Two Crash on Lap 1 of Indy 500

IndyCar had purposely been upping danger to add excitement

(NEWSER) - In a June interview that seems eerily prescient in light of Dan Wheldon’s death , IndyCar Chief Executive Randy Bernard promised more “carnage and wrecks” in the upcoming races. IndyCar, struggling to compete with the more popular NASCAR, was attempting to make its races more exciting by increasing the risks: more drivers, pushed closer together via side-by-side racing, meaning a heightened possibility of collisions. The Las Vegas race, in particular, was promised to be “wild” due to a fast and smooth track, the Wall Street Journal reports. Also increasing the buzz was a dangerous publicity stunt Wheldon was taking part in, in which he would win $5 million if he could win after starting in last place. More»

Plus, drivers worried about safety before fatal race

(NEWSER) - Hours before he was killed in a 15-car pileup , Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon had signed a major, multiyear racing team deal. Wheldon had scored the spot Danica Patrick is vacating, behind the wheel of Andretti Autosport's car No. 7, ESPN reports. He had been part of the team's "glory days" from 2003 to 2005, says team owner Michael Andretti. "We had just literally inked it this morning," said Andretti of the deal. "We had great plans to do fun things together." More»

(AP) - Helio Castroneves won his third Indianapolis 500 today, beating 2005 winner Dan Wheldon by 1.981 seconds and leaving Danica Patrick in third, the best finish by a woman at Indianapolis. With 10 laps to go, Castroneves' lead was 1.38 seconds, and he continued widening the gap the rest of the way. Townsend Bell was fourth and Will Power fifth. Last year's winner, Scott Dixon, finished sixth. More»

Patrick knocked out after one of many race mishaps

(NEWSER) - Quick crew work boosted Scott Dixon to victory at the Indianapolis 500 today, ahead of Vitor Meira and Marco Andretti, the AP reports. Danica Patrick, vying to be Indy's first female winner, got clipped with 29 laps left, snapped her suspension, and finished 22nd. Several other crashes and failures haunted drivers today. "There were so many yellows," Dixon said, "it was really hard to get into a rhythm." More»

Does move intended to even out drivers' weights even do that?

(NEWSER) - Danica Patrick will carry 35 pounds of ballast in her car in this weekend's Indianapolis 500 to make up for her tiny, 100-pound body. But even those who agree that ballasting is the fair way to account for differences in racers' body sizes aren't sure the IndyCar system is entirely fair, the Indianapolis Star reports. More»