Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflects on Dan Wheldon's Indy racing death

Photods for Headline Surfer / Dan Wheldon, two-time Indy 500 winner, shown above, is remembered by the racing world following his Oct. 16, 2011, fatal crash in the  IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
YouTube download / Rememering Dan Wheldon.
 
By HENRY FREDERICK
Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The racing world mourns the on-track death of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, including NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Jr. whose father was killed on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

Earnhardt told USA Today in an interview Monday that it isn't difficult for him to get into his No. 88 Chevrolet the after a tragedy like Wheldon's, especially since his own father, racing legend Dale Earnhardt was killed on Turn 4 of the final lap of the Daytona 500 a decade earlier trying to preserve the lead for his two cars, driven by Michael Waltrip and Junior, who finished 1-2 in the race

."I drive cars for a living; it's a dangerous thing," Earnhardt said. "It can never be safe enough, but I like my chances."

Dale Earnhardt Jr reacts to Dan Wheldon's death / HeadlineSurfer®Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Earnhardt told USA Today in an interview Monday that it isn't difficult for him to get into his No. 88 Chevrolet the after a tragedy like Wheldon's, especially since his own father, racing legend Dale Earnhardt was killed on Turn 4 of the final lap of the Daytona 500 a decade earlier trying to preserve the lead for his two cars, driven by Michael Waltrip and Junior, who finished 1-2 in the race.

"I drive cars for a living; it's a dangerous thing," Earnhardt said. "It can never be safe enough, but I like my chances."

ESPN and other sports media outlets were reporting Monday that Wheldon died from severe head trauma after an autopsy was performed on the defending Indianapolis 500 champ, who got caught up in a 15-car pile-up Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the final race of the IndyCar series. The race was cancelled after the crash.

Wheldon, 33, left behind his wife and two small children.