IRL Driver Paul Dana Killed In Practice Crash

Paul Dana, 30, died just before noon today after a crash at a pre-race practice for today's IRL IndyCar Series race. Another car had spun and hit a wall in front of him, and Dana slammed into it at full speed, over 216 miles per hour. The other driver, Ed Carpenter, is awake and alert at the hospital, and looks to be fine.

ESPN Motion actually has video of the crash up right now. It's a segment from SportsCenter, occurring before the seriousness of the injury was known. It begins with Bob Ley reporting a crash and saying that there is concern about a possible serious injury. They even interview the owner of the car, who's still hoping that Dana is going to be alright. The crash itself is horrific, and watching the video is somewhat eerie. I'd imagine it's probably going to come down soon.

Dana was a rookie driver and a former motorsports journalist. Officials have announced that the race will start as scheduled, though Dana's teammates, Danica Patrick and Buddy Rice, have pulled out.

Tragic.

IRL Driver Paul Dana Dies After Crash [Yahoo! News]