LAS VEGAS -- An autopsy performed on champion IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon determined that he died from blunt force trauma to the head. Wheldon died after being caught in a 15 car crash at the season ending IndyCar race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The massive pileup happened just 12 laps after the start. The Clark County Coroner ruled Wheldon's death an accident.
Wheldon, this year's Indy 500 winner, was trying to race to the front after starting last in the 34 car field. But with drivers jockeying for position, the worst happened. Drivers said they had never seen anything like it before.
Two cars got together first and started spinning. With the cars doing 220 miles per hour on the smooth, high-banked Las Vegas track, there really was no time for other drivers to react. Fifteen cars got collected and Wheldon's went airborne, missing the safety wall and smashing into the catch fence.
He was airlifted to University Medical Center, but died with his wife and young sons at his side.
Along with Wheldon, drivers Will Power, Pippa Mann, and J.R. Hildebrand were taken to the hospital. Power was treated and released. Mann is still being treated for dizzyness and a burned hand. Hildebrand was being checked as a precaution.
Auto racing fans and the drivers are used to seeing crashes, but those who witnessed the accident called it one of the worst they have ever seen. Drivers described seeing debris on fire, with the scene resembling a war zone.
IndyCar officials may reconsider coming back to Las Vegas. After the race, a few of the drivers mentioned how fast the racing was out here and how steep the banking was, wondering aloud if IndyCar would come back.
Race drivers say they know the risks and they accept them every time they take to the track, but the crash may change that. Prior to the race, some of the drivers had openly raised safety questions. The banking of the one and a half mile track lends itself to high speeds with the light cars. They weigh much less than stock cars and drivers were turning laps at least 40 miles an hour faster than their NASCAR counterparts.
LVMS executives say they have always had the safety of drivers in mind and are constantly making upgrades, including some improvements after complaints from NASCAR drivers.
The track has also installed energy absorbing walls, but Wheldon's car flew over those walls and hit the catch fence.
The racing community is a tight knit one, and news of what happened sparked an outpouring of emotion. NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, and Kevin Harvick were among those sending out Twitter messages of condolences.
Harvick took over for Dale Earnhardt after he died in a crash at the Daytona 500 several years ago.
Wheldon's car was owned by former racer Sam Schmidt, who became a team owner after being paralyzed in an accident. He released a statement saying, "Dan Wheldon was a tremendous competitor, a great racer and an even better person. It was an honor to have him be a part of our team. All of us at Sam Schmidt Motorsports are deeply saddened by his passing."
There is still shock and grief at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His number 77 was the only number on the pole at the track after the race was called off.
"We came to see Dan drive, but he had the tragedy. The tragedy would have happened either way, and at least we feel like we were close to him at the end," said English race fan Paul Sixsmith.
"He was probably one of the best ambassadors for English sport. We have football and things like that over in England and they let us down, but Dan wasn't going to let us down. He did things for charity and our trip over here was purely to see Dan," said Sheralyn Sixsmith.
The Sixsmith's made the trip from Manchester, England to see Wheldon race. They got to meet him Sunday shortly before his death. He told them how much he appreciated them making the trip from England.
Wheldon is being remembered as much for his efforts off the track as on it. He was one of the leading drivers in the testing of a new car design for next year that is supposed to be safer.
He was a giving person too. He might not have even raced in Las Vegas if not for his involvement in big promotion. If he won the race, he would have been awarded $5 million, $2.5 million for him and the rest to a woman who won a special drawing.
Last week, Weldon talked about the promotion with 8 News NOW, "If I didn't think it was possible, I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't want to be part of a gimmick, so to speak. We do have genuine shot at doing it."
Dan Wheldon was just 33-years-old.
