Dan Wheldon's Crash

At the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on 16 October 2011, Wheldon was involved in a 15-car accident during lap 11 of the race. The multi-car pile-up resulted in a red flag. Wheldon had to be extricated from his car and was airlifted to a local hospital with what were described as "serious injuries." He subsequently died of his injuries at 1:54 PST. He was 33 years old.
An autopsy conducted on October 17, 2011 concluded that Wheldon died of Blunt force trama to the head.
The IndyCar officials and drivers decided that the race would be abandoned, and that a five-lap salute would be held in Wheldon's honour, with his number 77 being displayed alone at the top of the scoring pylon.
After his death, Michael Andretti revealed that Wheldon had signed with Andretti Autosport for a multi-year deal to replace driver Danica Patrick.