Update 6:10pm: Dan Wheldon has died following the IndyCar crash in Las Vegas.
2011 Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon was in critical condition following a horrific crash at the IndyCar World Championships in Las Vegas, Nev., Sunday afternoon.
The crash involved 15 cars and missed others by a few feet. The track was covered in debris from the cars and shrouded by smoke from pieces that caught fire during the collisions.
Terry Blount, ESPN’s motorsports reporter, has been tweeting updates from the track.
“Some of these cars and barely recognizable as cars,” Blount tweeted when the dust settled. He also noted that it might be the worst multi-car crash he’s ever seen.
Wheldon was reportedly taken to University Medical Center located in Las Vegas by helicopter.
Another racer involved in the crash was Will Power, whose car went airborne. He was cleared from the track’s medical center.
“We are all concerned aboyut Dan. I’ve never seen a track like this with all the debris,” said driver Tony Kanaan. According to Blount, Kanaan was in tears on pit road following the crash.
“It was like a movie scene, where they try to make it look as gnarly as possible,” said Danica Patrick.
Among the wreckage, the remains of Wheldon’s car were found and put on a flatbed truck and covered with a yellow tarp.
