Driver Paul Dana Dies in Crash

[Hurmoth]

Driver Paul Dana died after a two-car crash Sunday during the warmup for the season-opening IRL IndyCar Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The other driver, Ed Carpenter, was awake and alert at a Miami hospital, IRL officials said.

Dana, 30, a former motorsports journalist with a degree from Northwestern, was a rookie who competed in three IRL races for Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing last year with a best finish of 10th in the race at Homestead.

The Toyota Indy 300 race was expected to be run as scheduled. Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Racing for which Dana was to race this season, said the team's other two cars ? driven by Danica Patrick and Buddy Rice ? will be pulled out of the race.

"Obviously, this is a very black day for us," Rahal said. "This is a great tragedy."

Carpenter spun and hit the wall moments after the practice began at 10 a.m. EST. As Carpenter's battered car slid to a stop, Dana slammed into it at almost full speed ? about 200 mph.

...Read more

Sad:(ews :(

[sn00pie]

I just saw this on Speed while watching the Corvette Z06 Test Drive. :(

[family guy]

Yea, I saw the accident being replayed on ESPN. It was a really bad accident. It's a shame he died :no:

[metallithrax]

Are people now gonna call for racing to be banned like they call for boxing to be banned when a boxer dies?

[Martyn]

Are people now gonna call for racing to be banned like they call for boxing to be banned when a boxer dies?

Erm...no :rolleyes:

Accidents happen in all sports. Look at Marc Vivien Foe who died in Football on the pitch, there have been loads of deaths in sport, the most notable in motorsport would have to be Ayrton Senna's tragic death.

You cannot prevent people from competing, but you can try to make the sport in question safer.

[crackhbob]

Here in the U.S. the most notable motorsports death would be Dale Earnhardt... Sad when you hear about any athlete dying while performing in their sport :(

[metallithrax]

Erm...no :rolleyes:

Accidents happen in all sports. Look at Marc Vivien Foe who died in Football on the pitch, there have been loads of deaths in sport, the most notable in motorsport would have to be Ayrton Senna's tragic death.

You cannot prevent people from competing, but you can try to make the sport in question safer.

This is true, but whenever a boxer dies, all the pillocks come out and demand that it is banned. But they don't when there is a death in any other sport.

[Ayepecks]

This is true, but whenever a boxer dies, all the pillocks come out and demand that it is banned. But they don't when there is a death in any other sport.

Can we at least stay on the topic of the man who lost his life?

Saw it on ESPN earlier, too. Sad to hear -- sounded like a good guy.

R.I.P.

[Dallas]

Just saw the wreck. Very horrible.

[dj6ross]

Like one of the drivers said, "why didn't he just slow down like every one else that was behind the wreck?"

[cork1958]

Like one of the drivers said, "why didn't he just slow down like every one else that was behind the wreck?"

Yeah, I just saw the replay on the local news. Dude was still racing full throttle when he hit him.

Still, very sad. :(

[koppit]

Here in the U.S. the most notable motorsports death would be Dale Earnhardt... Sad when you hear about any athlete dying while performing in their sport :(

In Canada (well, near me anyways, he was from my city) it's probably Greg Moore. There was a huge funeral just up the street from my house for him..

[russ0943]

very sad. especially to see danica patrick sad. She was his teammate.

[cjbeckwith]

A few people mentioned it, but I find it odd that he did not slow down either. ESPN has several video clips of it, one from another car. You can see from the video that several cars slowed down noticably long before the second impact between the two cars.

At any rate, very sad. Appeared to have a promising career ahead. My prayers go out to his wife.

[DreAming in DigITal]

Like one of the drivers said, "why didn't he just slow down like every one else that was behind the wreck?"

In NASCAR they cannot race back to the flag during a caution...is this the same in Indy? If not he may have been racing to the flag so he wouldn't loose position?

[Bubble Wrap]

video?

[DreAming in DigITal]

In NASCAR they cannot race back to the flag during a caution...is this the same in Indy? If not he may have been racing to the flag so he wouldn't loose position?

Nevermind...The crash wasn't during the race, but during practice. That really is odd then...

[cjbeckwith]

If memory serves me correctly, IRL used the "instant yellow" rule prior to NASCAR. They have gone so far as to having a light on the steering wheel that lets them know that the course has gone yellow, along with the lights on the entire course. By what I have read, the spotter even told Dana that there was a wreck and to go low.

[Matrix XII]

RIP :(

[PeteWhite]

This is true, but whenever a boxer dies, all the pillocks come out and demand that it is banned. But they don't when there is a death in any other sport.

Name me one other sport where the main intention is to hurt the other player!

Pete

[Matrix XII]

UFC? :rofl:

[PeteWhite]

UFC? :rofl:

Putting 2 guys into a cage and letting them beat the crap out of each other is not a sport.

Pete

[DreAming in DigITal]

/\ Amen

[BroChaos Veteran]

does anyone have a video clip of the crash? i couldn't find anything....

[razor_88]

does anyone have a video clip of the crash? i couldn't find anything....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yTAIpz3KLUM