New York Times: Wheldon's death has raised questions about Randy Bernard

So the NY Times has started the blame game. Yes, it was a tragic accident, but it was a freak. But, like so many when there's a tragedy, they feel the need to blame someone.
 
I didn't read the whole story, just the 1st page. I agree with Va, it was a very tragic accident. Doesn't matter where they race or how it's promoted or anything else, something happened that day that could happen at every race. The drivers all know that. It doesn't mean it's got to be someone's fault.
 
VaDirt said:
So the NY Times has started the blame game. Yes, it was a tragic accident, but it was a freak. But, like so many when there's a tragedy, they feel the need to blame someone.
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^^ Exactly, losing Wheldon is tragic, and running Vegas was a mistake.


The tragedy doesn't need to be embraced, but it is not a new phenomena. The drivers know that when they put on their seat belts.



Try to learn from it but I don't see dumping Randy Bernard as a solution. Indy car racing isn't out of the woods yet but their in better hands now than they were just a few years ago.


The 500 this year felt like the 500 again for the first time in many years. Hard to say that without weighing Wheldon's tragic fate.
Dan drinking the milk, and the glory, imho the best racing story of the 2011 year. A fact that remains and established before and after the Vegas tragedy. That's quite an accomplishment considering the quality of this Sprint cup season. In spite of the economics Nascar racing has been good this year, and that made the Indy's ability to slightly rebound more respect worthy with the tough landscape.


Randy Bernard will have to live with Vegas tragedy. That isn't as tough as being the widow, or as bad as two little boys losing a dad, and the loss of Wheldon doesn't need to sugarcoated.


But Randy Bernard isn't the only sinner. It was a group effort, of drivers, owners, promoter, and last of all, us the fans. I loved the Wheldon story in May. I loved the old the Indy glory of Foyt too, but those days included the Sachs, McDonald, Savage, Pollard, and Smiley deaths too (short list of many) .


Just like Randy Bernard, racing has the sweet moments and the pain.
Randy Bernard has his flaws, and I am sure it has been a painful week for him.


But if the Lord gives me another year when May 2012 comes around with new cars and probably still feeling the positives of the 2011 classic, the love and the addiction will still be rocking. I am also compelled to believe Wheldon's life and legacy agreed.


I also hope that Randy Bernard with his Vagas scars, is still in charge. He's human I hoped he learned from the tragic lesson, but I don't see the benefits of trying to punish him.


Life isn't always simple, and wheter Randy Bernard remains or goes will not bring closure. Danger including tracks like the 1.5 mile tracks will have to be addressed with or without him.


But as already stated unless the world stops a promoter, owners, drivers, and fans will be voting for the show to keep running at the next race.


Maybe one year there will be no NYtimes to cover it, but the racing and the danger, the glory and the pain, will acontinue always.
 
I didn't read the whole thing either. I don't care to read an article that slams a person for the sake of making a headline. I get the feeling this is the first time that writer has payed any attention to IndyCar. From insinuating it has been Bernard's goal to increase the danger, to claiming he pressured Wheldon into the race, that was the most ignorant piece of sports writing I've read in a real long time, maybe ever. That was just page one of four.
 
Bernard DID say that the double file restarts would be exciting because they'd cause crashes.

There's a lot of issues with the article.

Oh, and Randy Bernard had nothing to do with the Baltimore Grand Prix happening, that deal was in the works for years.
 
The article certainly illustrates Bernard's desires and involvement but never directly blames him for Wheldon's death.

I said before that the incident at Vegas had Tony George's fingerprints all over it. Tony was in charge when these cars initially took to the 1.5 mile oval tracks - which is a ridiculous notion on any level, IMO. Just look at the incident involving Kenny Brack at TMS to know how incredibly stupid and risky this form of racing was and is - and that was in 2003 for Dog sakes! It wasn't even the first time we saw this sort of crash. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8onD87zQqAw

That being said, the drivers could have said no. The owners could have said no. Dan could have said no. But they all said, yes.

BTW, there have been several calls for Bernard's ouster before the incident in Vegas...
 
robbybee said:
The article certainly illustrates Bernard's desires and involvement but never directly blames him for Wheldon's death.

I said before that the incident at Vegas had Tony George's fingerprints all over it. Tony was in charge when these cars initially took to the 1.5 mile oval tracks - which is a ridiculous notion on any level, IMO. Just look at the incident involving Kenny Brack at TMS to know how incredibly stupid and risky this form of racing was and is - and that was in 2003 for Dog sakes! It wasn't even the first time we saw this sort of crash. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8onD87zQqAw

That being said, the drivers could have said no. The owners could have said no. Dan could have said no. But they all said, yes.

BTW, there have been several calls for Bernard's ouster before the incident in Vegas...
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Two things Bernard got credit for, that he didn't do:

1) The Baltimore Grand Prix. Baltimore City, Stephanie Rawlings Blake, the promoters of that race and those who have worked for the last five years to make that race should get the credit. Yet Bernard gets all the credit and glory because he just happened to take the helm at IndyCar while things were finalized inside Baltimore.

2) TV ratings increase. IndyCar's ratings on VERSUS ARE up, but that's because of the NBC/Comcast merger. Once NBC took control of VERSUS, they promoted the network heavily and put NBC Sports programming on VERSUS. Ratings, across the board, are double what they were at VERSUS a year ago thanks to NBC Sports. Yet, again, Bernard gets the credit and glory there.

Bernard isn't, in any way, responsible for either of those two things. But thse are two of the big reasons people are claiming he's been successful for.

Hell, as successful as Baltimore was, Barnhart even managed to **** that race up.
 
What about the Detroit GP? I heard that is coming back because of Randy?
 
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