Racecar rookie and Northwestern graduate Paul Dana was fatally injured in a two-car collision during a practice round before a 300-mile IndyCar series event in Florida on Sunday. He was pronounced dead in a Miami hospital hours later. He was 30.
Dana, Medill ’95, collided at 200 mph with a car driven by fellow racer Ed Carpenter. Carpenter was released from a Miami hospital on Monday with a bruised lung. Despite the crash, the race still took place.
Dana’s death was a shock to the racing world because fatalities are not the “norm,” Dana’s publicist Tom Blattner said.
“The day of (the accident) was pretty tough,” Blattner said. “I think there is a little bit of healing going on now.
“It’s going to take some time,” he added.
At NU, Dana’s single-minded focus on cars made him stand out, said assistant magazine professor Charles Whitaker.
“There are some people fanatic about cars,” Whitaker said. “(Dana) lived with the car books all his life – He was the kind of kid who probably had back issues of those stashed under his bed.”
Dana took a magazine editing course with Whitaker in 1994. One assignment required students to analyze a magazine. Dana turned in a detailed analysis of Car and Driver, a car review magazine, Whitaker said.
“He knew the strengths and weakness of each book,” he said. “He was deeply immersed and engaged in this world.”
After college, Dana freelanced for several publications, including Sports Illustrated. He eventually left journalism to pursue racing full-time.
“It’s very unusual to find a college-educated kid that becomes a part of this world,” Whitaker said. “(Dana) knew he wanted to be part of the racing world probably as a writer but he also knew he wanted to drive. He was crystal clear about that.”
Dana and his publicist Blattner first met when Dana was working as a journalist. When Dana shifted to racing, he asked Blattner to represent him.
Dana followed the traditional path to racing, Blattner said. He first worked as a mechanic and driving instructor before driving small cars.
He injured his back in 2004, but after recovering he joined the Rahal Letterman Racing team, one of the best Indy teams in the league, Blattner said. The team includes 2004 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Rice and last year’s IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year, Danica Patrick. Hall of Fame driver Bobby Rahal and late-night talk-show host David Letterman own the team.
Members of Dana’s team pulled out of Sunday’s race.
When Dana made the leap from writing to racing, he used his journalism saavy to attract attention and gain sponsors, Blattner said.
“I followed Paul’s career because I knew him and he sent out press releases,” Blattner said. “He was very focused on what he was doing.”
Dana was an ardent believer in the use of ethanol, a clean-burning alternative to fuel. Dana’s sponsor was the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council, a coaliton of ethanol producers and industry leaders.
There will be a memorial service for Dana in St. Petersburg, Fla., Thursday at 5:15 p.m. Members of the racing community are expected to attend before gearing up for the next race in St. Petersburg on April 2.
Reach Deepa Seetharaman at [email protected].
