2011 Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died Sunday in a horrific multi-car crash at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His car went airborne, turned over, then hit the catch fence after he couldn’t steer clear of a wreck that started when two cars touched tires.
15 cars were involved in the huge crash out of the 34 that started the race. The track was red-flagged following the accidents while crews worked on fences and removed smashed cars.
Wheldon, one of the most popular drivers in open-wheel racing, won 16 times in his IndyCar career and was the series champion in 2005.