Word on the street is that this new car might be more dangerous than the last with the drivers more exposed.

Eliminate ovals except for the 500 next year until we get a better feel of the new car and its safety. Can you imagine if we lose another driver next year due to a similar accident because of lack of knowledge with this new Dallara?

There is a difference between entertainment and entertaining, but also between entertainment and competition. I want my racing to be entertaining, but I want the entertainment to come from the cold hard battle of competition, not gimmicks, contrived equality, or the bravado of foot to the floor, 100% throttle 100% of the time wheel banging with the prospect of ‘The Big Crash’. Note what the ABC announcers said as the crash began. It wasn’t “Trouble” or “Oh, no” it was “Here we go” as in “Here we go, we knew it was going to happen and it’s what we were all waiting for.”

Motor racing is dangerous. It doesn’t need to be made more so by desperately clinging to a faulty vision. It would be very wrong to compare Dan Wheldon with Ayrton Senna, but that Imola weekend was a watershed moment for Formula 1, where the powers that be took a major step back and looked at many different aspects of the sport. Wheldon’s death needs to be the same.

It’s time for IndyCar* to admit they were wrong and revamp everything. Eliminate mile and a half ovals designed for NASCAR. Go back to the drawing boards for a new car, one that looks good, doesn’t launch itself into orbit or fracture spines. Eliminate the contrived excitement of the pack mentality. Give the cars enough horsepower with less downforce so that throttle modulation and driving skill determine who makes it through the corners instead of planting your foot to the floor and praying you don’t get caught up in someone else’s mistake.

Honour Dan Wheldon’s memory by doing something difficult, like making major changes, even if it means reducing or eliminating next year’s schedule.

Taking the easy way out like naming the new car or a trophy after Wheldon will make his death as meaningless as Scott Brayton’s, Tony Renna’s or Paul Dana’s.

I believe that was exactly the point George was making by not continuing to dwell on the tragedy. But out of respect for those that can’t focus on anything else, he has chosen to not pursue other pertinent topics.

Please don’t paint me as a villain just because I handle grief and death differently than you. Just because I’m not wearing ribbons, trinkets or other Dan Wheldon artifacts doesn’t mean I wasn’t affected by his loss. I simply deal with grief more privately and consider it healthy to move forward.

Great memory of Dan…! That’s what we all loved about him — he loved the sport so much that he genuinely shared the enthusiasm of the fans. His excellence on the race track was equaled by his humility and kindness. Celebrity, it seemed, did not change him. Indy Car Racing will go on, but it will never be quite the same without Dan Wheldon.

RWR