As I sit here writing this I am sitting in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway media center.  I am not a professional writer or reporter.  I am just a guy that has an 8-5 job but shares a love for a sport that I respect and enjoy.  Respect being the key word because I have seen many bad wrecks.  I witnessed the Kenny Brack crash at Texas Motor Speedway in 2003.  I even played the replay this morning to someone stating that I was nervous about the race here because I didn’t want to see something like that again.  Unfortunately, I witnessed a horrendous accident that I feared and I am sitting here with others, professionals, people paid to do this, in shock.  So, I’m sorry if I don’t do this all justice.

First of all, Michael and I made a decision to watch the race from the press box above the track.  Unfortunately, we did not have wi-fi in the press box and the amazing AT&T network was not working at all.  So, I was unable to Tweet or update anything.  The first turn of the first lap the guys were 3-wide…not the last turn of the last lap.  So, you see the precedent.  Ed Carpenter had moved into 2nd from his 3rd place starting position.  Davey Hamilton had slid back to to 32nd after starting 24th.  Will Power was running about 25th after starting 17th.  I couldn’t keep track of everything else because it was so hectic.  Think trying to do a countdown of a NASCAR race at Talladega.  Then…lap 10 happened…my race notes just said, “OH MY GOD.”

I was watching Wade Cunningham when the contact happened with James Hinchcliffe.  There was some contact…a little puff of smoke…it looked like he would save it…then all hell broke loose.  There were essentially 2 separate incidents.  There was the initial incident with Cunningham that collected some cars, and there was a 2nd incident with the cars slowing down and some cars not slowing down.  In the replays it looks like Power and Wheldon never lifted.  Insane.

I also sit here and wonder if we really want to see a race at Fontana next year.  Do you think this track was nuts?  Do you think this racing was too easy or too fast?  Fontana will be worse.  Do we want to see that?  Do we, as fans, pass up Milwaukee and New Hampshire to see this?  Yes, it is exciting.  Yes, it is intense.  Yes, the drama is overwhelming, but is that risk ok?  Do we revile in the almost Roman Gladiator type “entertainment”.  And, the drivers know the risk.  The series knows the risk.  That is why they get paid the big bucks and they receive the stardom they do.  But, is it worth it?  Intense.  Think about it.

…and just over 2 hours since the red-flag…Randy Bernard has announced that Dan Wheldon has died from unsurvivable injury.  The race will end and the drivers will do a 5-lap salute.

Wow………

Ross