A note I wanted to make about some parts of the video: Near the end, there's some newspaper headlines that mention "driver error" as the cause of the crash. The newspapers later issued corrections stating that driver error was an incorrect summary of the accident investigation. IndyCar never blamed the crash on Renna and - like we mention in the video - never had an explanation for what happened. And we never got too detailed in the video with the crash itself because there's so many second-hand reports that its hard to tell with certainty what happened there as well.

@Jam5zW

4 жыл бұрын

For what it’s worth, my father worked for IndyCar and according to him most people believe the uncharacteristically cold temperatures that day was likely the biggest contributing factor. Of course we’ll never know for sure.

@gwcrispi

4 жыл бұрын

I did a track tour on the little bus a few days after the accident. The skid marks were still there. He clipped the grass at the apex of the turn. But the most surreal part was how the skid marks just ended half way up the track with the car completely sideways. It is not hard to picture what happened next.

@tsunamianakin9649

4 жыл бұрын

I saw a comment on a fatal Indy crash tribute who did tons of research on this crash apparently the car was still accelerating when it got airborne

@gwcrispi

4 жыл бұрын

@@tsunamianakin9649 Not possible. It was sideways when it went airborne.

@tsunamianakin9649

4 жыл бұрын

Gary Crispin I said apprarintly

Who was Tony Renna? Tony was my best friend and next door neighbor when he lived in Victorville California. I'll always remember the day he and his family left for Florida. RIP Tony. You're still missed.

@motorsportfan1246

2 жыл бұрын

Sorry for your loss bro ❤️

@dxrlingsofmine

5 ай бұрын

I’m sorry if you don’t really want to say anything, but is it okay if I can ask you of your favorite memory of Tony?

@SpookyFow

5 ай бұрын

@@dxrlingsofmine We were young children when I knew him. I didn't connect it at the time, but everything we played revolved around cars or racing. He had a cool driveway that we would race our Big Wheels down. It was an asphalt nightmare that would rip us to shreds when we wiped out. But that never stopped us from dragging our Big Wheels back up again and again.

@Nebula_Ultra

Ай бұрын

That sucks bro. Sorry. I'm glad you knew him while he was here. Seemed cool.

Thank you for making this. Tony Renna is lost in most people’s memory and he deserves to be known.

I'd forgotten just how violent Kenny Brack's crash really was, and how much Robert Wickens' Pocono crash resembled it. Glad they both survived and have continued on with their lives!

@jraybay

Жыл бұрын

For sure. Both crashes looked fatal and they're both still with us thankfully. Not that it matters at this point either, but Kenny's crash looked way worse and he somehow got out of it still able to walk. Crashes are weird like that sometimes

@Dexter037S4

Ай бұрын

@@jraybay Kenny's crash is literally fatal, he should not have survived by any scientific metric. The fact he's here alone is a miracle, that science literally cannot explain.

A warning to please not read this if you are disturbed by graphic details as it's heartbreaking to say, but there are multiple reports of Tony's remains being discovered #1- in the seats, #2- in a vending area adjacent to the seats, #3- embedded into the fencing, #4- beneath the seats, #5- on the grassy area between the seats and vending area, and most horrifically #6- on the access road behind the grandstands used by concession vehicles (some 100 yards beyond the track). There was briefly a forum that existed on Renna before reddit, in which a photo of a biohazard team tending to a vast acreage outside the track itself, could be observed. It is also factual that multiple seats and guardrails were badly damaged by flying chunks of his car. A tell tale sign of the violence was that his helmet was found in multiple pieces, which takes extraordinary force. The belief is that his throttle stuck, he pitched the car sideways on purpose entering the turn to avoid beelining straight for the outside wall, but the car pitched sideways at 225mph not only got fully airborne, but in a case of horrible luck, the first portion of the car that struck the fencing, was the very top of a primary catchfence support beam impaling (which are angled at about 45 degrees facing the track, an unwise feature) and this angled support beam pierced through Tony's helmet followed by his body down through the seat area all in a fraction of a second (car upside down and backwards if you can picture the angle) at 225mph, the force of which essentially disintegrated the entirety of his head and most of his body in a fraction of a second as the fencing around the disintegrating cockpit then laterally shredded the remains of his body milliseconds later (picture catapulting a human body 225mph through a mesh of laterally taut barbwire strands). In other words, Tony's actual body impacted the fencing prior to the car due to a freakishly unlucky impact angle, with a massive steel support beam piercing through the body long-wise, followed a split millisecond later by horizontal (thinner) fencing lines dicing the remains that already were pulverized lengthwise. One of the commentors on this thread in 2004 before it was taken down gave specific details about the almost incomprehensible body destruction, stating that track attendants knew he'd been killed immediately even from far vantage points because there was literally a "red mist" that erupted from the impact with the fence. Essentially, had this happened on raceday to a packed house, not only would perhaps a couple dozen spectators would have been killed by the vast majority of the car chunks entering the stands, but even more gruesomely, hundreds of spectators would have been showered in human remains in a split second. As for the "on video" rumors, that's highly speculative. While there was overwhelming agreement on the details of what was discovered by arrivers on scene of the crash site, I don't recall anything advancing beyond vague heresay about a "video". The track cameras were not being monitored or recording at that time, so if it's on video, it's due to A- one of very limited team members filming the session, or B- a track security camera perhaps catching grainy footage of the impact in the background. The actuality of the Renna catastrophe, was essentially far worse body destruction than the Russell Phillips crash (which was bad enough), combined with the massive death toll of Le Mans averted solely due to it happening to occur during a closed session. Had this accident occurred during the Indy 500, it would be the most horrific, infamous crash in modern motor racing history. RIP Tony.

@ecardona53

4 жыл бұрын

I will admit this isn't much of a reliable source, but I know of a youtube commenter who said he knew Renna's family and they said most of the descriptions you see on the web of the accident and the damage inflicted to his body have all been exaggerated, and although the fence messed him up good, and most of the car ended up in the stands, he was relatively intact. I forgot where I read this, but one account that stuck out to me basically said that when Renna's car hit the fence, the tub swung around and the fence sheared the front end of the car off, along with most of Renna's lower half, causing major blood loss all over the third turn. Think Alex Zanardi's crash with fence post doing most of the damage.

@gregj831

4 жыл бұрын

I be shocked if he did have a stuck throttle as you don't hear of that one much anymore and I'd never expect a team like Ganassi to have something like that happen but I suppose it could. I think much of the rest of what you've heard is probably close because that Speedway flat out buried that accident. I do remember them cutting the speeds way back. Someone on here heard they had a CART engine in the car?

@MidgetRacer8192

4 жыл бұрын

you guys do realize that a stuck throttle isn't a problem on a track where you are wide open to start with, right?

@rayhankazianga6817

3 жыл бұрын

@@MidgetRacer8192 tell that to Kenny Irwin junior and Adam petty.

@lorddrac_dontaskmetodance

3 жыл бұрын

@@MidgetRacer8192 That's where you're wrong. The only way you can get a throttle to stick is to be wide open because that's where the rest of the components of the car/engine is. Have the lever catches any of it, hung throttle.

R.I.P. Tony Renna. I think there is footage of it, but it is probably graphic. That is why they didn’t release it, because of fear.

If that crash Never happened, he would have been a winner in the IRL for sure

@UnimatrixOne

3 жыл бұрын

think he was not THAT good :(

@captainnebulous2918

3 жыл бұрын

@@UnimatrixOne How do you know? We never got to see what he could do in Ganassi equipment. That would have told the story. I'm fairly certain he would have won at least several races and probably even a championship.

@Spyker8921

3 жыл бұрын

@@UnimatrixOne He was very good, actually. His first race in 2002 was really impressive.

Apparently it was a good thing his crash happened during a private test. Rumors are it would have ended IndyCar if it happened during a race

@spence7985

4 жыл бұрын

is it really true that you invented the giraffe by uppercutting a horse?

@razburry8001

4 жыл бұрын

A living legend

@spence7985

4 жыл бұрын

@@razburry8001 did you also know he beat the sun in a staring contest?

@razburry8001

4 жыл бұрын

@@spence7985 He doesn't even need a suit to breath on the moon

@The52car

4 жыл бұрын

In all seriousness, you can't help but wonder if it would have been like Le Mans in '55...

So heartbreaking. I watch as much IndyCar as possible when it doesn't conflict with NASCAR. Their crashes are horrifying. Don't know how their families are able to get through them.

This video and Smiley's video were great. I like learning about this history of these drivers, ones that are really only known because of their deaths. They should be remembered for much more than that, and you show it through these. I'd love to see more of these kinds of videos.

@acer5871

4 жыл бұрын

Russell Phillips, Scott Baker, Eric Martin and Rodney Orr come to mind from the stock car perspective

@caiuscosades6423

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah apparently Russel Phillips was a 6ft12 gentle giant that was ironically squeamish.

Thank you for videos like this. Videos like these remind us about the human side of race car drivers. Not the fatal crash videos which trivializes their deaths and sacrifice for safety.

When they're power washing the track, that's never good...

I love that you highlight these unfortunately forgotten drivers . Great job

Tony Renna is also the reason that Ganassi does not run the #1 car when they've won a title. 2004 being literally the worst year for the team and the fact Renna was in Dixon's #1 car after winning the title basically when he had his crash made the team write off ever running that number in IndyCar again, as much as it pisses off the purists when they don't run it. And yeah... From what I've found is that has Renna's accident happened during a race, it would have been up there with Le Mans '55 in terms of racing tragedy. There were reports of pieces of body tissue under the grand stands and across the street and if you noticed, Indy has removed all the seats from the area Tony crashed in.

@gregj831

4 жыл бұрын

@goomba1982 It must have been a really bad one because not one son of bitch is saying one word about it. I can understand respecting the family's privacy but too much privacy can prevent figuring out what may have caused that car to launch airborne like that.

@bw-leftturnracing7779

2 жыл бұрын

Ganassi recently ran the #1 again with Tony Kanaan in this year's Indy 500

3:07 THAT'S A FREAKING SUPRA PACECAR!

@jacobplata

4 жыл бұрын

I saw that too.

@SinginShooter

4 жыл бұрын

Woah! *sprays glasses* Is that a SUpra!?

@e3pres

4 жыл бұрын

Of of the teams that races with us in WRL has one of those original pace cars that they've converted for endurance racing. It is pretty amazing to see it on track in its original PPG livery!

@Garf2O

3 жыл бұрын

Oh my god a fat pig pacecar! Japanese for the win!!!

Did not expect to see this.I had pleasure of working with Tony trying to find drives in UK and Europe.But this gives very accurate description of his career.RIP Tony

Apparently there is footage of the accident, taken by a security camera outside the track, apparently the Speedway confiscated and destroyed it. Whatever happened that day was something unimaginable, and clearly something that the IRL and the speedway did not want released. It’s possible in my mind that an error made by the speedway or the IRL themselves caused the accident. The dead bird story is plausible, but I don’t know why they’d keep that a secret, because everyone would understand it was nothing more then a freak accident.

@Mentally_Will

4 жыл бұрын

Not to sound dismissive, stranger, but while for the longest time people believed that story about the footage, I've noticed that recently people seem to be dismissing it. Just in the last few videos on this channel regarding lost footage, people have been referring to that footage existing, only for several others to express doubt (including the Nascarman account iirc). I'd wager Brock was aware of the rumors but specifically said there was no footage to refute the rumor without wasting time on conjecture. Lemme put it this way: so you know how Wikipedia has those categories at the bottom of the page? For the longest time, Renna's Wikipedia page was categorized under "filmed deaths"; now it isn't.

@gone-sovereign

4 жыл бұрын

@@Mentally_Will Here's an article from the Renna crash investigation. This is probably the reason why. www.news24.com/xArchive/Sport/MoreSport/No-visuals-of-fatal-crash-20031024 Basically the cameras weren't active because it was a private test session.

@tsunamianakin9649

4 жыл бұрын

I saw a comment on another vid who said the car was still accelerating when it got airborne

@_marcelg

4 жыл бұрын

@@tsunamianakin9649 Maybe he was dead when something hit his head and his feet was still on the gas pedal. Like Henry Surtees after a tire hit his head.

@SyedIAhmed-wi3jm

4 жыл бұрын

More likely than not it’s not that the speedway or the irl made an error, but video would’ve shown that parts of the car were scattered thru the grandstands, which anyone involved with Indy would want people to find out in graphic detail. Things are different now of course but no one needs to know that a car crashed thru the fencing and into the grandstands especially a track like Indy.

Great documentary. What an amazing, yet tragic, story, about someone who wanted it so bad. Someone that was willing to race anything to keep racing. Tony Renna would have had a great career.

2003 was probably one of the worst years for IRL and airborne cars. You had Mario almost clear the fence in that testing accident at Indy, Wheldon and Brack as saw here, and Helio Castroneves managed to get a car airborne at RICHMOND of all place. It was a pretty scary year. Renna's wreck i think is so speculative because of the IRL keeping quiet about the accident report and the footage (also the general lack there of makes it more of a mystery) that was shown on local news channels. There was damage to the grandstands area of turn 3 which likely meant the car speared through the fence rather than bouncing off of it which is an absolutely frightening thought. (More than likely akin to what we saw with Sophia Floresch at Macau GP in 2018). Pretty much the only thing people go off is hearsay with that wreck from forums and what little was revealed about descriptions in articles after the fact to piece together what went down that October day. Renna's career is a big what-if on if he didn't run into so many troubles. He was killing it with PacWest in Lights but that team folded entirely in both CART and Indy Lights 5-6 months after he was released. What if Kelley were to give him more of a chance because Unser (drug issues aside) at that point was a mid-field driver who had one-two good races a year so why not try a young guy? And what could've happened with his run at Ganassi....Ganassi's team didn't have a good run at all in 2004 but you could argue losing Renna really damaged that team for 04. Might have been championship contenders with former buddies from Pac West....its a big wonder that we'll never get to know. The really frustrating thing with Renna's legacy is other than being Kelley Racing's super-sub and having an awesome tag team run with Jerry Nadeau, He was one of the boys who ran a "Cure Autism Now" car. For those on the autism spectrum that whole company is blatant ignorance of what the disorder is and how it works...It's genetic and occurs at birth/conception, you cannot cure Autism, it is apart of that person for life. Autism is so far reaching that it can be as small as just being awkward at social cues/skills, but otherwise being able to function normally to being as big as being non-able to do the basic functions of life as we know it. There's a lot more complexity to it that i can't explain in a youtube comment section but it goes farther than what people thought of back then is pretty much the short and simple version of it. (I am a aspie/High functioning autistic and also work with autistic kids in my line of work so its a thing that i am still learning about the processes of it even to this day) Essentially Cure Autism Now is a sponsor i'd associate with wack sponsors like that Scientology car that ran the Indy 500 in 80s or Rich Energy with Haas F1 on being bizarre/crap people more than that philanthropic image they tried to portray.

@TotoDG

4 жыл бұрын

Don’t forget Townsend Bell’s Herbalife car.

@thetechfromheaven

4 жыл бұрын

Veedverks was a more Legit sponsor than that autism BS, and It didn't even raced in cup due to NASCAR's prohibitionist ass!

@caiuscosades6423

4 жыл бұрын

@@TotoDG What about Santino Ferruci's failed attempt to have a MAGA car during a F2 race. It's not even political thing but you will never see Lewis Hamilton driving a vote Labour sponsor during a race, or Vettel with a Merkel one because F1 is an international sport and if it's stars are having ideological wars with each other they will have to pull out races. On twitter yeah I don't care, say what you want, bonus points if you are retired. I.E. Fittipaldi supporting Bolsonaro. Yes the latter is a blockhead but Fittipaldi has his own opinions and rights to express them. Just don't plaster them on a car like cheesy bumper stickers

@jamesbraun9842

Жыл бұрын

Still not as embarrassing as having to drive a car sponsored by Viagra.

@Altamonteric

Жыл бұрын

@@jamesbraun9842 I think at least Mark Martin fit the age range so it at least made sense from a advertiser's perspective.

Another guy who's sadly defined mostly by his death and the folklore surrounding it, much like Gordon Smiley. Yet another guy from the long list of Motorsport 'what-ifs', but as ever, another nice guy on the verge of catching the break he deserved and stolen too soon

Thanks for doing such a great IndyCar vid. Since you included it at the end, Dixon's most recent big crash at Indy still boggles my mind that he walked away. His head was about 6 inches from hitting that wall.

@AlonsoRules

4 жыл бұрын

that crash was in a car that looked like Greg Moore

@gagemcpherson4454

4 жыл бұрын

I got to see Tony Renna race at his 1 and only Indy 500 there in 2003 it was only my 2nd 500 I was 9 and I got Dixon's autograph the day before his big crash on raceday in 2017

Nascar man History. Love your content, and please dont take any offense, I could listen to Brock narrate anything. He has a calming voice. Even in moments of reporting something devastating, he has a way to pull on your hearts strings, while still keeping it calm. You guys are very respected in the community. Got to throw S1apshoes in there too

@nascarmanHistory

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for saying that. I appreciate your nice words

@fernandolomas6635

3 жыл бұрын

@@nascarmanHistory I found out that someone actually has security camera footage of Renna's fatal crash. Apparently one screenshot shows the rear end of the car airborne, and another screenshot shows the huge mess that resulted afterwards.

@fernandolomas6635

3 жыл бұрын

@@nascarmanHistory Could you probably do a video like this on Art Pollard or Jim Malloy? Both of them were actually quite talented.

Poor bloke, he most likely died a very violent and gruesome death, even worse than Smiley. Rest In Peace Tony

I will never forget reading the headline of his crash on the rpm2night website that day. Senior year of high school and just got into computer class. Having a spare moment before class started I decided to check the site. To say I was shocked would be an understatement, my dad and I really liked him and were excited to see him have a full ride and with a great team. I reeeeally hoping Ganassi eventually writes a tell all book and explains what he knows and saw that day.

@gregj831

4 жыл бұрын

Damn right Ganassi knows what happened and there's a reason he's not talking. After reading one of the other posts I now firmly believe they had a much more powerful CART engine in that chassis and were wanting to get a feel for the kind of speeds the chassis could attain. Recall that during those days IndyCar racing was way down and it needed something to light a spark. A new track record at Indy would most definitely have accomplished this. Newly hired by one of the best teams in all of motor racing, Renna was most likely super pumped and all too eager to impress an owner with a reputation for unloading drivers at the first sign of nonperformance. They're saying that car first spun into the inside grass then launched with enough speed to go airborne and sail clear across that track and through steel fencing where it blew into a million pieces! That car had to be going at least 240 mph to do something like that. Covering the whole thing up only makes it look worse. They have footage and know.

It's fascinating to see the driver's full story rather than just just footage of fatal crash. G.Smiley's video was very good too. It would be nice if you could do Jeff Krosnoff's story at some point

I didn’t know Renna for his death in fact I didn’t even know about him until 3 or so days ago. But he deserves to be known for his success not his passing. Thank you for this video. R.I.P Renna we’ll see you at the finish line in heaven.

Such a Great, yet tragic video. Thanks for all you do, preserving racing history.

Really good video, ive always wanted to learn more about him before irl. My family's friend Mike Ford shows up in this vid when jason preasly is on screen, he was scott sharps spotter at the time. He works for Penske now as Pagenaud's spotter. If I remember next time i see him I'll ask about renna.

The next one should be on Scott Brayton and how dangerous the walls at Indy were back then

@psychlops924

4 жыл бұрын

Razburry Boi 87 I recently learned some of his story and it’s so tragic. He won pole for the Indy 500, then died in a practice crash 6 days later testing a backup car. He was replaced by Danny Ongais, who drove the car from 33rd to 7th. Had Scott started from pole, who knows how he could have done.

@Sean-if7rp

4 жыл бұрын

Psychlops 924 Ongais was 54 years old and was still able to get that car from 33rd to 7th, very tragic what happened to Scott

Love these videos. You do so many lost drivers justice with these

There are aspects of this crash that do not make sense, which is what is adding to the mystery of it all. The primary thing being that Tony's car went through the fence and landed in the grandstands, i.e. it knocked the fence down.( I have to state that, because when you say "through the fence" people like to claim the car and Tony were in itty bitty pieces.) While we'd had crashes in the past, and just that past year where cars got into the fence, though the fences failed, they did do their job and deflect the car back onto the track. This time the fence did not. There's also the fact that for as far as the car slid, it shouldn't have had enough force when it reached the fence to knock it down. This has lead to a consistent rumor that Tony's car wasn't exactly up to 2004 IRL Spec. There seems to be a belief that Tony's car had the current spec CART engine in the back. Whether CGR were running it for shits and giggles or at the request of the IRL is not known. This would explain how he managed to still be carrying enough speed to get up and through the fence. It's also believed this is part of the reason there is so much secrecy and mystery surrounding this crash. Drivers get hurt a lot in these cars, and sometimes they're killed. But this crash, of all of them, seems to generate the most unanswered questions. The IRL and CGR have always been rather moot about this crash.

@DavidLand91

4 жыл бұрын

Why on earth would Chip be using a 2002 spec Toyota CART motor?

@Fitch93

4 жыл бұрын

Story I read had 2 main theories and one..lesser theory. Either, Chip was trying to convince the IRL to move to a Higher HP Turbo Engine, or the IRL was looking into moving to the Turbo V8 and this was a demonstration. The "lesser theory" is that It was used to put higher loads on the tires to give them a "better" workout, through it's higher speeds. Darren Manning has mentioned testing IRL chassis' with bigger motors in the abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnel that Chip owns. Do I buy this theory...I dunno, but it lends a valid reason for Tony's crash being as horrendous as it was and for all the secrecy that seems to be surrounding it.

@gregj831

4 жыл бұрын

You make a very valid point. Fans live to see new track records at Indy and at that time in open wheeled racing Indy Car Officials were hard put desperate to raise attendance figures. If he did have a CART engine in that car then it would have been far more powerful than regular IRL engine. Holy shit! Here they had a young firebrand itching to impress new prestigious owner. An owner with a reputation for being very demanding and unforgiving for non-performance. I think you may be right! Renna very likely lost it at over 240! Only smash like that could launch a car from the freaking inside grass to where it cannon balled in mid-air all the way across the track and into steel catch fencing where it simply disentigrated.

@Jonathan83X

2 жыл бұрын

The fact that nobody has a said a word about the crash this whole time, not even Ganassi himself only furthers my suspicions that Chip not only made dangerous modifications to Renna's car, but possibly illegal ones too. There can be no other logical explanation for this bizarre hush hush about it. His crash must have been so bad, it would have ruined not only Chip's reputation, but the Speedway's as well had all the details gotten out. Why else would they not want to talk about it? If it was simply just a freak accident and nothing more, then there would be no reason to go this far to keep it a secret. Something very shady went down that day. I'm 90% sure Ganassi and the Speedway had to pay huge compensation to the Renna family to keep them from coming out with the truth because I have no idea how any of them could keep quiet otherwise. A crash like this, one would think most family members would be so angry after finding out about this reckless experiment, they'd want to retaliate by telling the press. I hope one day someone who was there or knows the details about it will finally come clean about this horrific crash, but at this rate, it's looking very unlikely. I have a strong feeling this is one secret Ganassi and those at the Speedway that day are going to take their graves.

Good guy. I got to be around him and work on his car some while working @ Skip Barber. Mellow attitude, but determined.

Great video. Tony Renna is a name I have always remembered since his accident. I never seen him race, in fact before this video I did not even know he had previous IRL experience (as well as good results for a rookie!). When I read about his crash I was upset, despite never seeing him race. I had just caught the IRL bug at the time, but the season was over, and I had heard about this driver, how he had finally gotten his big break with a top team and I was ready for him to be my guy for the season ahead. I don't know why his death touched me so much, despite knowing practically nothing about him....maybe its because the name Renna is a lot like Senna. Whatever, I am sure they both died doing what they loved. Tony Renna will always be a name I remember.

@nascarman History, Thank you so much for doing this. Like you said, we tend to remember the names or Renna and Smiley because of their tragic deaths. Its a nice change to learn about all the accomplished in their careers, coming up through the ranks. Nice to see pictures of Tony in his PacWest days. I had no idea he spotted for Unser, and its crazy it see how impressive he was with so little seat time when he drove for Kelley. Its nice to remember the people for their triumphs, not the moment they left us.

What a good story that I had no idea of the background of Tony. I remember reading about his crash and someone sAying if the crash would have happened in the Indy 500 there would not have been enough ambulances in the Indy area to haul out the injured spectators.

Reminds me of Dan Wheldon's fatal crash at Las Vegas. The car catching air, going airborne and hitting the catch fence. Most likely hitting a catch fence post.

This is the first video I’ve seen on your channel. Very good nascarman.

I still remember vividly the 2002 Michigan because my favorite driver at the time Tomas Sheckter (yes the destroyer) won. Yet it was Tony who got my attention because I belive he finished in the top 10 as he was filling in for little Al. That and the fact is last name was so similar to Ayrton Senna which is why I still remember him. Just tragic who knows what he could have become i believe he would have been a champion And maybe even still be racing who knows .

Thanks for making videos like this Tony’s death was super tragic and do some of the research I have done on this accident it was pretty gruesome

@conorlauren

4 жыл бұрын

The car went through the catch fence and was ripped to shreds and deposited in the stands - and over the stands and under. Renna was strapped into his seat when the seat hit the catch fence. Afterward, the seat was still in one piece on the catch fence and Renna was, well, where the car was.

@LoganCogar

4 жыл бұрын

@@conorlauren yeah some of the things people are saying in the forms and stuff I don't think is true I don't think they would take him to the hospital if he was in as bad of shape as people say he was in but still it was a bad crash

@conorlauren

4 жыл бұрын

BIGLOWMAC ENTERTAINMENT indeed. The reports were that not all of him was in the seat. Much like with Greg Moore (I knew from that first cut he was dead) if there is any sign of vitals, he’s brought to trauma center to be pronounced there.

@LoganCogar

4 жыл бұрын

conorlauren yeah some where saying he was cut in half

@caiuscosades6423

4 жыл бұрын

@@conorlauren I mean Tony George could easily make up a narrative and lie to the media since how many little witnesses the crash. The only people who could know are field Marshalls and the medical crew.

Tony Renan was a nice you man I got to see him grow up from about 14 till his death , he had great personality just all American kid

Thank you for this video and the series. It shows how the driver lived. Most people think of Renna as the Ganassi test driver who got killed.

Thank you for a very good film about this driver.

SBT Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão have images in the footage, golden era of Indycars in Brazil when indy lights have a momentum here

Great video, Tony was my favorite going back to the Mattco days

Thank you for this video. I raced in the USF2000 at Disney in 1997. I remember seeing Tony Renna at the driver’s meeting. Even though early in his career, he had already made a name for himself. He was just a nice young kid with a sweet, genuine smile. I remember how sad I felt for his family when I heard about the accident. R.I.P.

Thank you very much for this. You have a new subscriber. Keep up the good work. :-)

Enjoyed video thank you !

Probably the most covered up secret in IMS history

@RunningOn7CylindersYT

4 жыл бұрын

@goomba1982 If that happened that employee would be fired, and charged a bit of cash

@GregBrownsWorldORacing

4 жыл бұрын

Wonder if Mr. Penske knows of a copy? It's now his..

@ReprogrammedToHate

4 жыл бұрын

Believe me, it's better this way.

@GregBrownsWorldORacing

4 жыл бұрын

@@ReprogrammedToHate Similar to LeMans 55, if you're really persistent and stubborn one can find much more gruesome pictures. The easy ones to find are covered bodies and wider shots with few details and of the car burning with nobody in it.

@ShitHappensRLY

4 жыл бұрын

@goomba1982 it is the fact that cameras at IMS existed at the time and had been installed after some controversy during 2002 Indy-500. And the fact of existing of the footage is almost certain.

Renna, Orr & Phillips. 3 crashes that will haunt me & still make me wish I knew more about what happened. I dug into Renna's accident a handful of years ago & it freaked me out that what really happened almost seems worse than the online rumours say.

@acer5871

4 жыл бұрын

There’s footage freely available of Russell Phillips crash if it’s him you’re referring too. I did a similar thing with Rodney Orr’s crash, apparently the “drivers side roof hitting the wall” is a severe understatement, apparently he hit the catch fence roof first, he wasn’t decapitated but it killed him in a gruesome way. Apparently the roll cage got split in half as well. There was an aftermath photo of the car which got uploaded at roughly the same time his autopsy photos were released by that person back in 2001, but the aftermath photo got taken down as the lawsuit his family filed included every photo uploaded by that guy.

@nascarmanHistory

4 жыл бұрын

@@acer5871 on that topic, I found this posting from a message board in April 2001 where someone describes what the car looked like after viewing that aftermath photo. Apparently, that catch fence really tore Orr's car apart too. "After seeing the pictures of Rodney Orr's car, I have to wonder what in the heck happened? I mean that car was completely destroyed, the roll cage snapped in half, the driver's side cage is completely gone, his helmet was destroyed... you can tell Neil's roof was cut off, but Orr's roof looks sheared (as well as the entire drivers side of the car)."

@nameless7838

4 жыл бұрын

@@acer5871 I've seen it, I'm just more curious about the cleanup & how quickly they decided to continue the race after what they had to get off the track. The TV crew recording the race had their cameras turned off & packed up within 5 minutes. The only thing they filmed after that was a short interview with the winner. And Orr's wreck was really close to mirroring Andy Farr's crash earlier that week. There wasn't a carchfence at the time, when he rolled up. The track the driver's side window area hit the wall collapsing it in & the caution light went through the gap in the roof & added to the damage done in the autopsy photos.

@SebrystianVettel

4 жыл бұрын

@@nameless7838 the aftermath photo still online or not? i cant found it really curious about it

@jamesbraun9842

4 жыл бұрын

They did a brief description of Orr in the toughest speed weeks and blood on the asphalt. It said he grew up poor and started racing before NASCAR he was in modifieds and was funded by the town he lived in with a team made by his father mostly using second hand parts and a used car with crew who received minimal pay or were volunteers. They went to Daytona to test and he had to run the cheaper less reliable Hoosier tires. He ran good for a first time guy but was killed in an accident during practice

Amazing job

What a terrible tragedy..RIP Tony Renna. Motorsport really is a tough sport.

Tony Renna, Dan Wheldon, Greg Moore, Dale Sr...everytime i see something about their deaths i cry so much, even tough (minus Dan) i wasnt into motorsport when they died. Never forget those legends

Very well done

Holy shit…19 years ago yesterday, Tony Renna was gruesomely killed in a testing accident at the IMS in 2003 at 26. 😢 Rest In Peace, Tony.🥀🥀

The next one should be on Paul dana

@nascarmanHistory

4 жыл бұрын

There was a weird connection between Renna and Dana I found doing this. While Renna was Unser's usual spotter, Paul Dana was the spotter for Unser during the 2003 Indy 500 while Renna was racing.

@juanbautista1851

4 жыл бұрын

That's interesting and 03 was the same year as Mario's crash I just saw video of his both sound very similar

@sennadesillva

4 жыл бұрын

In case you do a video on Paul, I came across a really good article a couple months ago about Paul Dana's wife and how hard it was for her to get over Paul's death. She was pregnant at the time and apparently was waiting to tell Paul in person. She, unfortunately, never got that opportunity. https ://einsurancenews.com/2019/06/30/how-tonya-bergeson-dana-coped-with-the-loss-of-husband-paul-dana-after-indy-car-wreck/

@tsunamianakin9649

4 жыл бұрын

Or Jeff krosnoff

@juanbautista1851

4 жыл бұрын

Yes doing one for him would be good or Greg moore

I think he would have ended up being a fantastic driver and possible champion.

Shout out Bob Pockrass he’s a good guy

@nascarmanHistory

4 жыл бұрын

I didn't realize Bob and Tony were friends before doing this video. Bob working for the Daytona Beach News Journal in the 90s and Tony being from Daytona, they crossed paths a lot.

Remember a great racer cut short of his career. Rest In Peace winner up in heaven! 1374 Conifer Ct Deland Fl

Like the rest, I'm speculating too, but the temperature and the tires are not really addressed. I'd think Renna would have started out tentatively. Building courage, speed, confidence, temperature and grip as the laps increased, but it was still 50 degrees and these tires were likely designed for 90+ degree weather. I just don't think you can drive it into turn three like you would in May. To quote Dale Earnhart after losing his great friend Neil Bonnett "It's just one of those really bad deals"

I live about 30 min from IMS...I've went to qualifying and practice just about every year since I was born in 83..I've been to several INDY 500..I was there in the early 90s when Scott Brayton was killed in turn 2..saw the whole accident..I will never forget that day..I love racing..the risk and danger is just part it

From everything I have read since this video came out, It sounds like the graphic/violent nature of the crash is a mix between the crashes of Krosnoff, Wheldon, and Conway amplified by 5 with a little bit of Zanardi and Smiley.

@caiuscosades6423

4 жыл бұрын

I see it more like if Takahashi Yokayama's crash and Gordon Smiley's crash had a baby

@caiuscosades6423

4 жыл бұрын

@Skip Tiburon you mean Flight 1771. That's the one where the plane turned into confetti

Today its the 17th anniversary of his death. I cant believe its 17 years ago. Here in germany Indycar is not so pupular but there was an article about him. I did a tribute for him in the videogame Gran Turismo Sport ❤️

There is no footage of this crash. This is a good thing, really.

@johnnyweaver9946

Жыл бұрын

It’s out there somewhere I think

@briantaylor9285

Жыл бұрын

@@johnnyweaver9946 not sure you would want to see that, if it exists.

@xSoccerxCorex

Жыл бұрын

@@johnnyweaver9946 it was a closed door firestone tire test, it's HIGHLY doubtful IMS would turn on their closed circuit system for it.

@johnnyweaver9946

Жыл бұрын

@@xSoccerxCorex heard security cameras have footage

@gregj831

3 ай бұрын

I would think for purely safety reasons the Speedway cameras were on that day.

Should have never done tests with temperatures like that. Poor judgement.

Hey man, nice video. You ought to do one on Jeff Krosnoff!

Reading the post below about what happened (total disintegration after impalment from fence pole) I can see why people think that this crash would have ended the IRL had it happened during a race. Horrific doesn't describe it. Even worse than Gordon Smiley if that's possible.

@inky.64

3 жыл бұрын

I'd argue it would be easily the most horrific accident in the passed 20-30 years, had it happened during the race itself.

@caiuscosades6423

2 жыл бұрын

Gordon Smiley's crash was like a child flipping over those garden cars and getting a booboo compared to the mega plane crash that Renna allegedly suffered.

An unheralded owner/driver was one of racings oddest people. He was a rich playboy from the 20's to the 50's. The first to use a radio in a car at Indy. The 1946 winning car owner, Joel Wolfe Thorne. A multi millionaire at 10, he led the way in all kinds of motorsports, Indy, motorcycle, boats and planes! He was a stunt pilot in many early flying movies. And his son even raced in NASCAR. I spoke to his son years ago. Joel would be an interesting story on many levels.

@kurtperleberg3478

4 жыл бұрын

That would be a good video for NASCARman history to do.

@johnstark4723

4 жыл бұрын

@@kurtperleberg3478 Joel was a character. His father left him the estate, not to his mother. His father died in a freak accident changing a tire on the side of the road at night. His mother sued him to try and get a bigger allowance! Oddly enough, after being the 1946 Indy 500 winning car owner he never managed to qualify for another Indy 500 and he tried up to his death. He died tragically hours after his 55th birthday when he suffered vertigo and crashed his plane into an LA apartment building killing a one year old baby. His life was full of wild things and tragedy. He was also my late mothers cousin but she never knew that while he was alive. My uncle had thought they were related but didn't know for certain until months before he too passed away.

@kurtperleberg3478

4 жыл бұрын

@@johnstark4723 What wild things did Joel do?

@johnstark4723

4 жыл бұрын

@@kurtperleberg3478 he partied with the biggest names in Hollywood. He raced cars and motorcycles even though he was a multi millionaire. He flew stunt planes in the movies. Almost every movie made by Hollywood from the late 20's through WWII he was one of the pilots. He drove in many Indy 500's. Did very well in some of them. In 1946 he broke his leg in an AMA motorcycle race a month prior to the Indy 500. He was supposed to be driving the car that won the race. But because of his leg he hired a driver. During WWII he put his entire race team on designing things for the military at Thorne Engineering. He even did flight testing of new planes for the military. Test pilots had short life spans back then but he survived. He had a few plane crashes doing stunt work from what I have heard but I haven't gotten any proof via accident reports. There is a full copy of his fatal crash on the FAA website. The FAA determined the crash was caused by vertigo due placement of a flashing light installed the day before the crash.

@johnstark4723

4 жыл бұрын

@Skip Tiburon definitely not, but he also didn't like the real loose women either. He was married and had a son who raced in NASCAR

@13:26 Most violent crash in INDYCAR history.

There may not have footage, but SOMEBODY was watching, car owners don't just let drivers cruise around out there for no reason.

@gregj831

3 ай бұрын

I think you are right! There's no way a freaking tire test is going to happen without cameras and observers watching.

Sad, I very much regret his dead! R.I.P. Renna.

If you are familiar with the plane crash that took Buddy Holly, Big Bopper and Richie Valens from us and the details of that crash, what happened to Holly is what happened to Renna.

Maybe one day the Renna crash will appear in a clip like the Zapruder film on Giraldo. 🤞

No, I'm not being a smart ass but I never heard of him. But he sounds like an incredibly talented and deserving young driver... just not deserving of this. And whereas IndyCar never officially "blamed" the crash on driver error, they also never officially corrected the false reports when they happened. And as a former US Air Force aviator, the term "driver error" reeks of the same bullshit as "pilot error" does. And I remember when Indycar (AKA USAC/CART) had class. But like NASCAR, it's become a dirty business these days, interested only in corporate image. And whereas it MIGHT be believable to think that there was no closed circuit cameras in 2005 (I don't buy it), IndyCar/Cart/Irl (whatever they call it today) could never make such a bullshit claim today. Rest in peace to ALL the Tony Renna's of the world.

3:10 Holy shit, that's a Supra pace car

10:18 I wonder if Conan still has that shirt.

@judefernandez9234

2 жыл бұрын

Likely got rid of it. I doubt he would keep anything that says "cure autism" when more research has been done on it.

I smell an indy car cover-up.

@xSoccerxCorex

3 жыл бұрын

considering what (allegedly) happened, i wouldn't blame them one bit!

The Kelley Racing team was based in Fort Wayne, Indiana where the family still has a fleet of dealerships including one of the biggest Chevrolet dealerships in the region. The team was never quite right after this accident, and between this and rising costs to field teams in the IRL thanks to Honda & Toyota going into a spending arms race... The team folded up shop a few years after this wreck. "We had an unlimited budget... And we went over..."

RIP Tony Renna 💐

Who was Jeff Krosnof

3:09 Is that a Supra?

Terrible but we all know things like this can happen in the race world. God bless him and his family.rip Tony✝️

Would have been saved with over head protection like we have now. 30 years late

@motorsportfan1246

2 жыл бұрын

No he wouldn’t have, his car went into the catch fencing, pierced through it and literally went into the grandstand and disintegrated. Tony was obliterated, so much so that many feared if it had happened on race day racing in America would be banned. There’s a reason it’s not talked about and the cctv footage has never been released.

My big takeaway - Tony’s crew was too stupid or too unprepared to ensure he had time to practice making pit stops.

I think, we only need to imagine what would have happened, if something like Mario Andrettis crash earlier that year would have happened in a corner and where the car would have landed…

The crash details have been covered up and footage does exist. Honestly who would want to see it? Greg Moore's was bad enough.

@rallycrosscraig

4 жыл бұрын

Anthony Kernich I hope no one wants to see it but the story of what happened should be made clear.

@gagemcpherson1956

9 ай бұрын

I'm not saying I wanna see the full crash but if there is actual footage they could show like a slow motion replay of how he at least got airborne and then that's it

Was this INDYCAR’s 9/11?

maybe the emt's could have saved him if they got htere faster

@Bullish_Lauren

4 жыл бұрын

Ray Miller What were they gonna do? Glue the pieces of him back together? No one could’ve survived that crash.

13:25: This is the problem with having low horsepower...

As Conan throws it in the trash,when the interview is over,just sayin

A dead man apparently