Why did wheldon die

I think IndyCar has got a phenomenal field right now. Wheldon was killed minutes later when the crash began ahead of him at the start of the 12th lap.

He had picked his way through the field and gained at least 10 spots when he came upon the accident and had nowhere to go to avoid the spinning cars and flying debris. Bernard had a three-year lease agreement with the track to stage the season finale at Las Vegas through but came to an agreement with SMI last week to buy out next year's portion of the contract.

Barnhart said it's imperative for IndyCar to establish guidelines for the drivers to follow going future on surfaces such as Las Vegas. Just a day shy of the two-month anniversary of Wheldon's death, IndyCar is struggling to move forward.

The schedule has yet to be released, although Bernard hoped to have it out by Friday. At issue was whether the IndyCar is suited for any high-banked ovals. Bernard already has bought his way out of Year 2 of the Las Vegas contract. The third and final year of the lease agreement is up for review. After Wheldon's death, there were calls for Texas to be dropped from the schedule. The investigation, though, determined every track should be judged individually and a ban on all banked ovals wasn't practical.

Bernard said he hoped to have an agreement with Texas completed when he announces the schedule. That's the direction Barnhart wants to go with IndyCar, too, both with the car that Wheldon helped develop and drivers' attitudes. I think what we have to create through this extensive testing is a limit. They have to know that there's a line that they can't cross. Wheldon was making just his third start of the season and chasing the incentive offered by Bernard to any non-IndyCar regular.

Wheldon would have split the money with a fan selected in a random drawing. Allowing Wheldon to take the challenge was a stretch -- he won 14 races on ovals, including the Indy earlier in the season -- but because he sat out the season, he technically qualified for the bonus. He was the in-race reporter for ABC during the event and spoke with the announcers during the warm-up laps.

In a brief interview, Wheldon defended his participation and the entire IndyCar Series. I think IndyCar has got a phenomenal field right now. Wheldon was killed minutes later when the crash began ahead of him at the start of the 12th lap. He had picked his way through the field and gained at least 10 spots when he came upon the accident and had nowhere to go to avoid the spinning cars and flying debris.

Still, he was able to score a victory at Indy once again that season thanks to a last-minute arrangement to drive and a last-lap crash by J.

However, it never went into the books as an official race because of an incredible wreck just a few minutes into the competition as tightly packed cars plowed into and over each other.

Cunningham swerved and Hildebrand rolled over the rear of that car and went airborne. Cunningham hit two more cars before he went hard into the wall, and at that point the middle and upper portions of the track were littered with debris as the drivers of damaged cars furiously tried to avoid more carnage and hoped everyone behind them could find safe passage.

Unfortunately, the next wave of drivers was upon them almost instantly, and Vitor Meira took out two more cars. Remember that several insiders pointed to the need to get the race completed in the face of a rapidly closing television window as an explanation for race control's disastrous decision in New Hampshire. None of this means that anything could have been done differently or that anyone acted in anything but a responsible way.

But, leaving questions unanswered only leads to more questions. While no investigation, no matter how thorough can bring Wheldon back, a candid probe into all the factors, on and off the track, that could have contributed to his death in any way would be the best way to honour him.

IndyCar owes him that much. For more from Jeff Pappone, go to facebook. Twitter: jpappone. Follow us on Twitter: globedrive Opens in a new window. Report an error. Editorial code of conduct. Skip to main content.