A Hard Day in the Racing World

Yesterday, October 16th, 2011, was a difficult day in the racing world. No matter what kind of racing you enjoy, a tragic accident always makes you stop and think about why we do what we do. And by that I mean, we REALIZE why we do it...not REGRET why we do it. The camaraderie of racecar drivers is truly special, and when tragedy strikes, be it at the race track or elsewhere, emotions are at an all-time high. Unfortunately, the racing world lost two young men yesterday. One being Dan Wheldon, this year's Indy 500 winner, and the other being Rick Huseman, a short course off-road racer. Crashes are a part of motorsports that cannot be avoided, but knowing that doesn't make it any easier when lives are lost. In the case of Dan Wheldon, he lost his life doing what he loved...driving an Indy car. Part of a 15-car crash on lap 13 of the final race of the IZOD Indy Car series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Dan Wheldon sustained unsurvivable injuries and passed away at the age of 33. Dan was a two-time Indy 500 winner, and you may remember the exciting finish of this year's race, when rookie JR Hildebrand crashed in the final corner of the final lap, giving Dan Wheldon the victory. Yesterday's race at Las Vegas gave Dan the chance to win five million dollars! Can you imagine the excitement Dan was experiencing behind the wheel of his racecar in those opening laps of the race? Going for five million, doing what he loved! On lap 13, several cars crashed in front of him, and he couldn't avoid them. His car launched into the air after climbing over the tires of another car, and the result was not good. Some drivers will have to deal with injuries from the crash, but many others will live with being an eye-witness to the carnage. After the wreckage was cleaned up and Dan's death was announced by IndyCar CEO, Randy Bernard, it was also announced that the race would not continue. In Dan's honor, drivers took part in an emotional five-lap salute, driving three abreast around the Las Vegas track. Here is a video of the five-lap tribute: As for the other death in the racing community, it didn't happen on the race track. Rick Huseman and his brother Jeff passed away in a plane crash, near Dolores Lake, east of Barstow, California. Rick raced in short course off road racing, and drove the number 36 Pro-4 Toyota Tundra and was sponsored by Monster Energy. Rick's racing program had been very successful in the past few years, winning a Traxxas TORC Series Pro-4 championship in 2009 and a Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro-4 Championship in 2010. And while he didn't lose his life on the track, all of his racing brethren mourn for him just the same. It was a sad day in racing, and we are keeping the families of everyone involved in our prayers. Dan Wheldon, 1978-2011 [caption id="attachment_2233" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Cameron Coker took this awesome shot of Dan Wheldon, along side Richard Ray Harroun (grandson of the inaugural Indy 500 winner) shortly after Dan took the victory at this year\'s Indy 500. "][/caption] Rick Huseman, 1973-2011 [caption id="attachment_2234" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Rick Huseman celebrating a victory in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. "][/caption]