Dan wheldon

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon expressed concern he wouldn't be able to get enough speed from his car in the Las Vegas race where he died in a fiery 15 car pile up.

In the Sunday crash that killed the English racing champion, Wheldon's car, travelling at over 220 miles per hour into a turn, climbed the back of racer Paul Tracy's vehicle and burst into flames, flipping over and slam into a crash-fence above the track's retaining wall. 

In a blog before the race by Wheldon posted on USA Today, the 33-year-old racer had expressed concern that he wasn't going to be able to climb to the speed needed, saying that he and his team "just didn't have the speed" at a recent race at the Kentucky Speedway.

"So far, things haven't been going very well as we've s

tarted our pursuit of the GoDaddy IndyCar Challenge this weekend … but I'm convinced in the ability of the guys at Sam Schmidt Motorsports to find the problem and get it fixed," Wheldon wrote.

In the blog Wheldon went on to express aggravation that his No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins Magnolia/William Rast Dallara/Honda was three miles per hour off pace. 

Sunday's pile-up happened just 11 laps into the final race of the Indycar season. The 34-car race made for a significantly crowded track, and drivers were speeding, even by Indy standards, reaching up to 225 mph.

For several long, shocking moments after the crash a number of cars were engulfed in flame as debris smacked the track so hard that workers would have to repair the asphalt.

Just a horrendous accident." 

Wheldon's car was terrified into the air and sailed into the "catch fence," designed to give cars a bit of cushion if they make impact. Workers almost instantly rushed to Wheldon's car, madly waving for more help, but in the end, as Bernard described it, Wheldon's injuries were "unsurvivable." 

Wheldon was airlifted from the Las Vegas track at 1:19 p.m. local time Sunday and taken to University Medical Hospital, fetching the first IndyCar driver to die on the track since rookie Paul Dana was killed in 2006. 

Wheldon died surrounded by his wife Susie and sons, as well as two brothers and sister.

The crash also sent three fellow racers, including championship contender Will Power, to the hospital.

Wheldon was there rival to earn a $5 million bonus that was part of a league promotion for drivers who didn't compete full-time in the series this year. The only driver to accept the challenge, Wheldon would have split the money with Ann Bavenco, a randomly chosen fan. 

A number of racers reportedly expressed concern earlier this week over the track's blinding speeds ahead of Sunday's IndyCar series final. At least one driver, Scottish racer Dario Franchitti, echoed those comments Sunday after the crash and before it was announced Wheldon died.

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