Page 11 - Open Wheel News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> oh, multiple cars involved! >> reporter: in just a few horrifying seconds a chain reaction with devastating consequences. at las vegas' indy 300. the british champion's car climbed onto another vehicle and went airborne. officials say wheldon died from trauma to the head. the 33-year-old was racing to win a $5 million purse that he planned to split with a spectator. >> there's pressure all the time, especially when you want to win as bad as i do. >> reporter: a two-time winner of the indy 500, he was no rookie. so racing experts can only speculate what went so terribly wrong. one theory -- ...

vegas. and there's crashes all the time in this sport. let's talk about what made this one so bad. >> what made it so bad is the fact that you have a field, which is bigger than the indianapolis 500, on a racetrack which is almost half as small. the oval here at the las vegas motor speedway is a mile and a half oval. and in indianapolis, it's a 2 1/2 mile oval. so you have a lot more spacing of cars. as you look at the wreck right now, you have a much fatter track so cars can go four wide, which means they are more bunched up going into turns, and dan wheldon starting at the back of ...

>> well, patrick was the first woman to ever lead a lap at the indy 3500 and finished third last year. >> not too bad. this is a different car. those are the open wheel more technical cars. these are the big heavy stock cars. it's been kind of a roller coaster week for fellows. we had the super bowl last sunday. got the daytona this coming sunday. but it's also valentine's day, fellows. don't know exactly how you're going to get your woman to sit in front of the tv four or five hours to watch the race maybe. well, tim mcgraw, you a fan? >> of course. >> tell your ladies that. tim mcgraw is act...