Bobby Unser blames ‘pack racing’ for Wheldon accident

After the death of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Dan Wheldon in the horrendous crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, many pundits have weighed in on the tragedy, blaming the track, the crowded field, and the speeds.

“It was the perfect storm," explains Bobby Unser. “And, IndyCar racing has been very fortunate. It could've happened at anytime over the past six years, and they're very fortunate that more drivers weren't hurt in that mess at Las Vegas.

“No, it's not the track, not the speeds," continues Unser, who helped lead IndyCar into the stratosphere of speed with his development, and engineering efforts on the Gurney Eagles of the early 1970s, “it's the cars.

“For a lot of reasons, IndyCar racing has become a spec series. Every car is exactly the same, and everything is spelled out in the rules. Even down to the size of the mirrors. It's ridiculous.

“It's created this pack racing, which is not racing at all. And, no one likes it; the drivers, the fans. At first pack racing was exciting for the fans, but then they realized that there was no passing. It was just guys running side by side. They don't want this pack racing, now. IndyCar tried to emulate NASCAR, but NASCAR fans don't want pack racing either." More at Racer.com