Sunday marks tragic end for two racing superstars
Rick Huseman, publicity photo from Facebook
Sunday, October 16, marks a tragic day for the racing scene, as two greats passed away in deadly crashes; one in a plane crash, the other in a 15-car pileup on a Las Vegas raceway.
Offroading star Rick Huseman, along with two others, met a tragic end while trying to make an emergency landing near the Barstow-Daggett airfield on Sunday, October 16. On the same day, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon also died when his car was involved in a 15-car pileup, also on Sunday.
Rick Huseman
Huseman was returning from an event near Las Vegas on Saturday when the plane ran into problems. It’s unclear at this point what caused the plane to crash, but the National Transportation Safety Board has taken over the investigation. Earlier this year, a similar crash involving a Cessna also occurred in the same region, killing three people onboard.
Huseman’s untimely death has surprised the offroading circuit, prompting many fans to give their last remarks on Huseman’s Facebook page.
The plane a Beech 33 Bonanza went down 10 miles east of Barstow, in the area of Newberry Springs. They were en route to Corona, Calif.
Dan Wheldon
Wheldon was racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Early on in the race, at the 11th lap, two other cars touched tires and were wrecked on the road. Wheldon was unable to steer clear of the wreck and over the course of just a few seconds, cars were lit up and debris was strewn across the track. Wheldon’s car took flight and landed in a catch trap.
Two other drivers had relatively minor injuries, but doctors said Wheldon’s injuries “were unsurvivable.”
Upon hearing of Wheldon’s untimely death, the race was canceled and the other drivers, many of whom were Wheldon’s dear friends, drove a teary-eyed five-lap salute.
Fans also poured their hearts out on Wheldon’s Facebook page.
Dan Wheldon, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Facebook photo
