Anthony James Renna (November 23, 1976 – October 22, 2003) was an American racing driver who competed in

Indy Lights Indy NXT, previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as Firestone Indy NXT Series for sponsorship reasons. Indy Lights is the highest step on the Road to Indy, a progr ...

and the

Indy Racing League The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of ...

(IRL) from 1998 to 2003. Renna began competitive racing at the age of six, winning 252 races and two national quarter-midget championships before the age of 15. Renna progressed to car racing at 16, competing for three years in the

Barber Dodge Pro Series The Barber Dodge Pro Series was a professional open-wheel auto racing series from 1986 to 2003. It was one of the first professional spec series for open-wheel racecars in North America. The races were primarily on road and street courses in No ...

and partnering with stock car driver

Jerry Nadeau Gerald Nadeau (born September 9, 1970) is an American former stock car racer. He competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. He started racing in karting before moving up to car racing, driving in the 12 Hours of Sebring, the European Formula Ford ...

to finish second for the United States team at the 1996 EFDA Nations Cup. He progressed to

Championship Auto Racing Teams Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) was a Governing body, sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 1979 to 2003. It sanctioned the PPG Indy Car World Series from 1979 until dissolving after the 2003 CART season, ...

' developmental series Indy Lights, winning one race during his three seasons in the championship from

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen fro ...

. In 2002, Renna signed with

Kelley Racing Kelley Racing is a former Indy Racing League team founded by Fort Wayne, Indiana-based car dealer Tom Kelley that fielded a Delphi sponsored car for Scott Sharp during its entire existence from 1998 to 2004. The team was based in Indianapolis and ...

to be its test driver in the IRL, and was the driving coach and spotter to actor and Infiniti Pro Series participant

Jason Priestley Jason Bradford Priestley (born August 28, 1969) is a Canadian actor and television director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–1998, 2000), as Richard "Fitz" Fitzpatrick in t ...

. Renna competed in seven races for Kelley Racing before signing a contract to drive for

Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing, LLC (CGR), also sometimes branded as Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, is an American auto racing organization with teams competing in the NTT IndyCar Series, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, FIA World Endurance Champion ...

in the

2004 IndyCar Series The 2004 IRL IndyCar Series was dominated by two teams, Andretti Green Racing and Rahal Letterman Racing. While there was great parity in 2003 between Honda and Toyota powered teams, in 2004 Honda began to outshine Toyota bringing their teams Pen ...

. During an October 2003 tire test at

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United Stat ...

, Renna was killed instantly in a collision with a retaining fence. He was the first driver to be killed in an accident in the IRL since

Scott Brayton Scott Everts Brayton (February 20, 1959 – May 17, 1996) was an American race car driver on the American open-wheel circuit. He competed in 14 Indianapolis 500s, beginning with the 1981 event. Brayton was killed in practice after qualifying ...

died at the

1996 Indianapolis 500 The 80th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 26, 1996. This was the first Indy 500 contested by the Indy Racing League, under the overall sanctioning umbrella of USAC. It was the thir ...

. As a consequence of Renna's death, car speeds and horsepower were reduced through a reduction in engine sizes and aerodynamics were altered in a bid to prevent cars becoming airborne. A memorial fund and IRL award were named after him.

Early and personal life

Tony Renna was born in

Victorville, California Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810. History In 1858, Aaron G. Lane came to what is now known as Victorville and founded a waystation called "Lane's Cro ...

, on November 23, 1976, to jockey and meat-company owner Joe Renna and his wife Mary. He had two sisters; he was a cousin of George Steinbrenner IV, co-owner of

Harding Steinbrenner Racing Harding Racing logo prior to partnership Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport was an auto racing team that competed in the IndyCar Series. Founded as Harding Racing in 2017 by businessman Mike Harding, the team would form partnerships in 2019 ...

. The family moved to Apple Valley, California, from

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Co ...

, in 1975 and Renna's parents subsequently divorced. His family later moved to the

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

neighborhood of College Park before residing in DeLand. Renna was educated at Bishop Moore High School and Father Lopez Catholic High School, graduating from the latter in 1995. As a child, he was a

batboy In baseball, a batboy or batgirl is an individual who carries baseball bats to the players on a baseball team. Duties of a batboy may also include handling and preparing players’ equipment and bringing baseballs to the umpire during the game. ...

for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

baseball team, and played

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

, basketball and baseball. He was engaged at the time of his death, and was due to marry in Hawaii on November 22, 2003.

Junior career

Karting and sprint cars

Renna began go-kart racing in Orlando at age six. He spent his Friday nights at Horsemen's Park in Ocoee, refined his driving ability at circuits in Barberville, Bithlo and

New Smyrna Beach New Smyrna Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States, located on the central east coast of the state, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Its population is 30,142 in 2020 by the United States Census Bureau. The downtown section of ...

, and was taught by former driver Ralph Liguori. Renna focused full-time on racing after deeming himself inadequate at

Little League Baseball Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization He told his father of his choice of career, and was asked, "Do you know what you're asking for? Do you know you are asking for the

brass ring A brass ring is a small grabbable ring that a dispenser presents to a carousel rider during the course of a ride. Usually there are a large number of iron rings and one brass one, or just a few. It takes some dexterity to grab a ring from the ...

and the

Olympic gold medal Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

?". Renna began focusing on an opportunity in

open-wheel racing Formula racing (known as open-wheel racing in North America) is any of several forms of open-wheeled single-seater motorsport. The origin of the term lies in the nomenclature that was adopted by the FIA for all of its post-World War II single- ...

, idolizing drivers

Rick Mears Rick Ravon Mears (born December 3, 1951) is a retired American race car driver. He is one of four men to win the Indianapolis 500 four times (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991) and is the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six (19 ...

, and Al Unser Jr., and wanted to drive for

Team Penske Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona, the organiza ...

. Renna went on to drive a quarter-midget, a

mini sprint A mini sprint is an American type of open-wheel racing vehicle. Mini sprint cars resemble the shape of a full-size sprint car Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or cir ...

, a motocross bike, and a micro-sprint. He won 252 races, and two national quarter-midget championships before the age of 15. His mechanically inclined father constructed and maintained the machinery that Renna drove, and acted as his crew chief. Renna's mother was his timekeeper, and one of his sisters acted as a tire changer.

Early car racing career

At age 16, Renna progressed to car racing, competing in the Skip Barber Formula Ford Racing Series in 1993, in a bid to become a

road course ringer In NASCAR, a road course ringer, also known as road course specialist, road course expert, or a road runner, is a non-NASCAR driver who is hired by a NASCAR Cup Series or NASCAR Xfinity Series team to race specifically on road courses. , current ...

. He took one win and seven top-three finishes for tenth in the final points standings. His form improved the following year, when he won eight races and achieved three-second-place finishes to win the series championship. In 1995 Jim O'Bryan, an employee of American driver development organization Racing for America, asked if Renna was interested in driving in Europe; Renna said he was but his father was unsure because the family budget was strained through entering selected rounds of the 1995 Barber Dodge Pro Series. O'Bryan met the Renna family again in mid-1995 at

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central reg ...

and agreed to compete in

Formula Three Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One d ...

. Renna tested a Mark Bailey Racing-owned

Ralt Ralt was a manufacturer of single-seater racing cars, founded by ex-Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone. Ron and his brother had built some specials in Australia in the 1950s under ...

Formula Three car. Team owner Mark Bailey was complimentary towards Renna, whose father signed him to drive for Murray Taylor Racing until he pulled out due to budget concerns. In the UK, Renna drove six races in a Dallara F394-

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known fo ...

car for

West Surrey Racing West Surrey Racing is a UK-based motorsport team run by New Zealander Dick Bennetts. He is responsible for masterminding the careers of such names as Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, Jonathan Palmer, Rubens Barrichello, Maurício Gugelmin and Ed ...

in the 1995 British Formula Three Class B Championship. He secured a category win at

Pembrey Circuit Pembrey Circuit is a motor racing circuit near Pembrey village, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is the home of Welsh motorsport, providing racing for cars, motorcycles, karts and trucks. The circuit's facilities have also been used for a single-venue ...

that was later nullified because of an infraction, three

pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...

s, and three podiums. In 1996, Renna returned to the United States with a depleted budget. He competed in a

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above ...

-powered Mondiale car in the 1996 Barber Dodge Pro Series, finishing seventh in the Drivers' Championship with 105 points from three podium finishes and two pole positions. He was named the 1996 Barber Dodge Pro Series Rookie of the Year, and won a Skip Barber Racing School Big Scholarship. Renna won the

Team USA Scholarship The Team USA Scholarship is a scholarship program which allows young American racecar drivers to compete outside of the United States. Each year, a competition is used to select the best young racecar drivers in the United States, then they are e ...

over six other candidates and participated at the 1996 EFDA Nations Cup at

Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, still owned b ...

. He partnered with stock-car driver

in a Formula Opel Lotus car, finishing second to win the silver medal. Renna was selected as a finalist for the Team Green Academy as one of the top 5 of 25 competitors, and was nominated for the Lynx Racing Scholarship.

Later junior career

Renna made one appearance in the

U.S. F2000 National Championship The USF2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires is an American racing series using the American variation of the Formula Ford formula, "F2000", that resumed operation for the 2010 season. As of 2022, it is sanctioned by the United States Auto ...

for DSTP Motorsports in its 23

Van Diemen Van Diemen International, Ltd. was a British race car manufacturer based in Snetterton, Norfolk, United Kingdom. The company had a reputation for high-volume production runs of its cars, the most well-known of which is its series of Formula Fo ...

- Ford car at

Walt Disney World Speedway Walt Disney World Speedway was a racing facility located on the grounds of the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It was built in 1995 by IMS Events, Inc., a subsidiary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, an ...

in January 1997, finishing ninth. He continued to race in the

, entering eight races and claiming three podium finishes and two pole positions to score 54 points and place tenth in the championship. In September 1997, Mattco Raceworks founder and owner Matt Cohen hired Renna to drive for its

(at the time

(CART)'s feeder series) team for the 1998 season. Renna moved from DeLand to a studio in New York City later that year to be closer to the team. He visited Mattco's headquarters in

Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey Englewood Cliffs is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, whose population at the 2010 United States census was 5,281. Driving the 77

Lola Lola may refer to: Places * Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama * Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States * Lola Prefecture, Guinea * Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture * Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands People * Lol ...

Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General M ...

car, he won at

Michigan International Speedway Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is a moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than approximately south of the village of Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track ...

, took two pole positions, and had six top ten finishes to place eighth in the drivers' championship with 68 points. In April 1999, CART imposed a one-year suspension on Mattco Raceworks from its racing series for illegal engine modifications in the car of Renna's teammate Mark Hotchkis. Renna, still contracted to Mattco, sought employment in either

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

(now Xfinity Series) or the Truck Series. Motor-racing journalist Jeremy Shaw and the Team USA Scholarship made the PacWest Racing team aware of Renna's potential. He drove a partial 1999 Indy Lights schedule for PacWest, and was the test and development driver for its CART team. Renna drove the 17 vehicle, gaining two top-ten finishes and a 16th-place finish in the drivers' championship with 22 points. Having signed a five-year contract in late October 1999, Renna returned to PacWest Racing for the 2000 Indy Lights, and continued as its test and development driver. He undertook a two-day test session at Firebird Raceway in December 1999 as preparation for the season. Renna changed his car number to 18; he attained top-ten finishes in every round during the season except for two due to consecutive retirements: a mechanical failure at

Milwaukee Mile The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectat ...

and an accident in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. Renna finished fifth in the drivers' championship with 105 points. Before the 2001 racing season, an agreement for Renna to drive for PacWest's CART team fell through, and he was released from its Indy Lights operation. Renna was less active in professional car racing during the year, making one appearance in the SpeedVision World Challenge at Mosport International Raceway in May, driving the 12 SSC Parts/TC Kline

BMW M3 The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series, developed by BMW's in-house motorsport division, BMW M GmbH. M3 models have been produced for every generation of 3 Series since the E30 M3 was introduced in 1986. The initial mode ...

. He finished 17th and was 54th in the final standings with nine points. He spent much of the year seeking employment with race teams, visiting garages, writing letters to them, and networking within the

(IRL). Renna was employed as a driving instructor at

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is ...

's Derek Daly Performance Driving Academy, and competed in NASCAR

late model A late model car is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. (An early model car or classic car is a car old enough to be of historical interest; there is no usual intermediate term.) The precise definition ...

stock car events for Dick Cobb on a weekly basis at the track.

IndyCar Series career

team owner Tom Kelley and general manager Jim Freudenberg were introduced to Renna in 2000. The three became acquainted; Renna inquired about employment at the team, and signed a contract in May 2002. In mid-2002, Renna and his business manager suggested he should coach actor

, who raced in the developmental Infiniti Pro Series that year; Kelley Racing was enthusiastic about the idea and agreed. Renna also served as Priestley's spotter, and the two became friends. He was employed as Kelley Racing's IRL test driver, curtailing his stock car driving to focus on the job. Renna listened to radio communication from Kelley Racing driver Al Unser Jr. during races, learning patience, and acted as his spotter. When Unser went into an alcohol rehabilitation center in Connecticut in July 2002, Kelley Racing searched for a replacement driver for two events and asked Renna to fill in for Unser because he demonstrated enthusiasm. Under the observation of three-time

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianap ...

winner

Johnny Rutherford John Sherman "Johnny" Rutherford III (born March 12, 1938), also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver. During an Indy Car career that spanned more than three decades, he scored 27 wins and 23 pole positions in ...

, Renna passed an IRL-sanctioned, four-phase, rookie test at

Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The reconfigured track measures with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 2 ...

that allowed him to compete. In his first two races driving Kelley Racing's 7 Dallara-

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ou ...

vehicle in the

2002 Indy Racing League The 2002 Indy Racing League (IRL) was one of transition, with two reigning CART championship teams, Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing, joining the series with full time entries. The Oldsmobile engine was rebranded as a Chevrolet, and ...

, Renna took consecutive top-ten finishes at

Nashville Superspeedway Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee, United States (though the track has a Lebanon postal address), about southeast of Nashville. The track was built in 2001 and is currently hosting the Ally ...

and Michigan International Speedway. After Unser returned from rehabilitation, the team expanded its roster to three cars because they were impressed with Renna's performance and obtained sponsorship to allow him to continue driving. Renna switched his car number from 7 to 78, and took two more top-ten finishes for 24th overall with 121 points. After the season concluded, a budget decrease led Kelley Racing to reduce its roster from three to two cars, leaving Renna without a race seat; he remained an employee of the team. Renna continued to work as Unser's spotter and drove go-karts to maintain his fitness. The difficulty in finding sponsorship to compete in races restricted Renna primarily to being a test driver, but he made a single race appearance in the

2003 IndyCar Series The 2003 IRL IndyCar Series brought some of the biggest changes in its history. The league adopted the name IndyCar Series, after a settlement with CART prohibiting its use had expired. Several former CART teams brought their full operations to t ...

, the

. Starting from eighth place, Renna finished in seventh. In Indianapolis,

(CGR) managing director Mike Hull told team owner

Chip Ganassi Floyd Ganassi Jr. (born May 24, 1958) better known as Chip Ganassi, is a US businessman, former racing driver, current team owner and member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. He has been involved with the North American auto racing scen ...

that Renna was a driver to take notice of. In October 2003, Ganassi offered Renna a driving role in his team for the

in place of

Tomas Scheckter Tomas Scheckter (born 21 September 1980) is a South African former racing driver best known for his time in the IndyCar Series. Early years Scheckter was born in Monte Carlo to 1979 Formula One World Champion Jody Scheckter and his first wife ...

— who moved to

Panther Racing Panther Racing was an American open wheel auto racing team. It was one of the oldest continually operating teams in the IndyCar Series. Four years in a row (2008–2011), the team finished second at the Indianapolis 500. Formation The team was f ...

—and to partner 2003 IndyCar Series champion

Scott Dixon Scott Ronald Dixon (born 22 July 1980) is a professional racing driver from New Zealand, who competes in the NTT IndyCar Series for Chip Ganassi Racing. Dixon has won the IndyCar championship six times: in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2 ...

. Renna accepted the role; Tom Kelley allowed him to leave on October 1 and join CGR, because he could not guarantee Renna would drive for Kelley Racing in 2004.

Death

Renna made his first on-track appearance for CGR in a private Firestone tire-test session at

on October 22. The track and the tires on his car were cold. At 9:20 am

Eastern Daylight Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small po ...

( UTC−05:00), while on his fourth lap driving the 10

G-Force The gravitational force equivalent, or, more commonly, g-force, is a measurement of the type of force per unit mass – typically acceleration – that causes a perception of weight, with a g-force of 1 g (not gram in mass measur ...

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

car, Renna entered turn three below the normal

racing line In motorsport, the racing line is the optimal path around a race course. In most cases, the line makes use of the entire width of the track to lengthen the radius of a turn: entering at the outside edge, touching the "apex"—a point on the insid ...

at . He lost control of the vehicle, without having made any prior collision with the trackside SAFER barriers, which did not appear to have suffered a mechanical fault. Renna's car spun sideways, just after the turn's

apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe * Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe *Apex ...

and rotated 90 degrees to the left into the infield grass. Air penetrated the vehicle's bottom, causing it to lift as it skipped over the grass. While travelling airborne, the car turned about another 30 degrees to the left. The bottom of Renna's car struck the outside retaining fence above the SAFER barrier at the exit to turn three, causing a deceleration of more than , a force that the human body is unable to withstand. This destroyed the car, splitting it into two, throwing its

gearbox Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), differ ...

into the nearby grandstand, snapping the fence posts, and scattering debris over the track and grandstand walkway. The first layer of grandstand in the track's north section was lacerated. Renna, who was equipped with a

HANS device A HANS device (head and neck support device) is a type of head restraint, a safety device in motorsports. Head restraints are mandatory when competing with most major motorsports sanctioning bodies. They reduce the likelihood of head or neck inj ...

, was killed instantly by massive internal trauma. No one else was injured. The cockpit tub that holds the driver inside the car was ensnared in the fence and dangled there with Renna still in it. IRL medical personnel arrived at the scene and were unable to restart Renna's heart. He was transported by ambulance to Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital, about a six-minute drive away, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 9:43 local time.

Aftermath and investigation

Renna was the first fatality in the IRL since

was killed during practice for the

, and the first in American open-wheel racing since Greg Moore died in a major accident during a CART race at California Speedway in 1999. An autopsy was conducted by Marion County Coroner John McGoff, who determined Renna died instantaneously after sustaining fatal, blunt-force head and chest injuries from the high force of the impact. On the afternoon of October 27, Renna was given a memorial service at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church; another took place four days later at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Deland, Florida, and was attended by 400 people.

Darren Manning Darren Manning (born 30 April 1975) is a British motor racing driver who has raced in the IRL IndyCar Series for Chip Ganassi Racing and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Career history Early career Manning was born in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire ...

took Renna's seat at CGR. The week after Renna's death, the IRL began an investigation, involving officials from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, CGR and Firestone. Because Renna's crash occurred during a private test session, with the media and public not allowed to enter the speedway, there were no eyewitnesses, photographs or video footage of the accident. The car was impounded at the track; the connectors on its

black box In science, computing, and engineering, a black box is a system which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings. Its implementation is "opaque" (black). The te ...

were severely damaged, rendering officials unable to download the on-board electronic data it contained. The black box was sent to its manufacturer in the United Kingdom, where data stored in the car's

accident data recorder The accident data recorder (ADR, German commonly abbr.: UDS, also accident (data) writer), is an independent electronic device that records before, during, and after a traffic accident relevant data and thus resembles a flight recorder. It ca ...

was downloaded to determine whether a mechanical failure contributed to Renna's crash. The results of the investigation into Renna's death were released to the public on December 19, 2003; the investigation was prolonged because the incident happened during a private test session. According to the report, the data provided to the IRL "did not produce a 100 percent conclusion as to why the tragic accident occurred. There are many unknown possibilities that could have contributed to the cause of the accident." The report focused on the way the car lifted into the air and the events surrounding Renna's death. The IRL concluded the spectator fences worked as designed and the speed at which Renna was traveling was similar to those monitored in accidents at the circuit in recent years.

Personality and legacy

Tony Renna was called "a rising star in motor racing" by Nilima Fox of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'', and was described by Reggie Yates of ''

The News-Sentinel ''The News-Sentinel'' was a daily newspaper based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The afternoon ''News-Sentinel'' was politically independent. The papers suspended publication in November 2020, after the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic. Early history '' ...

'' as "a driver open-wheel fans wanted to see succeed". He was well-liked; Renna was described as quiet, tender-hearted, benevolent, a man who adored his family, energetic, enthusiastic, and vibrant. As a consequence of his fatal accident and major crashes involving drivers

Kenny Bräck Kenny Bräck (born 21 March 1966) is a Swedish former race car driver. Until his retirement from racing, he competed in the CART, Indy Racing League and the IROC series. He won the 1998 Indy Racing League championship and the 1999 Indianapolis ...

Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He has won the Indianapolis 500 a record-equalling four times: in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021. He won the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona wit ...

Gil de Ferran Gil de Ferran (born November 11, 1967 in Paris, France) is a French-born Brazilian professional racing driver and team owner. De Ferran was the 2000 and 2001 Champ Car champion driving for Team Penske and the winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 50 ...

and

Mario Andretti Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, t ...

in 2003, the IRL mandated rule changes from the

2004 Indianapolis 500 The 88th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 30, 2004. It was part of the 2004 IndyCar Series season and the ninth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. Buddy Rice won the pol ...

onward with the intention of reducing power by ten percent—approximately —and reduced speeds of around . Accordingly, car engine sizes were reduced from 3.5 L to 3.0 L and aerodynamics were altered in a bid to prevent cars becoming airborne. The Tony Renna Memorial Fund was established in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

to continue the driver's work, which was based on his "approach to life of caring about others". The fund supports

Autism Speaks Autism Speaks Inc. is a controversial autism advocacy organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, an ...

, the Team USA Scholarship and the Surfrider Foundation through public donations. In January 2004, Father Lopez Catholic School renamed its annual golf tournament after Renna to raise funds for the memorial foundation. The same year, the IRL renamed its Rising Star Award after Renna. The award is given to "an up-and-coming IndyCar Series driver who embodies the qualities of the late Renna". At the season-ending Lime Rock Rolex Sports Car Series race and the 2013 Petit Le Mans of the

American Le Mans Series The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The American Le Mans' ...

, sports car driver and Renna's protégé Patrick Long sported a helmet livery similar to Renna in celebration of his mentor's career on the tenth anniversary of his death.

Motorsports career results

Career summary

American open-wheel racing results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) (Small number denotes finishing position)

Complete USF2000 National Championship results

Indy Lights

IndyCar

= Indianapolis 500 results

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Renna, Tony 1976 births 2003 deaths Bishop Moore High School alumni People from Victorville, California People from DeLand, Florida Racing drivers from California Racing drivers from Florida IndyCar Series drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers Indy Lights drivers EFDA Nations Cup drivers Racing drivers who died while racing Sports deaths in Indiana Barber Pro Series drivers U.S. F2000 National Championship drivers PacWest Racing drivers