A horrific accident at this weekend’s Las Vegas Indy 300 involving 15 cars resulted in death of two-time Indy 500 champion, Dan Wheldon.

The 15-car pileup on lap 12 of the Vegas race is said to be one of the worst crashes in the history of the sport. Dan’s car hit the traffic at high speed, went airborne and burst into flames. Wheldon was taken to a hospital soon after he was recovered from the wreckage, but died due to severity of his injuries.

Dan Wheldon, originally British, with his movie-star good looks and cool character, was one of the most skilled drivers in IndyCar, winning at Indianapolis two times in 2005 and 2011, and a 16-time race winner.

The Vegas race was cancelled after the crash, but the drivers did a five-lap salute in Dan’s honor. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and two little sons. May he Rest In Peace.

Here’s a video of the crash :

Picture: Sun.co.uk