Paul, give us an update when time permits..

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 2:19 pm

Very tragic indeed.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 2:20 pm

Zlax45 wrote:
Sudz wrote:that was a horrible wreck...i saw the initial crash..and said, "wow, that is all it took..." then saw the other hit! wow.

so sad.
I thought Carpenter was the one killed the first few times I saw the tape then figured out that Dana was in the other car. Very nasty crash.

Talk about fate..If Carpenter ends up facing the other way from the spin, he would most likely have died as well.

Neckthai · Post by **Neckthai** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:33 pm

I'll admit, I wasn't that close to Paul Dana. But I started to remember little things about him today as the shock of losing someone in the IndyCar paddock began to wear off and the fact that Paul isn't going to be around any more started to hit home.

I remembered when he drove in the Pro Series in 2003, I was getting quotes from Aaron Fike and we ended up with his helmet after a practice session. Feeling bad, that I gave his helmet to another driver, I had to follow up with him to make sure nothing "evil" had become of it. He was grateful to get it back.

I remember how proud he was to win at Milwaukee in 2004. It sort of validated him as a driver. I remember talking him and his wife, Tonya, in the gym at the Speedway or at Bazbeaux's, a pizza place we both liked. A few weeks ago he had trouble with the media website and called me to get a new password. We saw each other at a colleague's wedding reception, too.

I remembered the last thing I said to him before practice on Saturday when we passed each other in the paddock headed in opposite directions. 'Hey, Paul. Good luck today' He smiled and gave me a wave.

Yesterday was definitely one of the toughest days I've had to deal with at a race track. After all, I believe in the company I work for and have a pasison for motorsports. On most bad days, my job is still fun. It wasn't much fun being at the track yesterday. I was just my job.

Nozzleman_216 · Post by **Nozzleman_216** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 9:42 pm

A true shame indeed, and I usually don't get involved in too many threads around here but after reading this one and some what following it all I felt I needed to, if just to shed some light on it all.

First to those of you ( PK and Neck) and anyone else involved with the IRL or that new Paul Dana, my regards to you. What a tragedy to strike a wonderful league. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

Now as a race fan I must say the day and race must go on. Any race fan knows this and as a firefighter I can deeply appreciate it. We like race drivers KNOW the dangers of our jobs. While they are two completley differnet proffesions they are alike in many ways. I must say I have never lost another brother firefighter on the job and hope I never have to experiece this, but it is something we must all be ready to face and I can guarentee everyone of those drivers and every driver no matter what motorsport has at one time or another realized this is something they will face someday. Its the nature of their proffesion,

Again, Sorry to all that knew Paul Dana, and my deepest sympathy to his family and the Rahal/Letterman family.

JackDiggity · Post by **JackDiggity** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 10:19 pm

Neck, thanks for sharing brother. That had to be a rough one to cover. I can relate in so many ways. The people you cover are cut from a different cloth than the rest of us. They entertain us while they compete. They know the risk and their passion helps them overcome the fear and drives them. They are something to watch!

Stay well man.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 3:23 am

Nice of some of the media to wait at least ooooh, 24 hours before posting the questions about whether he should have been at this level of racing in the first place...one report postulated that he'd been taken on by a team at IRL level because he brought a sponsorship with him.

Regardless of the truth of that or not, some decent pause should have been observed before starting to put the knife in.

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 9:15 am

davet010 wrote:Nice of some of the media to wait at least ooooh, 24 hours before posting the questions about whether he should have been at this level of racing in the first place...one report postulated that he'd been taken on by a team at IRL level because he brought a sponsorship with him.

Regardless of the truth of that or not, some decent pause should have been observed before starting to put the knife in.

I agree that perhaps a little more time could have passed before writing that info, but it's not like it's a new topic. There have been concerns over exactly that for quite a while. Maybe it needs to be brought up quickly to try to prevent a similar occurance in the future.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 10:16 am

Did anyone else catch Letterman's eulogy to Dana last night on "Late Night?" Very poignant, touching and classy.

Take care,
PK

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 10:18 am

Gurantsu wrote:
davet010 wrote:Nice of some of the media to wait at least ooooh, 24 hours before posting the questions about whether he should have been at this level of racing in the first place...one report postulated that he'd been taken on by a team at IRL level because he brought a sponsorship with him.

Regardless of the truth of that or not, some decent pause should have been observed before starting to put the knife in.
I agree that perhaps a little more time could have passed before writing that info, but it's not like it's a new topic. There have been concerns over exactly that for quite a while. Maybe it needs to be brought up quickly to try to prevent a similar occurance in the future.

I know nothing of racing, but one of the first random internet forum comments I read had to do with the OTHER guy in the crash having no right to be at that level, only being there because of his familial ties.

EDIT: I ask this with no snark, and all curiousity since I saw recent lists of autosport fatalities. Does IRL have one of the largest fatality rates?

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 10:32 am

pk500 wrote:Did anyone else catch Letterman's eulogy to Dana last night on "Late Night?" Very poignant, touching and classy.

I did catch it. You could really tell Dave was struggling to find the right words at times. Both him and Dan Wheldon hit the proverbial nails on the head with their actions and words. Some other media members should take some notes.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 10:51 am

webdanzer wrote:EDIT: I ask this with no snark, and all curiousity since I saw recent lists of autosport fatalities. Does IRL have one of the largest fatality rates?

It's comparable with other racing series since the IRL started competition in 1996.

IRL: Three (Brayton, Renna, Dana) (Renna's accident was at a private test.)

CART/Champ Car: Three (Krosnoff, Rodriguez, Moore)

F1: None (Ratzenberger and Senna in one weekend in 1994, though)

NHRA pro categories: Three (B. Johnson, Trett, Russell) (I worked the event in 1996 in which Johnson and Trett were lost on consecutive days. Trett was on an exhibition run, but it was at a national event.)

Winston/NEXTEL Cup: Two (Irwin, Earnhardt)

Busch: One (A. Petty)

Craftsman Truck: Two (John Nemechek, Roper)

Daijiro Kato was the last MotoGP rider to die in competition, in 2003. WRC co-driver Michael "Beef" Park died last September in an accident in Wales Rally GB, and a Junior WRC co-driver was killed in a crash last weekend in Rally Catalunya (Spain). Australian motorcycle rider Andy Caldecott died in a crash in the Dakar Rally in January.

This was from memory. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. RIP to each and every one of these brave men.

Take care,
PK

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:04 am

I was at the track the day Brayton had his fatal accident. Skipped out of school during the afternoon and headed to the track for the hell of it. Once they came across the PA with the news, it was unlike any other feeling/atmosphere I've had/seen at a racetrack. Just a terrible feeling washed over the stands.

Also remember getting an e-mail from my Dad about Renna having a crash. Made for a rough afternoon at work.

Some days, it just isn't easy being a fan of racing.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:14 am

Thanks PK.

I had forgotten about WRC. That one seems very dangerous.

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:20 am

webdanzer wrote:Thanks PK.

I had forgotten about WRC. That one seems very dangerous.

In my opinion the WRC is the most dangerous form of motorsport. I would love to get behind the wheel of a race car, but the thought of driving a rally car scares the bejesus out of me. I'll stick to the games on that one!

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:23 am

webdanzer wrote:Thanks PK.

I had forgotten about WRC. That one seems very dangerous.

Probably the most dangerous. There are no gravel traps, no walls, no SAFER Barriers, no asphalt run-off areas. When something goes wrong, the car can hit huge trees, stone walls, dive off cliffs, etc.

Plus there isn't enough side-impact protection in the cars, as the doors still open like a standard passenger car. I really think the doors should stay shut so a tube-frame or carbon-fiber structure can be built behind the doors, much like a stock car. A side impact killed "Beef" Park, as the co-drivers are especially vulnerable. At least the drivers have a steering wheel on which to cling to brace themselves. The co-drivers have nothing.

There are so many near-misses in every WRC event that it's frightening. I guess that's part of the attraction for fans -- watching drivers dance on the edge of calamity on a regular basis. Their skills are incredible.

Take care,
PK

forensicd · Post by **forensicd** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 10:33 am

Dont forget those that have fallen behind the wheels of sprintcars please. It takes something special to drive a sprinter, and over the years the numbers of deaths behind a sprinter dwarfs those of other divisions. I have been present at a number of drivers deaths over the years at Eldora, Winchester, Salem and more, and when you have such a tight commraderie among sprint car drivers, it hits especially hard. Doug Wolfgang, Kevin Gobrecht, Rich Vogler, Robbie Stanley, Danny Young to name just a few of the mnay more over the past 15 years.

Everytime a driver straps in, they look death straight in the eye and accept that challenge. My heart goes out to Pauls family.