TERRE HAUTE —
Lori Wood, the Tribune-Star’s Indianapolis 500 correspondent since 2000, planned to visit a friend in California and take in the IndyCar Las Vegas 300 as a ticket-buying fan last weekend.
She never imagined that she would be sobbing in her seat at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway by Sunday afternoon.
Wood said she first met Dan Wheldon — the 2011 Indianapolis 500 champion who died from head injuries suffered in that fiery 15-car pileup on the 11th lap Sunday — in 2004. She estimated that she had talked to Wheldon about a dozen times over the years.
“It didn’t matter who you were, he would take the time to talk,” Wood reflected after returning home to Pendleton this week. “And he would be genuinely interested in what you were saying.”
Having attended her first Indy 500 as a youngster in 1972, Wood said she likes all the IndyCar drivers she’s met. But she admitted she was particularly glad to see the likeable Wheldon win his second “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” this year, considering he entered May without a regular ride.
“I don’t think in all my years of being there that I’ve seen a driver happier to have won that race,” she mentioned.
Wood said she and her friend arrived at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway at 10 a.m. PDT Sunday. Once the race got under way in the afternoon, she looked forward to seeing plenty of competitive battles on the oval track.
“We were seated about 100 yards behind the start/finish line,” she pointed out. “The only part of the track we couldn’t see was a small section of Turn 2… I just wanted to see good racing and they were going three-wide a lot during the first few laps.”
Then came the 11th-lap devastation that started as the back of the pack entered the first turn.
“It was one of those chain-reaction things,” Wood said. “A couple of cars got a little squirrely and it just steamrolled from there… I started seeing the flames and the smoke. You could tell this one was extra bad. You could see pieces of cars flying around.”
She added that she heard “a real loud gasp” from spectators soon after the vehicles began to crash, spin and flip.
At the time, Wood and her friend had no idea which drivers were involved or if anyone was seriously injured. After all, she had witnessed several violent wrecks that resulted in drivers brushing themselves off and walking away from their mangled machinery.
Wood said rescue personnel arrived on the scene immediately as officials red-flagged the race and smoke lingered over a large area of the track. While waiting for more information, she listened to Mike King and his broadcasting crew on the IMS Radio Network.
“It took them a while to sort out who was involved,” she noted.
Later, Wood noticed on the speedway screen that a damaged car was being covered with tarp, but she still couldn’t make out the number. About 20 minutes after the crash, she saw a helicopter (presumably carrying a driver) leaving the track area.
Trying to maintain hope that nobody was seriously injured, Wood and her friend sat through a lengthy delay as crews worked to repair damage to the track. About 1 1/2 hours after the accident, she noticed on the screen that drivers were shown walking into a meeting somewhere in the infield.
Soon after that, Wood heard on the radio that owners were conducting their own separate meeting. But there were still no medical updates on drivers.
“You’re sitting there thinking, ‘This is bad.’ But you hope it’s not that bad,” Wood said.
Finally came the words she didn’t want to hear from IndyCar chief executive officer Randy Bernard. On the big screen, he told spectators: “IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries.”
“It was silent,” Wood said of the crowd reaction to Bernard’s announcement. “By that time, a lot of the fans had left. But the ones who remained were stunned. After a while, you could hear people sobbing and crying… I was too.”
As expected, the rest of the race was canceled with no winner declared. As a tribute to Wheldon, all of the drivers with cars still capable of running did five laps around the track while Wheldon’s No. 77 was shown alone at the top of the pylon.
Wood said another touching moment occurred when the speedway played “Amazing Grace” over the public-address system.
“This was huge for the sport,” she assessed after thinking about what transpired. “Here was this guy who was at the top of his profession [in the mid-2000s], then he found himself without a ride. But he made the most of it [by winning the 2011 Indy 500]. That’s what made him someone the fans could relate to.”
Wood isn’t sure what changes IndyCar will make to ensure driver safety in 2012, but she’s sure it will do something.
“Obviously, there were some issues,” she said. “I don’t know enough to make those decisions. But I do know they won’t let it go. They’ll consult with the drivers and car owners and they’ll make a decision.”
Wood, who had a long plane ride home Monday, insists she will continue to follow open-wheel racing in the future.
“It’s not going to be the same without Dan,” she emphasized. “But the sport will go on. Obviously, he’s not the first racing fatality. Sadly, he probably won’t be the last.”
David Hughes can be reached after 4 p.m. by phone at 1-800-783-8742, Option 4, or (812) 231-4224; by e-mail at david.hughes@tribstar.com; or by fax at (812) 231-4321.
Hughes News & Views
HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Wheldon's genuine personality a devastating loss to racing
- Hughes News & Views
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Terre Haute runner sets up race to help Boston
Having competed in the Boston Marathon once before in 2003, 35-year-old Majel Wells of Terre Haute thought she should give it another try in 2013.
“My goal was just to finish and enjoy Boston,” she reflected this week. “I had an injury [runner’s knee] beforehand, so I wasn’t too worried about beating my time from 2003 [4 hours, 10.20 seconds].
“But nobody cares about what your time is at Boston anyway.”
From what I’ve heard over the years, she’s right. Unless you’re a super-serious runner, the Boston Marathon has been more about taking in the atmosphere and having fun than placing in the top 50, although Wells was pleased that she beat her previous time by finishing in 3:55.19 on April 15.
Obviously, her race time wasn’t the most vivid memory that Wells took away from her 2013 Boston experience. -
Former South players to play in Saylor benefit game
I had my first phone conversation with Mike Saylor since mid-February on Thursday and he sounded good.
The former Terre Haute South High School boys basketball coach, who’s been battling cancer this year, has been traveling back and forth to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for chemotherapy treatments. -
Recent South swimmers Roach, Bray heading to DI nationals
I’m sure most of you with office jobs can relate.
When work gets busy, sometimes it’s easy to skim over our emails. After all, how many times do we need to read the same nonsense from alleged Nigerians wanting to make us rich if we’ll send them several thousand dollars first?
So after having three consecutive days off, that almost happened to me when I returned to work Tuesday. Then I realized that the message from Jeff Thompson, Terre Haute South High School’s boys and girls swimming coach, contained significant news. -
NCAA Division III basketball tournament returns to Rose-Hulman
The last time Rose-Hulman served as host for the NCAA Division III men’s basketball tournament, its game was played inside an old World War II airplane hangar.
You “old-timers” should know the building I’m talking about and the matchup wasn’t really that long ago — March 6, 1997, to be exact. -
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When I learned in February 2009 that a rare form of appendix cancer would devastate my life and cause me to miss work for several months, Mike Saylor was among the first to offer assistance.
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Book review: Thumbs up for ‘Trophies and Tears’
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Written by award-winning Kyle Keiderling of Henderson, Nev., and released in hardcover format in mid-December, the 480-page “Trophies and Tears” documents the rich tradition of the University of Evansville men’s basketball program through recent interviews and research of old yearbooks and newspaper/scrapbook clippings.
The book contains many cheery moments — behind-the-scenes details of all five NCAA College Division (now known as Division II) championships won in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s by the Purple Aces and their legendary coach Arad McCutchan — although some of those moments don’t seem so cheery from an Indiana State perspective when the Sycamores found themselves on the losing end of scores. -
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I already know one of my gift wishes is becoming less likely to happen. That would be for the Indianapolis Colts to face the Denver Broncos in the AFC playoffs. -
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We’re approaching the halfway point of the NFL season and so far it’s been surprisingly enjoyable.
I wasn’t sure how I would handle following two favorite teams — 1a.) the Indianapolis Colts and 1b.) Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos — but the new arrangement hasn’t caused me any loyalty conflicts yet.
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When we last visited 16-year-old Rachel Gutish, she was finishing sixth in the Women’s Enduro X race in the nationally televised Summer X Games at Los Angeles.
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In June 2011, I wrote a feature story about former Indiana State basketball center Mick Yelovich making a name for himself as a golfer on the Long Drivers Association (LDA) Tour.
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I’ve got a longtime buddy who I’m fairly sure rarely, if ever, reads this column.
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HUGHES NEWS & VIEWS: Point of Jones’ return
Since May 14, Indiana high school basketball fans have wondered why Jim Jones would want to come out of retirement at 74.
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HUGHES, NEWS & VIEWS: Questions abound for Indy 500, Manning, baseball sectional
Phones are ringing less frequently in the Tribune-Star sports department this week.
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If Kylie Hutson were a cross-country runner, she’d be approaching the final stretch of her biggest race in about three weeks.
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HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Rose basketball alumni offer advice to current team
Bryan Egli and Joe Puthoff, both Rose-Hulman basketball starters I covered in the late 1990s, took their degrees from the prestigious engineering institute and found successful careers in the Indianapolis area.
Egli, also a former West Vigo High School multi-sport standout, lives in Carmel and works for Thieneman Construction in Westfield. Puthoff lives in Indy and works for Rolls Royce Aircraft Engines. -
DAVID HUGHES: Super Bowl odds getting stranger and stranger
Today’s annual “Super Bowl odds column” feels special to me because I’ve been a diehard NFL fan since 1967 and next Sunday will be the first time the big game takes place in our great state of Indiana.
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HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Coach’s book a chance to remember North Vermillion state champs
Almost 10 years ago, February 2002 to be exact, the New England Patriots upset the high-powered St. Louis Rams to win Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans, the Winter Olympics entertained spectators in Salt Lake City and Terre Haute South High School’s girls basketball team started its tournament run toward a Class 4A state title.
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HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Plenty of sports-related gifts for columnist's wish list
Last week, I was all set to beg Santa Claus to give the Indianapolis Colts a certificate good for one NFL regular-season victory.
Then the 2011 Colts decided to play like the 2009 Colts and clobber the Tennessee Titans on Sunday for their first win of the season. So that present won’t be necessary. -
HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: WTHI defends decision not to show Colts
When your favorite NFL team is threatening to finish 0-16, you have to figure a few fans will jump off the bandwagon.
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HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Former South coach Rady makes it look easy
Jack Butcher, Howard Sharpe and Bill Stearman.
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HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Wheldon's genuine personality a devastating loss to racing
Lori Wood, the Tribune-Star’s Indianapolis 500 correspondent since 2000, planned to visit a friend in California and take in the IndyCar Las Vegas 300 as a ticket-buying fan last weekend.
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HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Past greats proud of ISU’s recent improvements
Indiana State football alum Chris “Big C” Hicks will turn 58 Saturday and he knows exactly what he wants for his birthday.
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HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Rose-Hulman hungry for first football victory of season
The Engineers have not endured a losing season since 2004. But they’ve opened this season at 0-2, causing Sokol to admit they’re desperate for a win.
“We’re all very hungry for a victory,” he said after practice Thursday. “We all want to taste victory really, really bad.” -
Valley semipro football team reaches championship of IFL
The West Central Wildcats’ semipro football team from Terre Haute has been written about before in this column space over the last two years.
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HUGHES NEWS & VIEWS: Colts cheerleaders glad to get back on field
When I heard the NFL lockout finally ended this week, I looked for someone affiliated with the Indianapolis Colts to get a reaction.
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Amateur boxing card set for outdoors at Show-Me's
We all know what Show-Me’s sports bar is famous for around Terre Haute, right?
Chicken wings, of course. -
HUGHES NEWS & VIEWS: Porter’s persistence keeps his boxing career going
When I walked in Sweatbox Gym through the alley door Wednesday, I wondered if a time machine had taken me back to the 1950s, the glory days of boxing.
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HUGHES, NEWS AND VIEWS: Seaton aces chance for more Div. 1 volleyball
Plagued by one injury after another after another, Kristen Seaton was ready to turn off the lights on her volleyball career.
In her mind, the party was over.
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HUGHES NEWS & VIEWS: Semi-pro football team to kick off season today
If you’re worried about the NFL season being canceled and you can’t wait months for the college and high school seasons to begin, you can get your football fix tonight at Memorial Stadium.
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