Tributes to the late Tony Renna have been flooding in from all corners of the racing community.......
Comments from members of the Indy Racing League, the IRL IndyCar Series and racing communities about Tony Renna, who suffered fatal injuries in a testing crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
"Tony Renna was a rising star in IndyCar Series racing. All of us involved
in racing feel a great loss. On behalf of my family and the staff of the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League, our prayers and best
wishes go out to his family, friends, team and fans."
Tony George
President-CEO, Indianapolis Motor Speedway & Indy Racing League
"Obviously, we're mourning the loss of our driver, friend and colleague. On
behalf of our whole team, we send our sincere condolences and prayers to the
family and friends of Tony Renna."
Chip Ganassi
Owner, Target Chip Ganassi Racing
"Today is a very sad day for everyone in the Kelley Racing family. Tony was
more than a driver for our team; he was a personal friend to everyone
involved with Kelley Racing. Our thoughts and prayers right now are with his
fiancée, family and friends. Tony will be greatly missed."
Tom Kelley
Owner, Kelley Racing
"On behalf of everyone at Penske Racing, our deepest sympathies go out to
Tony's family and friends. Tony left us while pursuing his dream to be
successful at the highest level - a dream most of us share. In the racing
community, our competitors and teammates become extensions of our families,
and Tony will remain in our thoughts and prayers."
Roger Penske
Owner, Penske Racing
"I would like to send my deepest sympathies to his fiancée, Deb, Tony's
family, friends and
to the Target Chip Ganassi Racing team. Tony was an up-and-coming star in
the IndyCar Series, and it is a shame to lose such a talent. He will be
greatly missed."
Kenny Brack
Team Rahal;
1998 IndyCar Series champion, 1999 Indianapolis 500 winner
"All of us at Cheever Racing are deeply saddened with the passing of Tony
Renna. He always had a smile on his face and a deep passion for his racing.
He was one of the future stars of our sport. His energy and fighting spirit
on track will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his
family and loved ones."
Eddie Cheever Jr.
Owner, Cheever Racing; 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner
"Team Rahal is saddened by the loss of Tony Renna, and we send our prayers
and support to his family, friends, fans and racing team. Tony was bright,
young racer with a tremendous future in motor racing. We will miss him."
Bobby Rahal
Co-owner, Team Rahal; 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner
"Certainly it's shocking. I was traveling back from Italy and didn't find
out until I got
back to the U.S. late Wednesday afternoon. I feel very, very sad for Tony's
family. I knew Tony quite well. He was one of our winners in the inaugural
Team Green Academy we put on in 1997. Obviously, this was a fantastic
opportunity for him to join a top-level race team, something he had been
working so hard for all of his life. Racing is a tight-knit community, and
in tough times like this, everyone seems to pull together. It was a very sad
day for motor racing.
"Racing is a very dangerous sport, and I think that is what drives a lot of
us to be involved. The thrill and the adrenaline rush of being on the edge
and trying to get the most out of the equipment, I think, is what drives
racecar drivers. They want to be the best, and to be the best they have to
push the envelope. I have to say that in the 21 years I have been involved
in Indy-car racing, the organizations I have been involved in, the Indy
Racing League, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and CART, have made huge
progresses in driver and racecar safety. They are continuing to look at ways
at making it safer for the drivers and safer for everyone who is at the
racetrack.
"When something like
this happens, we certainly reflect on what has happened, and everyone sort
of asks why it was meant to be, but we also think, 'What would Tony want?'
Tony was a racer; he would want us all to go forward and put on the show.
When everyone gets through the difficult times, we'll move on, we won't
forget him, and I just feel sad that Tony never was able to spend a full
season in top-level IndyCar Series racing because I think he would have made
everyone very proud of him."
Kim Green
Owner and president, Andretti Green Racing
"Everybody at Panoz G Force is deeply saddened by Tony's accident - it
is a very tragic situation. We were really looking forward to welcoming him
as part of the Panoz G Force team for 2004. After the great success we have
enjoyed with Chip Ganassi and his team in 2003, this is very difficult way
to end the season for everybody. Our thoughts, prayers and deepest
sympathies go out to Tony's family and his fiancée."
David Bowes
CEO, Elan Motorsports Technologies
"All of the Dallara staff is stunned by the death of Tony. A young and
promising life, full of dreams and goals to be achieved, is over. We are
sincerely close to Tony's family, and we pray for him."
Gian Paolo Dallara
Owner, Dallara Automobili
"We were incredibly
saddened to learn that Tony Renna lost his life during a testing session at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family
and his fiancée, to his team and to his many friends and fans. Our thoughts
and prayers are with them and everyone who has been touched by Tony's life.
"Times like these are always difficult, and this loss in particular will be
felt deeply by the Firestone family. Tony was a good friend to Firestone and
had spent many hours attending events and volunteering his time on our
behalf. He was always willing to give of himself or lend a hand when we
called upon him, and his unselfish and giving nature makes this tragedy all
the harder to bear. He was a talented driver who will be long remembered by
all who knew him or had the privilege of working with him."
Al Speyer
Executive director, Firestone Racing
"All of us here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are saddened by the death of
Tony Renna. Tony competed in several events at the Bullring in 2002 and was
one of the young drivers whose career we followed closely. Tony was well
respected by track officials and his fellow competitors, and he seemed
destined for stardom in the Indy Racing League. Our prayers go out to his
family and friends."
Chris Powell
General manager, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
"Tony Renna was 'the
package.' A terrific and talented young driver, as well as a wonderful
person out of the racecar. He'll be very much missed by all in the racing
community, especially those of us that had a personal relationship with him
and his family. Tony, his father, Joe, and mother, Mary, have been avid
supporters of the Barber Dodge Pro Series and Skip Barber Racing for many
years. To the entire Renna family, we express our sincere condolences."
Rick Ratajczak
Series director, Barber Dodge Pro Series
CONCORD, N.C. (Dec. 22, 2003) – NASCAR driver Jerry Nadeau, who suffered a serious head injury in a racing accident May 2 at Richmond International Raceway, continues to make progress. In a question and answer session, the 33-year-old Danbury, Conn. native talks about his on going recovery and how blessed he feels to .... ....have...... survived a serious accident. ......I feel extremely blessed.
My good friend (IRL racer) Tony Renna
didn’t make it. We raced together as teammates in England in the Formula
Opal Series. I am so sad about his loss and feel for his parents and fiancé.
I was glad that my dad (Girard) and I were able to go to Florida to visit
Tony’s parents after his accident. His parents were very supportive of him
and unfortunately the Good Lord has a list up there and his name was up. He
was a good person and I will miss him.
(Excerpt: For full article try
this link or
this link:)
Jerry Nadeau
Fans wishing to send cards and letters of sympathy to Tony's family may
write to:
Target Chip Ganassi Racing
7777 Woodland Drive
Indianapolis,
IN 46278
