• Bnet, Tuesday, October 18, 2011 10:35 AM

Jim Edwards argues that the desire for greater sponsorship money and TV ratings plays a role in making racing more dangerous, because, like fistfights in hockey, fans like to see crashes. "Fans love them, and racing’s owners, sponsors and broadcasters know that," he writes.

Edwards lays out a scenario that led up to something like desperation on the part of Dan Wheldon to win. IndyCar CEO may have felt the same, vis à vis keeping IndyCar afloat.

"Bernard rented the Las Vegas track, sold sponsorships to hotels and casinos, and set up a one-off $5 million prize for any driver from the rival NASCAR circuit who entered the race and won. He got no takers, but, writes Edwards, "…Wheldon, the 2005 IndyCar Series champion, didn’t have a racing team this year and was deemed eligible to enter the race as a sort of wild card. Bernard regarded the $5 million stunt as part of his ad budget.

So Wheldon was to attempt to win the $5 million prize for outsiders, and the battle for the Indy season champion.  "In hindsight, placing a driver desperate for a $5 million payday (that might have led back to a permanent contract with another racing team) against two drivers who’d spent the entire season eking out championship points looks like a collision waiting to happen."

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