Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s “limitless” racing surface was singled out Thursday as a significant factor in a “perfect storm” of conditions that led to the death of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon.
Wheldon was killed Oct. 16 during the series’ season finale when his car sailed 325 feet through the air into a catchfence, and his head hit a post in the fence. The blow created a “non-survivable injury.”
In the wake of the 15-car wreck, many criticized CEO Randy Bernard and IndyCar for creating a deadly mix of circumstances — offering a jobless Wheldon the chance to earn a $5 million bonus if he could drive from the back of a 34-car field to Victory Lane on a high-banked oval, where a field of mixed experience levels had enough room to race three-wide at over 220 mph.
But IndyCar president Brian Barnhart dismissed those factors and focused instead on Vegas’ multi-grooved wide racing surface that heightened the dangers of pack racing on a high-banked oval.
The IndyCar, with open wheels and an open cockpit, is not suited for the pack racing that develops on ovals. Unlike NASCAR, where cars bump and bang on every lap, any contact in an IndyCar results in
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