at Talladega II Motorsport October 21, 2011 January 12, 2014 January 13, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140113003642/http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/nascar-trg-motorsports-to-field-two-cars-at-talladega-ii-2/ live In Formula One, a moment of silence was held at the Indian Grand Prix in memory of Wheldon and MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli, who died the weekend after Wheldon in a crash at the Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix, with Jenson Button dedicating his runner-up finish at the race to both of them.2011-10-30 Minute’s silence for Wheldon and Simoncelli https://www.motorsportweek.com/2011/10/30/4855/ 2025-01-10 Motorsport Week en-GB Driver Marco Andretti withdrew from The Celebrity Apprentice, which started taping days after the incident, and was replaced by his father Michael, team principal of Andretti Autosport.Cavin Curt IndyCar season may conclude in Fort Lauderdale http://www.indystar.com/article/20120106/SPORTS0107/201060322/IndyCar-season-may-conclude-Fort-Lauderdale January 9, 2012 The Indianapolis Star Karen Crotchfelt; Gannett Company January 6, 2012 January 9, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120109073258/http://www.indystar.com/article/20120106/SPORTS0107/201060322/IndyCar-season-may-conclude-Fort-Lauderdale live On December 9, 2011, IndyCar decided that they were not going to return to Las Vegas for the 2012 season.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96696 IndyCar will not race at Las Vegas in 2012 after Dan Wheldon's fatal crash Autosport Haymarket Publications December 9, 2011 December 9, 2011 January 7, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120107155546/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96696 live Randy Bernard expressed reluctance to return to the speedway following Wheldon's death, despite the insistence of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. president Bruton Smith (who owned the track in Las Vegas as well as three other tracks used by the IndyCar series) for the series to honor its three-year contract with the track. As of that date, the investigation into the accident was still ongoing. IndyCar was holding back on the release of its 2012 schedule until the investigation concluded. The IndyCar series also conducted an investigation into whether or not the series should continue racing on high-banked ovals such as Las Vegas and Texas Motor Speedway in Denton, Texas. Texas had been one of the staples of the IndyCar series since 1997 and had yet to be confirmed for 2012 prior to the Las Vegas race in 2011. IndyCar's future at high-banked ovals was in jeopardy pending the results of the investigation.https://www.espn.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/7332648/indycar-series-race-las-vegas-2012-following-dan-wheldon-death IndyCar won't race Las Vegas in '12 Associated Press ESPN ESPN Internet Ventures December 8, 2011 December 9, 2011 August 19, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210819121613/https://www.espn.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/7332648/indycar-series-race-las-vegas-2012-following-dan-wheldon-death live Texas was eventually placed on the 2012 schedule. The series went to new restrictions on restarts. IndyCar announced that restarts would only be single-file in 2012, rather than double-file as they had been the previous season.http://autoweek.com/article/indycar/indycar-single-file-restarts-return-standing-starts-next IndyCar: Single-file restarts to return; standing starts next? Autoweek Crain Communications February 13, 2012 February 13, 2015 February 15, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150215010602/http://autoweek.com/article/indycar/indycar-single-file-restarts-return-standing-starts-next live Apart from Dan Wheldon, this became the last IndyCar race for several drivers, although unofficially, as the race was erased from the record books. All of them had been involved in the crash; 2003 CART champion Paul Tracy and Tomas Scheckter elected to stop driving, with Tracy citing the crash as a major factor in his decision.2017-12-15 Ep.78 – Paul Tracy, Pt. 2 – Dinner with Racers https://dinnerwithracers.com/ep-78-paul-tracy-pt-2/ 2025-01-10 en-USScheckter Has No Regrets about Fast, Fearless Career in INDYCAR, Indy 500 https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/news-multimedia/news/2021/02/25/scheckter-has-no-regrets-about-fast-fearless-career-in-indycar-indy-500 2025-01-10 www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com en Davey Hamilton transitioned into team ownership for 2012, and while he denied at first to have retired, he would never make another IndyCar start. 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice, Vítor Meira and Alex Lloyd also made their last start at Vegas, after all three of them failed in their efforts to find a seat in the following years. After losing an IndyCar ride for 2012 at the last minute, Jay Howard would not start another IndyCar race for six years until the 2017 Indianapolis 500, one year before Danica Patrick's return to the race in her last professional motorsports competition; both would crash out of their respective races. One year after the crash, Mike Conway pulled out of the final event of the 2012 season at the high-speed Auto Club Speedway and gave up on oval racing, citing the death of Dan Wheldon, as well as two major crashes at Indianapolis, as the main reasons behind his decision.2013-03-23 Mike Conway: 'I've had a few big ones and I'm lucky to be here today' https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/mike-conway-i-ve-had-a-few-big-ones-and-i-m-lucky-to-be-here-today-8547194.html 2023-12-30 The Independent en Criticism "A lot of things that happened in this race they are hoping would not happen with these changes. Maybe the scale has tipped a little bit too far to make it more entertaining. They would serve themselves well if they listened to the drivers a little bit more ... and the concerns they voiced." ABC commentator and former driver Eddie Cheever's criticism of series officials' renewed focus on entertainment. 31% right In the build-up to the event, several drivers expressed unease at the race – with Franchitti, Oriol Servià and Alex Lloyd the most vocal opponents – particularly given the high degree of banking around the circuit, with between 18 and 20 degrees of banking in the corners. Franchitti was quoted as saying that the track was "not suitable" for IndyCar racing,https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/10/crowded-track-young-drivers-factor-in-fatal-indy-crash-expert-says/ Crowded Track, Young Drivers Factor in Fatal Indy Crash, Expert Says October 17, 2011 October 17, 2011 Enjoli Francis ABC News American Broadcasting Company October 18, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111018164638/http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/10/crowded-track-young-drivers-factor-in-fatal-indy-crash-expert-says/ live while championship rival Will Power described the race as "an accident waiting to happen".Will Power says Las Vegas race was a "recipe for disaster" http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95520 Autosport Haymarket Publications October 19, 2011 October 19, 2011 October 20, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111020051202/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95520 live The field of 34 drivers was the biggest in an IndyCar series race since 1997. A typical oval track race has six to eight fewer drivers, except for the Indianapolis 500, which normally has a 33-car field, but is run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is two and a half miles in distance with a maximum banking of 9.2 degrees, as opposed to Las Vegas which is one and a half miles in distance and has banking up to 20 degrees.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/bruce_martin/10/17/indycar.dan.wheldon/index.html Changes to IndyCar need to be made following Wheldon's death October 17, 2011 October 28, 2011 Bruce Martin CNN Sports Illustrated Time Inc. https://web.archive.org/web/20130203071447/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/bruce_martin/10/17/indycar.dan.wheldon/index.html February 3, 2013 ESPN.com senior motorsports writer Terry Blount wrote: "Obviously more cars presents more danger. They wanted a whole lot of cars cause obviously this is their season finale and they wanted it to be a big deal. Some of the people that were driving in this event yesterday had no business being in it. Some of them had never driven on a track like this. That was a mistake". Chris Powell, president of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, defended the race, saying that the circuit had passed all of the IndyCar Series' accreditation procedures and was deemed suitable for racing. He also went on the record to say that despite the media reporting the concerns of several drivers over the safety of the event, none of those concerns had been raised with him.Las Vegas boss defends venue in aftermath of Wheldon accident http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95517 Simon Strang Autosport Haymarket Publications October 18, 2011 October 19, 2011 July 22, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150722043941/http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95517 live 1979 Formula One World Champion Jody Scheckter, whose son Tomas was involved in the accident, was highly critical of the series organizers, stating that a serious accident was "inevitable" as "they were basically touching wheels at 220 mi/h km/h on. They all bunch up together so there are thirty-four cars in a small space of track. One person makes a mistake and this happens. You [shouldn't] have to get killed if you make a mistake. It was madness."https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/motorsport/15335428 Jody Scheckter wants son to quit IndyCar after Dan Wheldon's death BBC Sport BBC October 17, 2011 October 18, 2011 December 17, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141217155940/http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/motorsport/15335428 live Former Formula One and IndyCar driver Mark Blundell agreed, claiming that the Las Vegas circuit was unsuitable for IndyCar racing – this was the last race for the Dallara IR05 – while NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson called for the series to leave oval racing altogether,http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95490 Diego Mejia October 17, 2011 October 18, 2011 Autosport Haymarket Publications Jimmie Johnson thinks IndyCar should quit racing on ovals October 19, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111019125353/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95490 live though he clarified his statement by saying that the open-wheel type cars on a resurfaced 1.5 mi km on track built for the heavier Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series cars was a bad idea; ten years later, Johnson took the Rookie Orientation Program for the 2022 Indianapolis 500 and raced at Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 mi oval track, with the added protection of the Aeroscreen.Robin Miller (journalist) Miller Robin Jimmie Johnson clarifies his oval racing statements http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-jimmie-johnson-clarifies-his-oval-racing-statements SPEEDTV.com Speed October 19, 2011 October 20, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20120610144103/http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-jimmie-johnson-clarifies-his-oval-racing-statements June 10, 2012 "I dreaded that style of racing, and I had preached for those two years once I became a regular winner that we shouldn't be racing this way, it was just insane [...] people were up there that didn't deserve to be just because their cars' fast... it requires less talent and more balls, and I couldn't stand that." Will Power on the Rusty's Garage podcast, March 8th 2021. 31% left Former champion Mario Andretti said that the accident was a "freakish" one-off incident and that facilities at the circuit were adequate for racing.Mario Andretti says Dan Wheldon's fatal Indycar crash was "freakish" one-off http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95493 Charles Bradley Autosport Haymarket Publications October 18, 2011 October 18, 2011 October 20, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111020051108/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95493 live While he admitted surprise that more drivers were not seriously injured, he also cautioned against what he called "knee-jerk reactions" to the accident, calling for any changes to the sport to be carefully considered before being introduced, rather than being rushed into action. Former Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) President Max Mosley, a long-time advocate of increased safety in motorsport, agreed with Andretti, urging a "calm and scientific" approach to any proposed changes,Mosley says IndyCar should take calm approach to Wheldon investigation http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95546 Jonathan Noble Autosport Haymarket Publications October 20, 2011 October 20, 2011 October 21, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111021070249/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95546 live particularly when asked about the proposed introduction of closed canopies for open-wheel racing cars.https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/oct/18/dan-wheldon-cockpits-formula-one Giles Richards The Guardian October 18, 2011 October 20, 2011 Dan Wheldon's death puts cockpits back on the agenda in F1 October 1, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151001091022/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/oct/18/dan-wheldon-cockpits-formula-one live The five million dollar prize was also the subject of criticism in that a driver inexperienced in driving IndyCars would have a higher risk of causing a crash, though Formula One driver Anthony Davidson downplayed the influence of the prize in causing the accident, stating that racing drivers by their nature try to win every race, whether they start from first or last. In the days following the incident, it was learned that at least three additional drivers had been approached to try for the $5 million challenge prize. One was Scott Speed, who previously ran open-wheel Formula One cars for Scuderia Toro Rosso and who had raced on the reconfigured LVMS track in the Craftsman Truck Series for Morgan-Dollar Motorsports in 2008 and for Team Red Bull in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2009 and 2010. Speed, in an interview he gave to Inside Edition on October 18, 2011, said that he declined to take the offer saying that the track conditions were too dangerous for Indy-type cars.Race Car Driver Says Las Vegas Track Was Too Dangerous http://www.insideedition.com/headlines/3207-race-car-driver-says-las-vegas-track-was-too-dangerous October 19, 2011 Inside Edition CBS Television Distribution October 18, 2011 December 28, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131228073300/http://www.insideedition.com/headlines/3207-race-car-driver-says-las-vegas-track-was-too-dangerous live Likewise, A. J. Allmendinger, who also had previous open-wheel experience, had expressed early interest,https://www.si.com/more-sports/2011/03/03/randy-bernardindycar Bernard hopes $5 million challenge can renew interest in IndyCar Martin Bruce Sports Illustrated Time Inc. March 3, 2011 October 24, 2017 "The only NASCAR driver so far who expressed interest is former Champ Car Series driver A. J. Allmendinger." October 25, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171025075443/https://www.si.com/more-sports/2011/03/03/randy-bernardindycar live though he later declined, recalling, "[When] we raced CART at Vegas...it scared the living hell out of me."http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/former-open-wheel-driver-scott-speed-aj-allmendinger-discuss-dangers-of-oval-racing-101611 Drivers saw dangers in IndyCar finale Fox Sports October 16, 2011 October 24, 2017 October 25, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171025073725/http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/former-open-wheel-driver-scott-speed-aj-allmendinger-discuss-dangers-of-oval-racing-101611 live Finnish media reported that 2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen, who was splitting time between the World Rally Championship and NASCAR in 2011, had also been approached to take part in the race, but Räikkönen rejected the offer as he was not confident of having a competitive car, rather than having concerns over safety.Kimi Räikköstä houkuteltiin kohtalokkaaseen kisaan http://www.iltasanomat.fi/ralli/art-1288421518399.html October 25, 2014 Ilta-Sanomat Sanoma October 18, 2011 fi Kimi Räikkönen lured into a fateful contest https://web.archive.org/web/20141023053712/http://www.iltasanomat.fi/ralli/art-1288421518399.html October 23, 2014 dead Investigation "The chassis of the [Wheldon's] #77 impacted a post along the right-side of the tub and created a deep defect in the tub that extended from the pedal bulkhead, along the upper border of the tub, and through the cockpit. As the race car passed by, the pole intruded into the cockpit and made contact with the drivers' helmet and head. Dan's injury was limited to his head injury. Dan appeared to suffer two distinct head forces. The first head force created a level of Head Injury Criterion, also known as a HIC number, that normally does not produce any injury. During the initial crash sequence, the accident data recorder measured 12 or 13 impacts. During that timeframe one of those impacts measured a measurable HIC number for Dan – that's the number that does not normally cause injury. The number was low enough. The second force was a physical impact, and it was the second force that caused a non-survivable blunt force injury trauma to Dan's head." Brian Barnhart, detailing the sequence of events surrounding the accident in the official report on Wheldon's death.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96762 Indycar confirms contact with fence pole caused Dan Wheldon's death at Las Vegas Autosport Haymarket Publications Mark Glendenning December 15, 2011 December 16, 2011 January 7, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120107122803/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96762 live 31% right Three days after the accident, series organizers announced that the race would be the subject of a full investigation. The other members of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States (ACCUS), the national governing body of automobile racing in the United States, and a member of the FIA made their resources available for the investigation, which IndyCar officials expected to take several weeks.FIA to assist IndyCar Series in its investigation into Dan Wheldon's death http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95518 Simon Strang Autosport Haymarket Publications October 19, 2011 October 19, 2011 October 20, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111020051157/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95518 live As all ACCUS/FIA members participated in the investigation, IndyCar would have full use of the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina. In the meantime, all testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was cancelled indefinitely; Franchitti and Chip Ganassi Racing had been planning to test the 2012-spec Dallara chassis at the circuit in the week following the race. Results The results of the investigation into Wheldon's death were released on December 15, 2011. In a report prepared by crash investigators, it was found that Wheldon's death was caused by an impact with the catch fencing around the circuit. Brian Barnhart further rejected claims that the banking had also contributed to the accident,IndyCar's Barnhart says Las Vegas banking not to blame for Wheldon's accident http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96768 Mark Glendenning Autosport Haymarket Publications December 15, 2011 December 16, 2011 July 21, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150721221534/http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96768 live stating that it created two ideal racing lines, and that these lines made the location of cars more predictable for other drivers; at the time of the accident, all 34 cars had been behaving as expected. The report also revealed that the right front pull rod of the suspension assembly penetrated Wheldon's survival cell, though it did not cause him any injury. The report recommended further investigation of this phenomenon, as it was the first recorded incident of its kind in nine years of the use of the IR03 and later IR05 model chassis, which was being retired at the end of the race. The pull-rod suspension chassis is not being utilised in the DW12,http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/bruce_martin/12/15/dan.wheldon.investigation.indycar/IndyCar_investigation.pdf 2011 Las Vegas Accident Investigation December 15, 2011 January 1, 2012 CNN Sports Illustrated Brickyard.com; IMS LLC https://web.archive.org/web/20130225113250/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/bruce_martin/12/15/dan.wheldon.investigation.indycar/IndyCar_investigation.pdf February 25, 2013 however, a similar penetration in a DW12 would later cause significant injury to James Hinchcliffe during practice for the 2015 Indianapolis 500.Morales Robert April 6, 2017 James Hinchcliffe recalls near-fatal crash at Indy 500 Los Angeles Daily News https://www.dailynews.com/2017/04/06/james-hinchcliffe-recalls-near-fatal-crash-at-indy-500/ August 19, 2021 Legacy Since Wheldon's death at the Las Vegas oval, much emphasis has been put into the elimination of "pack racing" through changes to the tires and downforce levels on high-banked ovals (particularly at Texas Motor Speedway, for its annual IndyCar event). Such racing has been seen on occasion since the Vegas race, most notably at the 2015 MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway (which ended with contact entering the final lap that sent Ryan Briscoe, subbing for Hinchcliffe, airborne),http://motorsports.nbcsports.com/2015/06/28/dizinno-indycars-double-edged-sword-in-fontana/ DiZinno: IndyCar's Double-Edged Sword in Fontana DiZinno Tony NBC Sports June 28, 2015 April 15, 2018 February 9, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190209014957/https://motorsports.nbcsports.com/2015/06/28/dizinno-indycars-double-edged-sword-in-fontana/ live and the 2017 Rainguard Water Sealers 600 at Texas, where "pack racing" again reappeared (the latter event also featured a NASCAR phenomenon known as "The Big One") and only a handful of drivers finished the race, although none were seriously injured.DeZinno Tony http://motorsports.nbcsports.com/2017/06/11/indycar-field-brings-pack-race-term-back-to-vernacular-at-texas/ IndyCar field brings 'pack race' term back to vernacular at Texas NBC Sports June 11, 2017 September 23, 2017 September 24, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170924044849/http://motorsports.nbcsports.com/2017/06/11/indycar-field-brings-pack-race-term-back-to-vernacular-at-texas/ live However, for the most part the league has avoided pack races in the years since the 2011 Finale. Dallara, the chassis manufacturer, would christen the ICONIC chassis the DW12 in tribute to Wheldon, in a move akin to the JSxx naming scheme used by Ligier. Talk of a canopy or halo to protect the driver was accelerated by the fatal Formula One accident that killed Jules Bianchi in October 2014 and an incident where Justin Wilson was fatally struck in the head by debris at the August 2015 ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway.https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/vettel-ignoring-halo-stupid-alonso-ricciardo-raikkonen-935160/ Refusing Halo would be "ignorant and stupid" – Vettel Motorsport.com Motorsport Network Noble Jonathan July 27, 2017 October 24, 2017 October 24, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171024205816/https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/vettel-ignoring-halo-stupid-alonso-ricciardo-raikkonen-935160/ live In particular, following Wilson's death, former IndyCar and then current NASCAR driver A.J Allmendinger stated that he would "never again" run open-wheel cars, adding "The only way I would do it is if they put in a closed cockpit over the car and tested it and they thought that was a good direction in safety then I might think about doing it again."https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2016/02/16/aj-allmendinger-wont-race-open-cockpit-again-justin-wilson-death/80455704/ AJ Allmendinger: I'll never race open cockpit again USA Today Gannett Company Tucker Heather February 16, 2016 October 24, 2017 October 25, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171025075336/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2016/02/16/aj-allmendinger-wont-race-open-cockpit-again-justin-wilson-death/80455704/ live As a result, several major open-wheel series have implemented cockpit protection systems, with Formula One,https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2017/7/halo-protection-system-to-be-introduced-for-2018.html Halo protection system to be introduced for 2018 Formula1.com Formula One World Championship Limited FIA July 19, 2017 October 24, 2017 November 29, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171129202037/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2017/7/halo-protection-system-to-be-introduced-for-2018.html live Formula Two,https://www.motorsport.com/fia-f2/news/new-formula-2-car-cockpit-protection-947258/ Formula 2 unveils 2018 car with Halo Motorsport.com Motorsport Network Kalinauckas Alex August 31, 2017 October 24, 2017 October 24, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171024205756/https://www.motorsport.com/fia-f2/news/new-formula-2-car-cockpit-protection-947258/ live Formula Threehttps://www.autosport.com/f3/news/132504/us-f3-series-launched-car-revealed-with-halo United States F3 series launched, 2018 car revealed with halo Errington Tom Autosport Haymarket Publications October 19, 2017 October 24, 2017 October 25, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171025021759/https://www.autosport.com/f3/news/132504/us-f3-series-launched-car-revealed-with-halo live and Formula Ehttp://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/22262796/formula-e-reveals-next-generation-car-halo Formula E reveals next generation car with Halo ESPN.com ESPN Internet Ventures Edmondson Laurence January 30, 2018 April 15, 2018 April 16, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180416143307/http://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/22262796/formula-e-reveals-next-generation-car-halo live all introducing the halo in 2018, and IndyCar instituting the Aeroscreen in 2020.The AeroscreenJune 2023 InternetArchiveBot yes Official Site of Indycar. Retrieved 2020-08-01. The rear wheel pods introduced to IndyCar in 2012 intended to prevent cars from becoming airborne when hitting another in the rear proved to be ineffective as there were major crashes resulting from such contact, including Dario Franchitti's career-ending crash during the 2013 race in Houston (where he launched off of Takuma Sato, who was already loose and trying to recover),http://autoweek.com/article/indycar/video-dario-franchitti-involved-horrific-crash-indycar-race-houston Video:Dario Franchitti involved in horrific crash at IndyCar race in Houston Autoweek Crain Communications October 5, 2013 February 16, 2018 February 17, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180217024505/http://autoweek.com/article/indycar/video-dario-franchitti-involved-horrific-crash-indycar-race-houston live as well as the 2017 Indianapolis 500 involving Scott Dixon (where he launched off the car of Jay Howard, who was already in the middle of his own incident).https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/frame-by-frame-scott-dixon-s-insane-crash-at-the-indy-500-912547/ Frame by frame: Scott Dixon's insane crash at the Indy 500 Motorsport.com Motorsport Network May 30, 2017 February 16, 2018 February 17, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180217082454/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/frame-by-frame-scott-dixon-s-insane-crash-at-the-indy-500-912547/ live In addition the pods were often ripped from cars from light contact, placing hazardous debris on the track. As a result, the rear pods were eliminated for 2018.http://www.indycar.com/News/2017/08/08-02-New-Car-Mid-Ohio-test-rear-tires Test Drivers Like Exposed Rear Tires on Universal Aero Kit IndyCar.com Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. Robinson Mark August 2, 2017 February 16, 2018 February 17, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180217082659/http://www.indycar.com/News/2017/08/08-02-New-Car-Mid-Ohio-test-rear-tires livehttps://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/awesome-2018-indycar-aerokit-will-improve-racing-says-servia-955797/ "Awesome" 2018 IndyCar aerokit will improve racing, says Servia Motorsport.com Motorsport Network Malshar David September 20, 2017 February 16, 2018 February 17, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180217082616/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/awesome-2018-indycar-aerokit-will-improve-racing-says-servia-955797/ live In March 2016, during the Kobalt 400 NASCAR weekend, Fox Sports reporter Jamie Little, who was on the ESPN broadcast and drove to University Medical Center as part of post-crash coverage, and Wheldon's close friend Brent Brush placed a memorial plaque at the site Wheldon's car impacted the catch fencing post.Kantowski Ron Dan Wheldon's fatal crash at LVMS recalled 10 years later https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/motor-sports/dan-wheldons-fatal-crash-at-lvms-recalled-10-years-later-2460694/ 2021-10-25 Las Vegas Review-Journal LaVRJ 2021-10-16 TenLater For the 2022 NASCAR October weekend as Las Vegas, Nick Yeoman, an INDYCAR Radio broadcaster, worked the PRN broadcast in Turn 2 near the Wheldon plaque. Yeoman posted on Twitter, "Here’s to remembering legends and creating better memories on October 16th," while showing the Wheldon memorial and his broadcast position.NYeoman 1581690120456916992 Here's to remembering legends and creating better memories on October 16th. INDYCAR returned to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway slightly over a decade later in January 2022 with the Indy Autonomous Challenge, held as part of the Consumer Electronics Show, using Indy NXT Dallara spec chassis modified for the challenge. The PoliMOVE team of Politecnico di Milano and the University of Alabama won the first two events.Polimove Wins the Autonomous Challenge at CES®, Making History as the First Head-To-Head Autonomous Racecar Competition Champion https://www.indyautonomouschallenge.com/polimove-wins-the-autonomous-challenge-at-ces Indy Autonomous Challenge 2023-03-01 POLI2022 Speeds reached 180 mph in the 2023 challenge at CES.PoliMOVE Wins the Autonomous Challenge @ CES 2023, Setting a New Autonomous Speed World Record for a Racetrack https://www.indyautonomouschallenge.com/ces-2023-results Indy Autonomous Challenge IMS 2023-03-01 Technical University of Munich defeated the University of Virginia in finals of the 2024 Las Vegas round. Classification Qualifying +Final qualifying classification Pos Position No. Car number Driver Team Speed Speed in miles per hour 1 82 BRA Tony Kanaan KV Racing Technology – Lotus 222.078 2 2 ESP Oriol Servià Newman/Haas Racing 222.061 3 67 USA Ed Carpenter Sarah Fisher Racing 221.509 4 98 CAN Alex Tagliani Bryan Herta Autosport 221.330 5 6 AUS Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 221.130 6 26 USA Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport 221.129 7 28 USA Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport 221.040 8 38 USA Graham Rahal Chip Ganassi Racing 220.958 9 7 USA Danica Patrick Andretti Autosport 220.925 10 27 GBR Mike Conway Andretti Autosport 220.922 11 3 BRA Hélio Castroneves Team Penske 220.907 12 17 NZL Wade Cunningham (R) AFS Racing/Sam Schmidt Motorsports 220.790 13 9 NZL Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 220.715 14 06 CAN James Hinchcliffe (R) Newman/Haas Racing 220.701 15 4 USA J. R. Hildebrand (R) Panther Racing 220.639 16 5 JPN Takuma Sato KV Racing Technology – Lotus 220.627 17 12 AUS Will Power Team Penske 220.524 18 10 GBR Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing 220.489 19 44 USA Buddy Rice Panther Racing 220.3921 1 20 34 COL Sebastián Saavedra (R) Conquest Racing 220.335 21 19 GBR Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne Racing 220.314 22 83 USA Charlie Kimball (R) Chip Ganassi Racing 219.982 23 22 USA Townsend Bell Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 219.942 24 57 RSA Tomas Scheckter Sarah Fisher Racing 219.816 25 11 USA Davey Hamilton Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 219.493 26 14 BRA Vítor Meira A. J. Foyt Enterprises 219.273 27 8 CAN Paul Tracy Dragon Racing 218.661 28 15 UK Jay Howard Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 218.577 29 77 UK Dan Wheldon Sam Schmidt Motorsports 218.4102 2 30 30 UK Pippa Mann (R) Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 218.157 31 24 BRA Ana Beatriz (R) Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 218.153 32 78 SUI Simona de Silvestro HVM Racing 218.132 33 59 VEN E. J. Viso KV Racing Technology – Lotus no time set 34 18 UK James Jakes (R) Dale Coyne Racing no time setSource:Levin Andrew Las Vegas – Qualifying times https://www.crash.net/indycar/results/174020/1/las-vegas-qualifying-times Crash Crash Media Group October 15, 2011 August 19, 2021http://racing-reference.info/getqualify/2011-07/X 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championships qualifying results Racing-Reference Fox Sports Digital October 26, 2014 November 4, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141104032330/http://racing-reference.info/getqualify/2011-07/X live Notes: 1 – Rice was moved to the back of the grid after receiving a penalty for running below the white line.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95407 Buddy Rice sent to back of Vegas grid after penalty Simon Strang Autosport Haymarket Publications October 15, 2011 October 18, 2011 October 17, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111017174550/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95407 live 2 – Wheldon agreed to start the race from thirty-fourth and last place on the grid as part of the organizers' five million dollar challenge. Scoring when abandoned Unlike the FIA Code, which requires three laps for an official race, INDYCAR requires to exceed half the scheduled distance (101 laps) for a race to be official. As only 12 laps were completed, the race was declared abandoned (a non-event). Pos Position No. Car number Driver Team Laps Laps completed Time/Retired Grid Final grid position Laps Led 1 82 BRA Tony Kanaan KV Racing Technology – Lotus 12 Running 1 12 2 67 USA Ed Carpenter Sarah Fisher Racing 12 Running 3 0 3 6 AUS Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 12 Running 5 0 4 26 USA Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport 12 Running 6 0 5 2 ESP Oriol Servià Newman/Haas Racing 12 Running 2 0 6 98 CAN Alex Tagliani Bryan Herta Autosport 12 Running 4 0 7 38 USA Graham Rahal Chip Ganassi Racing 12 Running 8 0 8 28 USA Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport 12 Running 7 0 9 3 BRA Hélio Castroneves Team Penske 12 Running 11 0 10 06 CAN James Hinchcliffe (R) Newman/Haas Racing 12 Running 14 0 11 5 JPN Takuma Sato KV Racing Technology – Lotus 12 Running 16 0 12 7 USA Danica Patrick Andretti Autosport 12 Running 9 0 13 9 NZL Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 12 Running 13 0 14 10 GBR Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing 12 Running 18 0 15 34 COL Sebastián Saavedra (R) Conquest Racing 12 Running 19 0 16 27 GBR Mike Conway Andretti Autosport 12 Running 10 0 17 78 SUI Simona de Silvestro HVM Racing 12 Running 30 0 18 24 BRA Ana Beatriz (R) Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 12 Running 29 0 19 11 USA Davey Hamilton Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 12 Running 24 0 20 18 GBR James Jakes (R) Dale Coyne Racing 11 Running 32 0 21 14 BRA Vítor Meira A. J. Foyt Enterprises 11 Contact 25 0 22 17 NZL Wade Cunningham (R) AFS Racing/Sam Schmidt Motorsports 10 Contact 12 0 23 4 USA J. R. Hildebrand (R) Panther Racing 10 Contact 15 0 24 22 USA Townsend Bell Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 10 Contact 22 0 25 15 UK Jay Howard Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 10 Contact 27 0 26 57 RSA Tomas Scheckter Sarah Fisher Racing 10 Contact 23 0 27 83 USA Charlie Kimball (R) Chip Ganassi Racing 10 Contact 21 0 28 8 CAN Paul Tracy Dragon Racing 10 Contact 26 0 29 59 VEN E. J. Viso KV Racing Technology – Lotus 10 Contact 31 0 30 77 UK Dan Wheldon Sam Schmidt Motorsports 10 Contact (fatal) 34 0 31 19 GBR Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne Racing 10 Contact 20 0 32 30 UK Pippa Mann (R) Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 10 Contact 28 0 33 12 AUS Will Power Team Penske 10 Contact 17 0 34 44 USA Buddy Rice Panther Racing 10 Contact 33 0Source:http://racing-reference.info/race/2011_IZOD_IndyCar_World_Championships_Presented_by_Honda/X 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championships Racing-Reference February 16, 2018 February 17, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180217024053/http://racing-reference.info/race/2011_IZOD_IndyCar_World_Championships_Presented_by_Honda/X live Standings after the race thumb|right|As the race was abandoned after the accident, Dario Franchitti defended his series championship, finishing with 573 points + Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 GBR Dario Franchitti573 2 AUS Will Power555 3 NZL Scott Dixon518 4 ESP Oriol Servià425 5 BRA Tony Kanaan366Source:http://racing-reference.info/yeardet/2011/O IZOD IndyCar Series standings for 2011 Racing-Reference Fox Sports Digital February 20, 2015 February 21, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150221023148/http://racing-reference.info/yeardet/2011/O live Note: Only the Top 5 positions are included. See also Sports United States References 30em External links INDYCAR World Championship Denotes final race of season, naming convention adopted in 2011 2011 2011 Kentucky Indy 300 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg 2010 Cafés do Brasil Indy 300Homestead-Miami Speedway 2012 MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships Auto Club Speedway IZOD IndyCar World Championship IZOD IndyCar World Championship IZOD IndyCar World Championship IZOD IndyCar World Championship Category:Motorsport in Las Vegas IZOD IndyCar World Championship IZOD IndyCar World Championship 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship Category:Organized events in Las Vegas Category:Organized events in Nevada