Grueling Baja 1000 off-road race set for weekend

The 44th annual Baja 1000 off-road desert race is set to start Friday, with drivers navigating a loop of nearly 700 miles across Baja California.

Formally called the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the race starts and ends in Ensenada, about 65 miles south of the U.S.-Mexican border. The course stretches as far east as San Felipe on the coast of the Gulf of California.

A variety of vehicles, led by trucks and motorcycles, compete in different classes in the race. Race organizers said this year's event has more than 275 entries from 34 U.S. states and 16 countries.

--Jim Peltz

Photo: Trophy truck driver Roger Norman crosses a mud hole Wednesday during practice for the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. Credit: Matt Kartozian/US Presswire

Plan for Formula One racing in Austin, Texas, appears in jeopardy

Plans for a new Formula One race next year on the outskirts of Austin, Texas, appear to be in trouble Tuesday.

Construction had started on a $300-million complex called Circuit of the Americas to hold the United States Grand Prix on Nov. 18, 2012.

It would have marked the international racing series' return to the U.S. market after a five-year absence. There also were plans for the track to host a MotoGP motorcycle race.

But the group building the track said Tuesday that it suspended construction because a contract assuring that the race would be held there had not been signed. A statement issued by the group did not say who or what was causing the problem.

"We have spent tremendous resources preparing for the Formula One and MotoGP championship races, but the failure to deliver race contracts gives us great concern," Bobby Epstein, a founding partner of the venue, said in a statement.

The Austin American-Statesman reported that the problem was a contract dispute between the race's promoter, which has the F1 contract, and the group building Circuit of the Americas.

At Formula One's race last weekend in Abu Dhabi, F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone likewise reportedly said "there are two parties, one is building a track, the other has the contract and they've forgotten to talk to each other."

After the Austin race was proposed, New Jersey officials last month announced plans for their own Formula One race on streets along the Hudson River, with Manhattan as a backdrop, in June 2013.

That worries state officials in Texas. The state had committed to spending up to $25 million over 10 years to cover F1's annual $25-million sanctioning fee to help draw the race to Austin, according to published reports.

But Texas Comptroller Susan Combs said Tuesday that the state now would not pay any funds before the first Austin race.

"The recent announcement of an annual Formula One race in New Jersey is a concern, as additional races have the potential to reduce the number of attendees to a Texas race," she said.

— Jim Peltz

Photo: Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone last month at the Buddh International Circuit in India. Credit: Franck Robichon / EPA    

Kenny Bernstein retires from NHRA drag racing

Kenny Bernstein, a legendary NHRA drag-racing driver and team owner who was the first to break the 300-mph barrier, announced Tuesday he was retiring from the sport at age 67.

"My wife Sheryl and I have come to a place in our lives where we want to pursue other interests," Bernstein, whose Lake Forest-based team competed in drag racing's premier top-fuel class, said in a statement. "It's time to enjoy life while we still have our health."

He said the team's current driver, his son Brandon, "was also part of the decision-making process and we are going to do everything we can to help him find a position with another team." 

After the season finale Sunday at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Brandon Bernstein finished sixth in the championship standings of the National Hot Rod Assn.'s Full Throttle Series.

Kenny Bernstein was a versatile six-time NHRA champion as a driver. He won four consecutive titles in the sport's other top division, funny cars, in 1985-88 and also won two top-fuel championships in 1996 and 2001.

On March 20, 1992, in Gainesville, Fla., Bernstein was the first NHRA driver to surpass 300 mph on the drag strip, a speed now routine in top-fuel and funny-car racing.

Bernstein initially retired as a driver after the 2002 season, returned in 2006-07 as a funny car driver and then retired again at age 63 to focus on his team.

ALSO:

Del Worsham wins top-fuel national championship

Del Worsham takes drag racing points lead at NHRA Finals

Funny car champion John Force: Car catching on fire not new to him

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: Kenny Bernstein in 2002. Credit: Gary Nastase

Tony Stewart leads halfway through NASCAR race in Phoenix

The battle for NASCAR's Sprint Cup title went off as advertised Sunday.

Tony Stewart, who started the day trailing Carl Edwards by only three points in the championship standings, was leading at the halfway point of the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

But Edwards kept up the pressure, running a close third behind Stewart and second-place Matt Kenseth, who was the race pole-sitter.

Stewart was aggressive from the moment the green flag waved, charging from his eighth-place starting spot to the lead in less than 40 laps of the 312-lap race on the one-mile Phoenix oval.

Brad Keselowski was fourth and A.J. Allmendinger fifth. Kyle Busch, who started near the back of the 43-car field, had climbed to 13th. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 23rd.

Overall, though, passing proved difficult for the drivers and much of the racing was single file on the newly repaved Phoenix International layout.

This is the next-to-last race in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup title playoff; the finale is next Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

--Jim Peltz in Avondale, Ariz.

Photo: The field takes the green flag Sunday at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. Credit: Christian Petersen / Getty Images

Former IndyCar champ Sam Hornish Jr. wins his first Nationwide race

Sam Hornish Jr., a former IndyCar racing champion who switched to stock car racing four years ago, won his first NASCAR Nationwide Series race Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway.

His teammate Brad Keselowski finished second, giving their Penske Racing team a 1-2 sweep.

Hornish was a three-time IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner who struggled after he switched to NASCAR, first in its premier Sprint Cup Series and then in its second-level Nationwide Series.

But Hornish qualified fifth in the Wypall 200 on Saturday, took the lead with about 60 laps remaining and then repeatedly held the lead on several restarts following accidents behind him.

"I cant hardly believe it," Hornish said. "I’m so happy about it. I'm glad I stuck it out [in stock cars]."

Carl Edwards finished third, Joey Logano fourth and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fifth.

Stenhouse holds a 41-point lead in the Nationwide championship standings over Elliott Sadler, who finished 27th after being collected in an accident.

--Jim Peltz in Avondale, Ariz.

Photo: Sam Hornish Jr. celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series race Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway. Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images

Danica Patrick in 8-car crash in NASCAR Nationwide’s opening lap

Danica Patrick was among eight drivers whose cars were involved in a crash on the opening lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race Saturday.

Patrick's No. 7 Chevrolet slammed hard into the Turn 3 wall when the wreck occurred in the Wypall 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. Other drivers collected in the crash included Brian Scott and Reed Sorenson.

Despite heavy damage to the back of her car, Patrick was able to reach the pits for repairs and she was running 34th, two laps behind the leaders, when racing resumed. She had started the race 25th.

Aric Almirola was the early leader in the 200-lap race, followed by Clint Bowyer, Justin Allgaier and Carl Edwards.

There were concerns about the Phoenix track leading into the weekend because the one-mile oval recently was repaved, and drivers said the new surface was exceptionally slick and that passing would be difficult.

— Jim Peltz in Avondale, Ariz.

Photo: Danica Patrick shortly before the NASCAR Nationwide Series race Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway. Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand / US Presswire

Funny car champion John Force: Car catching on fire not new to him

John Force, one of the top funny car drivers of all time, says he can't recall how many times his car has caught on fire during a race.

"I've been on fire from here to Australia," said Force, a 15-time funny car champion.

Yet the 62-year-old, who jokes that his "office" gets hot from time to time, keeps coming back for more.

The NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona open Thursday with the first of three days of qualifying rounds, followed by final eliminations Sunday. Force will be among the funny car competitors.

Funny car racing is a sport in which drivers have zero margin for error. Their vehicles reach speeds of more than 300 mph in less than five seconds.

At Force's funny car museum in Yorba Linda, he recently talked about why, after more than 30 years of racing, he continues to risk seeing yet another fire.

"In the early days, I thought I was just pure crazy," he said. "But after you do it, man, the car becomes your office. This car becomes what I call your best friend."

ALSO:

NHRA's season-ending event

Jimmie Johnson's Sprint Cup streak is nearing the finish line

-- Melissa Rohlin

NASCAR fines Kyle Busch $50,000, warns of indefinite suspension

Kyle Busch, already forced to miss two NASCAR races this weekend in Texas, also was fined $50,000 and given a stern warning by NASCAR on Monday.

In announcing the fine, NASCAR also placed Busch on probation until Dec. 31 and took the unusual step of saying that if Busch made another overly aggressive move this year that the sanctioning body deemed "detrimental to stock car racing or to NASCAR" or "disruptive to the orderly conduct of an event," then Busch "will be suspended indefinitely from NASCAR."

NASCAR's premier Sprint Cup Series has two more races this season: At Phoenix this Sunday and at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway on Nov. 20.

Busch, 26, got into hot water Friday night when he shoved championship contender Ron Hornaday Jr. into the wall during a caution period at a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Busch acknowledged that it was retaliation after the two had banged into each other earlier in the race. NASCAR then took the rare step of parking Busch, prohibiting him from driving in the second-level Nationwide Series race Saturday and the Cup race Sunday.

Busch, who drives the No. 18 Toyota in the Cup series for the team led by NFL Hall of Fame Coach Joe Gibbs, then made a public apology in which he said "I accept their punishment and take full responsibility for my actions."

Michael McDowell drove for Busch in the Cup race and finished 33rd in the 43-car field. Busch watched the race while sitting atop McDowell's pit box.

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: Kyle Busch watches the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Credit: Randy Holt / Associated Press

Kyle Busch, forced to miss NASCAR races, apologizes for retaliation

After being forced to sit out two NASCAR races this weekend, including Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race in Texas, Kyle Busch issued an open letter of apology that said "I have no one to blame but myself."

Busch initially defended his actions after he intentionally wrecked Ron Hornaday Jr. after the two earlier banged fenders in a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday night.

But after NASCAR penalized him by taking the rare step of prohibiting Busch from driving in Sunday's Cup race and in the second-level Nationwide Series race on Saturday, Busch apologized to his Joe Gibbs Racing team, his fans, his sponsors and to Hornaday.

"I understand why I was taken out of the car for the rest of the weekend," Busch stated in his letter. "NASCAR officials had to act, and I accept their punishment and take full responsibility for my actions."

Denny Hamlin, Busch's Gibbs teammate, drove for Busch in the Nationwide race and finished second to winner Trevor Bayne. Michael McDowell is driving for Busch on Sunday.

Busch, 26, is a lightning rod among NASCAR fans, an aggressive, excellent and daring driver who also can be volatile and temperamental. He routinely draws a loud mix of boos and cheers in pre-race introductions, and his nicknames include "Rowdy" and "Wild Thing."

Busch, who was seventh in the Cup standings entering Sunday's race, seemed to mature somewhat this season and be less prone to risky, unwarranted maneuvers on the track. But "this was certainly a step backward," Busch acknowledged.

He added: "I know my long-term actions will have more of a bearing than anything I say right now."

ALSO:

NASCAR benches Kyle Busch for Sprint Cup, Nationwide races

Danica Patrick will race in Daytona 500 as part of her Sprint Cup campaign

NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick is safe after hard jet landing in Key West

--Jim Peltz

Photo: NASCAR driver Kyle Busch on Oct. 21 at Talladega Superspeedway. Credit: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

NASCAR pulls Kyle Busch from Sprint Cup, Nationwide races in Texas

In an extremely rare move, NASCAR suspended driver Kyle Busch from competing in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide races in Texas this weekend as a penalty for Busch intentionally wrecking another driver in a truck race Friday night.

Busch, long known for his aggressive driving, shoved the truck driven by championship contender Ron Hornaday Jr. into the wall during a caution period after the two had tangled in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

After meeting Saturday morning with Busch and his team owner, NFL Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, NASCAR President Mike Helton announced Busch's suspension from the Nationwide race later Saturday and the Sprint Cup race on Sunday.

Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota in the Cup series, is one of the 12 drivers competing for the series title in the "Chase for the Cup" playoff. He's currently seventh in the standings, 57 points behind leader Carl Edwards.

Although NASCAR has let drivers settle more of their on-track differences on their own -- the so-called "Boys, have at it" policy -- Helton told reporters in Texas that Busch went too far, prompting NASCAR to take the rare step of benching a driver for an upcoming race.

"The responsibility over the past two or three seasons we've given back to the drivers came, I think, with a very clear understanding that there could be a line that got crossed," Helton said, adding that "we saw it last night."

Gibbs said Denny Hamlin would drive Busch's car in the Nationwide race, and Michael McDowell would replace Busch in the Cup race.

Gibbs told reporters in Texas that he supported NASCAR and had "great faith in the decisions they make."

"This was a tough one for us," Gibbs said. "You don't like it but we're certainly going to try and work our way through this one and do the right thing and try and handle it the right way."

--Jim Peltz

Photo: The No. 33 truck driven by Ron Hornaday Jr. is pushed into the wall by the truck of driver Kyle Busch during the NASCAR Truck Series race on Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway. Credit: David Kent / McClatchy-Tribune

Danica Patrick to make NASCAR Sprint Cup debut at Daytona 500

Danica Patrick plans to make her debut in NASCAR's premier Sprint Cup Series at the sport's crown-jewel race, the Daytona 500, next Feb. 26 and is eyeing a possible full-time Cup ride in 2013.

Patrick, 29,will drive the No. 10 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, the team co-owned by two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart.

Patrick just finished her full-time career in the Izod IndyCar Series, in which she won one race in seven years, to drive full-time in NASCAR stock-car racing.

In an announcement at Texas Motor Speedway, site of the next Cup race Sunday, Stewart-Haas and Patrick said she would drive a total of 10 Cup races next year while also competing all season in NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide Series.

Besides Daytona, Patrick's Cup schedule includes Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Dover (Del.) International Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.

Her two other Cup appearances will be determined later.

"Our goal with Danica's schedule is to try and maximize her 10 races with us so that she's as prepared as she can possibly be for a full-time Sprint Cup schedule in 2013," Stewart said in a statement.

Patrick, who is driving in this Saturday's Nationwide race at Texas, also said her helmet and race car would carry paint schemes honoring two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, who was killed last month in an IndyCar race in Las Vegas.

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: Danica Patrick and team co-owner Tony Stewart unveil Patrick's No. 10 Chevrolet for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series during an event at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday. Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images

NASCAR veteran Mark Martin joining Michael Waltrip Racing in 2012

Mark Martin will drive a limited schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing starting in 2012 under a two-year deal announced by the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team Friday.

Martin, 52, will replace David Reutimann, who is being released from MWR after he drives in the final three races of this season, including Sunday's contest at Texas Motor Speedway.

Martin is in his last season with Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick previously announced that Kasey Kahne, currently driving for the Red Bull team, will take over Martin's No. 5 Chevrolet next season.

"It is very rare that a young organization gets an opportunity to hire a driver with Mark's incredible talent, experience and insight into what it takes to be a winner," team co-owner Michael Waltrip said in a statement.

The team said Martin would drive MWR's No. 00 Toyota in 25 of the Cup series' 36 races in each of the next two years, while Waltrip would drive in five races and "a combination of drivers" would drive in the remaining events.

MWR previously announced that Clint Bowyer, currently driving for Richard Childress Racing, would also join its team next year.

Martin has won 40 Cup races in 827 starts over nearly three decades in stock-car racing's premier division, and his career race winnings total nearly $85 million. Reutimann has won two races in 168 Cup starts for MWR.

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: Mark Martin talks with a crew member Oct. 22 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Credit: Terry Renna / Associated Press

Drag racers still content with shorter races as NHRA heads to Pomona

After the death of drag racer Scott Kalitta in a mid-2008 crash, the NHRA took the dramatic step of temporarily shortening races for the 300-mph funny cars and top-fuel dragsters in its premier Full Throttle Series.

As the series heads to Pomona for its season-ending races next week, the change -- shortening races to 1,000 feet from the traditional quarter mile, or 1,320 feet -- is still in effect. And that's fine by several drivers in contention for series championships this year.

"I think it was actually brilliant on NHRA's part," Jack Beckman, who is a single point behind Matt Hagan in the funny car title standings, told reporters Wednesday. "They solved a whole lot of issues with one change there."

The National Hot Rod Assn. in Glendora took the step both to limit speeds of the 7,000-horsepower dragsters and to give them extra distance for slowing in case of catastrophic problems. Another benefit: Cars and parts last longer, lowering costs.

"Slowing these things down, especially if you have a [para]chute failure, and at some of these racetracks, it's gotten to be a dangerous proposition," Beckman said.

Del Worsham, a seven-time winner this season in the top-fuel class and only two points behind Spencer Massey in that division's title hunt, said "I'd rather accelerate as fast as we are right now to 1,000 feet than have to slow down to [race on] a quarter mile."

"I'd rather keep going faster," Worsham said. "If we have to shorten the track a little more to keep accelerating, so be it."

The NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona are Nov. 10-13.

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: NHRA top-fuel drivers Del Worsham (far lane) and Tony Schumacher (near lane) during qualifying last Thursday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Credit: Jason Zindroski/US Presswire

NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick, wife OK after plane crash

A Gulfstream jet carrying Rick Hendrick, one of NASCAR's most successful team owners, his wife Linda and two pilots ran off a runway in Key West, Fla., on Monday night but "there were no serious injuries," Hendrick Motorsports said.

The G150 jet was "experiencing brake issues upon landing at Key West International Airport," the team said, adding that all four people aboard "were taken to a local hospital for evaluation."

"Hendrick Motorsports is gathering additional information on the incident," the team said.

Four of the leading drivers in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series drive for Hendrick: Reigning champion Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin.

The incident occurred seven years after Hendrick's 24-year-old son, Ricky, Hendrick's brother John and two of Hendrick's nieces, along with six others, were killed when their small plane crashed on the way a race in Martinsville, Va.

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: The Gulfstream aircraft carrying Rick Hendrick and his wife after it ran off the runway Monday night in Key West, Fla. Credit: Evan Calhoun / Monroe County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office / Associated Press

NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick, wife escape serious injury in plane crash

A Gulfstream jet carrying Rick Hendrick, one of NASCAR's most successful team owners, his wife Linda and two pilots ran off a runway in Key West, Fla., on Monday night but "there were no serious injuries," Hendrick Motorsports said.

The G150 airplane was "experiencing brake issues upon landing at Key West International Airport," the team said, adding that all four people "were taken to a local hospital for evaluation."

"Hendrick Motorsports is gathering additional information on the incident," the team said.

Four of the leading drivers in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series drive for Hendrick: Reigning champion Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin.

The incident occurred seven years after Hendrick's 24-year-old son, Ricky, Hendrick's brother John and two of Hendrick's nieces, along with six others, were killed when their small plane crashed on the way a race in Martinsville, Va.

--Jim Peltz

Photo: The Gulfstream aircraft carrying Rick Hendrick and his wife after it ran off the runway Monday night in Key West, Fla. Credit: Evan Calhoun/Monroe County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office/Associated Press

New Jersey officials confirm Formula One race planned for 2013

Gov. Chris Christie and other New Jersey officials and promoters Tuesday confirmed plans for a Formula One street race along the Hudson River in June 2013.

The Grand Prix of America at Port Imperial would be a 3.2-mile course in Weehawken and West New York on the west side of the river across from Manhattan, with elevation changes up to 150 feet.

"I’ve been wanting to do this for years,” Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone told Bloomberg.com. "You’ll be able to see the Manhattan skyline on TV."

It would be the second new Formula One race in the United States, which has been without F1 racing since the widely followed international racing series left the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after the 2007 U.S. Grand Prix.

Formula One already plans to add a race next year at Circuit of the Americas, a track in Austin, Texas, being specifically built for an F1 race.

Christie said at a news conference at the track's proposed site that "there's no public subsidy that's being put into running this race" in New Jersey, with expenses being covered by race promoters.

Officials also said the average price of a three-day ticket to practice, qualifying and the race would be about $360.

ALSO:

Dan Wheldon was an engaging young champion

Dan Wheldon's death hits racing community hard

IndyCar boss faces scrutiny in wake of Dan Wheldon's death

--Jim Peltz

Photo: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (at podium) holds a news conference Tuesday at the Port Imperial Ferry Terminal to announce a Formula One race in 2013. Credit: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli killed in Malaysian crash

Tragedy struck the racing world again Sunday when 24-year-old rider Marco Simoncelli died after crashing and then violently colliding with two other riders in the MotoGP motorcycle race in Malaysia.

The Italian rider struck American Colin Edwards and Italian Valentino Rossi on the second lap of the race at the Sepang circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which was immediately stopped and later canceled. It was the next-to-last race of the season.

MotoGP medical director Michele Macchiagodena told reporters that Simoncelli was taken to the track medical center with head, neck and chest injuries and died about 45 minutes later.

"I'm so shocked and saddened by the loss of Marco," said Casey Stoner, who recently clinched the series title. "When things like this happen it reminds you how precious life is."

Edwards suffered a dislocated shoulder in the crash but otherwise he and Rossi were not seriously injured, race officials said.

MotoGP is an international series featuring high-speed motorcycle racing. The series has two U.S. stops each year, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.

A week ago Indycar driver Dan Wheldon, a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, was killed in a 15-car crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Wheldon's funeral was Saturday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

— Jim Peltz

Photo: Italian rider Marco Simoncellit in August before the MotoGP race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Credit: Mirco Lazzari / Getty Images

NASCAR plans car and helmet decals in memory of Dan Wheldon

NASCAR plans to provide its teams with decals honoring the memory of Dan Wheldon at this weekend's NASCAR races at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Wheldon, a 33-year-old Englishman who this year won the Indianapolis 500 for the second time, was killed Sunday in a 15-car crash at the Izod IndyCar Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

NASCAR said its car and truck teams would place decals on the so-called B post of their vehicles next to the side windows. NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series is racing Saturday and its Sprint Cup Series on Sunday.

The decal design includes a Lionheart Knight image that was a fixture on the back of Wheldon's racing helmets, NASCAR said, adding that it also was providing a version of the decal to NASCAR drivers to place on their helmets this weekend if they desired.

A moment of silence in Wheldon's memory also will be held prior to the invocations before both races this weekend, NASCAR said.

IndyCar plans a public memorial for Wheldon on Sunday in downtown Indianapolis.

— Jim Peltz

Photo: The decal honoring Dan Wheldon that NASCAR plans to provide for teams to place on their cars this weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Credit: NASCAR

Dan Wheldon crash: IndyCar revises team members in probe

The Izod IndyCar Series on Wednesday revised its information about the team investigating the death of driver Dan Wheldon from injuries in a 15-car crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The series initially said Tuesday that the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body for Formula One racing, and the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States, an umbrella organization of racing sanctioning bodies, would assist in its probe of Sunday's accident.

But "it was incorrect to state that either ACCUS or FIA are formally involved," IndyCar said without explanation in a revised statement. It added, however, that "individual members of various motorsports bodies" would help in the investigation.

IndyCar reiterated that it hoped to report preliminary findings about the crash "within the next several weeks."

A public memorial for Wheldon, who was 33 and a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, is scheduled Sunday in Indianapolis.

RELATED:

Dan Wheldon's death raises questions about IndyCar racing

Dan Wheldon's death hits racing community especially hard

Dan Wheldon was an engaging young champion

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: Dan Wheldon after winning the Indianapolis 500 last May 29. Credit: Paul Sancya/Associated Press

IndyCar launches probe of Dan Wheldon crash, plans memorial Sunday

The Izod IndyCar Series said Tuesday it launched an investigation into the horrific 15-car wreck that claimed the life of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon in Las Vegas.

"We hope to have preliminary findings to report within the next several weeks," IndyCar said. "In the meantime, it would be inappropriate to comment further until the investigative team has had the opportunity to conclude its work."

Wheldon, 33, succumbed to injuries Sunday when his car was involved in the crash early in a race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

IndyCar also said it would hold a public memorial service to celebrate Wheldon's life Sunday at Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.

IndyCar said the governing body for Formula One racing, along with the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States, an umbrella organization of racing sanctioning bodies, would assist in the probe.

"The safety of our drivers, their crews, IndyCar staff, racetrack staff and spectators is always our paramount concern," the series said.

Wheldon's death sparked debate about whether it was too dangerous for 34 cars to be traveling at 220 mph and faster at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas oval. NASCAR stock-car racing champion Jimmie Johnson suggested IndyCar avoid oval tracks.

But two legendary open-wheel drivers, A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti, defended oval racing.

"I don't think Jimmie Johnson knows what he's talking about," Foyt, a four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, told USA Today. "You could say the same about stock cars. I've drove both, and I've been hurt real bad in both."

Andretti told the newspaper that Wheldon's crash was "a fluke, freakish accident" and that while there is always room for safety improvements, to say "we don't have the knowledge to make these things safe enough for ovals is absolutely absurd."

RELATED:

Dan Wheldon's death raises questions about IndyCar racing

Dan Wheldon's death hits racing community especially hard

Dan Wheldon was an engaging young champion

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: Workers hang a tribute banner to Dan Wheldon above the gate at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images