Dan Wheldon Crash: Everything Happens in a Split Second in Racing

You can blame Las Vegas Motor Speedway's track for prompting close-knit racing, but Dan Wheldon's death in a 15-car pileup on Sunday was more a product of racing in general.

Every race car driver lives a life measured in fractions of a second. Whether it's crossing the finish line a split second earlier than a competitor or zooming out of a pit stop as quick as possible, all drivers know that there's an inherent risk in simply being a racer.

Wheldon's crash happened in mere seconds after he careened into the outside wall early in Sunday's IndyCar race. The same delicate balance he held when he won the Indy 500 this year was the same delicate balance that ended up taking his life.

Wheldon was only 33 years old, but he had been racing for years. Whenever there's a death it's easy to look for somebody or something to blame. But there really was nobody to blame on Sunday. It was simply what happens when dozens of cars speed around a track at over 200 mph within inches of each other.

The truth is, this is a part of racing, and unless racing restricts drivers' speed and, more importantly, drivers agree to this, there will always be significant risk associated with the sport.

Racing has always been about unmitigated speed. That's what makes it racing. And unfortunately, this same speed is what allowed Wheldon's car to fly across the track and burst into flames on Sunday.

Drivers may have a point about the oval track, but racing at over 200 mph isn't exactly safe, either, no matter the precautions or amount of armor surrounding drivers.

Wheldon's death was a tragedy. It is going to stick with racing for a while. But pointing fingers is only denying the reality that is the world or race car driving.