[openwheelfan1]

34 years ago today my brand new wife and I (we married the day before) sat at Winchester Speedway and watched in horror as James' car cleared the first turn wall. We sat right behind James' girlfriend and his mom and I can still hear their screams as he went over the wall. Racing lost one its brightest stars that day, a truly up and coming driver with the brightest of futures. Today, we again watched in horror as Dan Weldon crashed at Las Vegas. We feared the worst and our fears were confirmed. The racing world lost not only a great established driver, but a a great personality. May God be with the families in this time of sorrow and need. RIP James McElreath and Dan Wheldon.