IRL’s Renna Killed in Indy Crash

Tony Renna, one of America’s most promising young race car drivers and the newest member of Chip Ganassi’s Indy Racing League team, was killed Wednesday in a single-car accident during a tire test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Renna, 26, of De Land, Fla., was going about 218 mph in one of Team Target’s G Force-Toyotas when it crashed into the outside wall in the third turn, according to team observers, who said he was in only his fourth lap of the day. He was transported to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

“Tony was a rising star in the IndyCar series [and] all of us in racing feel a great loss,” said Tony George, the IRL and Speedway president.

The test was Renna’s first since being named to replace Tomas Scheckter as a teammate of Scott Dixon, who won the IRL championship Sunday. Dixon was not at the track, having left for Orlando, Fla., after practicing Tuesday.

“This is a great opportunity for me, it’s hard to keep the smile off my face,” Renna said two weeks ago when Ganassi hired him. “I can’t wait to team up again with Scott. It’s going to be a fun season.”

He and Dixon were teammates at PacWest Racing in 2000 in the Indy Lights series when Dixon won the championship and Renna finished fifth.

The vacancy came about when Scheckter moved to Panther Racing for 2004.

The Ganassi and Marlboro Team Penske teams were at Indianapolis taking part in a two-day Firestone tire test that included Sam Hornish Jr., Penske’s replacement for retired Indy 500 winner Gil de Ferran, and Helio Castroneves. The track was closed after Renna’s accident, however.

Track officials said the cause of the accident was not known.

“Our safety personnel will work with the Firestone people to attempt to re-create the crash and determine its cause,” Speedway spokesman Ron Green said.

The impact also apparently damaged a portion of the track’s catch fence in front of a bleacher area.

Renna is the 67th person to be fatally injured at the Speedway since it opened in 1909. The last driver killed was Scott Brayton, who died while practicing for the 500 in 1996. The last driver of a major open-wheel series to lose his life was Greg Moore in the final CART race of 1999 at California Speedway.

The accident came only a week after a near-fatal crash involving Kenny Brack in an IRL race at Texas Motor Speedway that caused massive injuries to the former Indy 500 winner. Brack, who suffered fractures to his upper leg, sternum, back and both ankles, was flown Tuesday from Dallas to Indianapolis, where he will undergo a lengthy rehabilitation.

According to an ESPN survey, in 87 IRL races in the last eight years, there have been 76 drivers hospitalized from accidents occurring on the all-oval wheel racing circuit. Thirteen of them were this year, including major injuries to De Ferran, Airton Dare, Felipe Giaffone and Brack.

Before joining Ganassi, Renna had been under contract to Kelley Racing. In seven races for Kelley, he finished five times in the top 10, including a seventh in last May’s Indianapolis 500 after qualifying eighth. His best finish was a fourth last year at Michigan.

In June 2002, he replaced Al Unser Jr. in one of Kelley’s cars while Unser was undergoing treatment for alcoholism, but this year his only race was the Indy 500. His duties have been as a coach for actor Jason Priestley and team test driver.