I remember the first time I drove onto the interstate in driver’s education class. Much to the chagrin of the instructor, I came off the entrance ramp too slowly and felt the wind of a semi truck blasting down the road as it sped by me. It scared me to be quite frank, and I immediately strived to do better with more practice in the coming weeks before I received my license.
With my Pop riding shotgun, I eventually would get that big old Chrysler humming off that entrance ramp and smoothly into traffic. It took some practice but I got there and was proud as I could be when I strolled out of the BMV with my operator’s license. The fact is, I still needed seasoning and I would get it by driving anytime I was allowed to.
The same system of development generally applies to auto racing as well, where drivers often start in karts. Those who master the karting will graduate to larger, more faster cars and eventually compete with those who have made the same trek.
But just as in baseball, not everyone makes the jump from the minors to the majors with shall we say flying colors. Despite a lack of talent and experience, drivers sometimes get over their heads in a series that is far more demanding than what they are accustomed to and more importantly, not qualified for.
I cannot say I knew Dan Wheldon closely, even though I did spend a quite memorable evening with him through some promotional work the night of Carb Day in 2005, or for those not familiar with the sequence of events surrounding the Indianapolis 500, the last day of practice before the race. He was just beginning to make a splash in open wheel racing in the United States, having won three races the previous season, but not before he paid his dues by compiling an impressive resume while racing abroad.
He was affable, confident and charismatic, all rolled into one. Indeed a sponsor’s dream to say the least. The guy had it all and he knew it.
He would go on to win his first Indy 500 just 72 hours later that week and in the process become even more visible around the globe. Yes, this was not someone over their head, placed into a car as result of money, but rather by virtue of the enormous talent he had shown in all of the forms of racing he had competed in to that point, distinguishing himself greatly prior to driving an Indy car. With exuding confidence often mistaken for cockiness, he had burst on the scene and immediately served notice that he was indeed the real deal and as a result, a legitimate force to be reckoned with.
He would go on to win the series championship that year and later move on to Ganassi Racing before winning another Indy 500 just this past May. Without a full time ride this season he had the time to help develop the new chassis that will be used in Indy Car competition next season and had recently come to terms with Andretti Autosports for a full time ride in 2012. Sadly all of that would never materialize as Wheldon was killed when he was involved in a multiple car crash in Las Vegas during the final Indy Car event of the season.
While there may be various factors pointed to as the reason for the crash, (many of them conveyed by those smarter than yours truly) the glaring point that cannot be denied is there were too many inexperienced drivers on a high speed circuit that day, and ultimately it cost a wonderful man his life.
Driving at speeds upward of 225 miles per hour is a stretch to begin with, but when compounded by a large group of drivers that were inexperienced at running that fast and that closely together on the track, it quickly became a recipe for disaster and provided some of the most horrific scenes ever experienced in open wheel racing. The obvious question now is how can it be prevented again? I would argue the first step in the process must be the solidification of the competitors credentials, requiring a vast amount of experience to be obtained prior to even sitting in one of these land rockets.
Translated, you cannot compete at this level until you have documented successful results in the developmental series that prepare drivers for the big and dangerous stage that Indy Car racing is. Keep those who are not capable of maintaining high speeds safely out of these cars until they establish the necessary pedigree. That in itself will be a huge challenge as with a sport that is suffering from poor attendance and anemic television ratings, it has become easier than ever for a sub par driver who can bring sponsorship money to the table to get in to ride that they are not even remotely qualified for. As long as the sanctioning body allows this masquerade to continue, there will be more accidents and eventually more fatalities. Count on it race fans.
There were 34 cars that took the green flag in Las Vegas, all positioned for disaster on a fast, banked, one and one half mile high speed oval track. Many experts will privately tell you that as many as 70 percent of that field was not comfortable or more importantly, qualified to participate in that type of racing. Wheldon was eminently qualified, but in my opinion surrounded by those who were sorely over their collective heads to say the least. As a result, we will never see his infectious mile or experience his bravado behind the wheel of a race car again. The entire racing fraternity owes it to both he and his family to strive to not only make the sport safer, but to require all competitors lacking the skills and talent for this dangerous sport to sit out until they can develop such by competing in a lesser series.
For those of you who say it can’t be done, please get a grip and think about this. Simply comprise an evaluation process for inspiring drivers that will be conducted and reviewed by the vast number of retired legendary drivers. Allow those who truly know what to do in terms of correcting this enigma the opportunity to do such before it claims the life of another competitor. Names like Andretti, Gurney, Mears, Rutherford, and Unser come to mind real quickly and I am betting their love and devotion to the sport will call them to service.
Let this tragic occurrence be the impetus for sweeping change in terms of driver development and advancement. Make the tough decisions that will be necessary and do not deviate from a formula that says if you cannot drive, you do not race. I will always remember Dan Wheldon from that night in 2005, and hopefully the series he loved will not forget him and the commitment it must make to prevent further catastrophe. In 1966, the late Jim Murray, a Pulitzer Prize winning sports journalist for the Los Angeles Times, wrote the command to start the Indianapolis 500 should be: “Gentlemen, start your coffins” as he satired the obvious danger of the event. Clearly open wheel racing has made monumental strides since then in terms of making the cars safer.
To properly honor Wheldon, make sure those who compete moving forward are as competent behind the wheel as he was. It can be done easily.
At the very least, he deserves that.
Danny Bridges, who truly believes Dan Wheldon’s death could have been avoided, can be reached at 9317) 578-1780 or at Bridgeshd@
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Danny Bridges is an award-winning journalist and a longtime sports columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder. He covers college, professional sports and especially all things IndyCar racing. He can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.