Today in History: Race car driver killed in 15-car crash
Wheldon’s death marked the first on-track IndyCar fatality since 2006.
On this day in 2011, 33-year-old Dan Wheldon, a popular, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, died following a fiery 15-car crash during the IndyCar World Championship at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Nevada.
Born on 22 June 1978, Wheldon was raised in Emberton, England, and was a champion kart racer. In the late 1990s, he moved to America to continue his auto-racing career. After competing in several lesser-known open-wheel series, he advanced to the IndyCar series, where he was named the 2003 Rookie of the Year. He won his first IndyCar event in 2004 at Japan’s Twin Ring Montegi.
Wheldon’s fatal crash occurred early in the race, on the 11th lap, with cars on the 1,5mile (2,4km) oval track travelling at speeds in excess of 300km/h. After a multi-vehicle crash suddenly occurred ahead of Wheldon, his car hit another car, went flying through the air and slammed into a fence.
He was airlifted to a hospital, but his death was announced a short time later, reportedly due to blunt-force trauma after the collision with the fence. Several other drivers were injured in the pile-up, although none critically.
Experts labelled it one of the worst crashes in IndyCar history, and questions were raised about whether the track was large enough for the number of cars involved and whether it was too fast for them. The remainder of the race, the final one of the season, was cancelled.
Afterwards, in a tribute to Wheldon, who racked up 16 victories over the course of his IndyCar career, drivers circled the Las Vegas track for five laps while fans looked on from the stands.
You can relive the crash here:
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