Dan Wheldon’s death at the IndyCar season finale raised many questions about virtually every aspect of IndyCar racing. Were the cars safe? Was the idea to load the field up with cars safe? Was series management putting the driver’s at unnecessary risk? Should Indy cars run on oval tracks? Is Randy Bernard the right man to run the IndyCar organization? The New York Times explored virtually all of these questions in a long form piece which ran a few days ago. We were tipped off to it in an e-mail entitled “Mandatory Reading”…and it is.
At the end of the day there are a couple of fundamental questions for IndyCar to answer and they all revolve around leadership. Randy Bernard was brought in essentially to save the series. He took the Professional Bull Riders Association tour and blew it up on a mssive scale. He was hired due to his success there and the thought was that his innovative thinking and eye for showmanship and promotion would be the needed shot in the arm for IndyCar. The problem is that Bernard really does not know racing. Granted, he probably did not know bull riding, but as dangerous as sitting on top of a ton of pissed of steak is, driving 200 mph inches away from competitors is far more risky. There’s no denying that decisions made at the highest levels of IndyCar had a profound effect on what happened to Dan Wheldon. This story does an excellent job of educating us on what brought them on, what the racers think is going on with the series, and what the future may hold.
Great Read: Dan Wheldon’s Death Has Raised Questions About IndyCar’s Leader
Just like everybody blaming Obama for the sorry state of the nation, so goes with everyone pointing fingers at Randy Bernard. They arent the ones to blame. This is racing. Its dangerous. If I was a racer and I thought the conditions were too dangerous, I wouldnt race that day. Technology is driving these cars to incredible speeds. too dangerous for conventional ovals. A perfect track would be one built with no walls, outlined by a broad red stripe and enormous run off areas. If you spin or go over the outside line you go back a lap. If the mind set is to keep going faster. Then it also means you have to keep going safer. Personally I would love to see a series with front engine roadsters that incorporate current safety technology and powered by turbo offy engines. No aero and smaller spec sized tires. 170 mph speeds. Awesome !