As Race Fans, We Take So Much For Granted

No matter what racing series they are in, each and every driver takes the greatest of risks when they strap themselves into their car on race day. Their family and loved ones watch, anxious, that they don’t pay the ultimate price in such a hazardous profession. The second the green flag waves leaves room for anything to go wrong. All it takes is the simplest of errors to cause a tragedy. Many racers across many series have lost their lives doing what they love the most. Last Sunday, the IZOD IndyCar Series lost one of its biggest stars, two-time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon.

The loss is one that hit home for so many people. In fact, it hit home for more than just the IndyCar community. The entire racing community was stunned by his tragic passing. On Sunday, nobody watched the IndyCar drivers get into their cars knowing that it would be the last race Dan Wheldon would run. Nobody even expected that such a horrific incident would occur. A day that was supposed to end in triumph with a champion being crowned turned into a day that left the racing community trying to comprehend how a life could be cut short so unexpectedly.

No, I’m not about to start talking about changes that could be made to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. And I’m not going to point fingers or go over hypothetical what-if scenarios.

Instead, I want to talk about how what happened Sunday should open our eyes as fans of such a dangerous sport.