Paul Dana (; April 15, 1975 – March 26, 2006) was an American racing driver in the
IndyCar Series
The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices o ...
.
Early life
Born in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
,
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
, Dana graduated from the
Medill School of Journalism
The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is a constituent school of Northwestern University that offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It frequently ranks as the top school of journalism in the Unite ...
at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
. Before becoming a race driver, he worked as a mechanic, a private racing coach, a driving instructor, and a PR & marketing account representative. He also was an editor and journalist covering motorsport, his writing having appeared in ''
AutoWeek
''Autoweek'' is a car culture publication based in Detroit, Michigan. It was first published in 1958 and in 1977 the publication was purchased by Crain Communications Inc, its current parent company. The magazine was published weekly and focused ...
'', ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence tw ...
'' and ''
Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...
''.
Racing career
In 1996, Dana was working as a mechanic at the
Bridgestone Racing School in Ontario when he won his first races there. In 1998 he moved to
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
and began competing in
Barber Dodge Pro Series
The Barber Dodge Pro Series was a professional open-wheel auto racing series from 1986 to 2003. It was one of the first professional spec series for open-wheel racecars in North America. The races were primarily on road and street courses in Nor ...
, and his top 20 finish earned him an invitation to the inaugural Formula Dodge National Championship. He then competed in the
Infiniti Pro Series
Indy NXT, previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as Firestone Indy NXT Series for sponsorship reasons. Indy Lights is the highest step on the Road to Indy, a program ...
where he captured one race win and placed second in the
2004 championship. He then secured sponsorship to run in the IndyCar Series with sponsorship from Ethanol suppliers, which he brought to
Hemelgarn Racing
Hemelgarn Racing is an American auto racing team owned by Ron Hemelgarn. The team debuted in 1985, and competed in the CART and Indy Racing League ranks until the team originally shut down in 2010. The team returned to competition in 2015, and cur ...
.
After competing in three IndyCar Series events, Dana suffered a spinal fracture while practicing for the
2005 Indianapolis 500
The 89th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 29, 2005. It was the premier event of the 2005 IndyCar Series season and the tenth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. Dan Wheldo ...
and missed the rest of the season, replaced by
Jimmy Kite
Jimmy Kite (born February 18, 1976 in Effingham, Illinois) is a retired American race car driver. He debuted in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series in 1997 and has competed in 34 IndyCar races, including five Indianapolis 500s. In 2005, he in ...
. He returned to the series to race for
Rahal Letterman Racing
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is an auto racing team that has participated in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IndyCar Series. Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana and Hilliard, Ohio, it is co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 ...
after he recovered from his injuries.
Death
In the practice session for the first race of the 2006 IndyCar Series season, at
Homestead-Miami Speedway, Dana collided with
Ed Carpenter's disabled car after Carpenter's tire went flat, thrusting Carpenter's car into a retaining wall, before it slid to the bottom of the track. Dana, in the Rahal-Letterman car, was told to "go low" by his spotter. Slow-motion footage showed that Dana had hit debris from Carpenter's car just before impact.
ABC/ESPN's telemetry indicated Dana's car hit Carpenter's car at about , while
Scott Sharp
Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing League.
...
, who was running alongside Dana, reported that he had slowed to approximately by the time of Dana's impact.
Dana was transported to
Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he died due to complications from injuries sustained in the crash. He was 30 years old, and was survived by his wife Tonya. The morning of his death, Dana's wife found out she was expecting their first child.
After his death, Dana's teammates
Buddy Rice
Buddy Rice (born January 31, 1976) is an American former race car driver. He is best known for winning the 2004 Indianapolis 500 while driving for Rahal Letterman Racing, and the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona for Brumos Racing.
Career
Early years
...
and
Danica Patrick
Danica Sue Patrick (; born March 25, 1982) is an American former professional racing driver. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel car racing—her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only win by a woman i ...
did not compete in the
race
Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to:
* Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species
* Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...
as a mark of respect for their deceased teammate.
During a show on March 27th, 2006, an emotional
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...
paused during his monologue to offer his condolences to Dana's family:
It's not hard to imagine the despair and sorrow that Paul Dana's wife, Tonya, and the rest of his family are feeling now, and I want them to know that they have the thoughts and the prayers of myself, the entire Rahal-Letterman team, and the entire racing community and, hopefully, that will give them the slightest amount of comfort. I did not know Paul personally but we were all proud to have him on our team and are deeply saddened by his tragic passing at such a young age.
Racing record
American open-wheel racing results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
Indy Lights
IndyCar Series
References
I.R.L. Rookie Dies After Prerace Collision by Dave Caldwell and Charlie Nobles, ''New York Times'', March 27, 2006. Retrieved 2013-7-07.
External links
Paul Dana official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dana, Paul
1975 births
2006 deaths
United States Formula Three Championship drivers
IndyCar Series drivers
Indy Lights drivers
24 Hours of Daytona drivers
Medill School of Journalism alumni
Sportspeople from St. Louis
Racing drivers from Missouri
Racing drivers who died while racing
Sports deaths in Florida
U.S. F2000 National Championship drivers
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers