Driver Paul Dana died on Sunday after two car crashed during the warmup for the season-opening Toyota Indy 300 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 30-year-old Dana slammed into the left-rear of a car driven by Ed Carpenter at about 322 kph. Carpenter had spun, hit the wall and nearly come to a stop on the 2.4-km oval track, said Tom Blattler, a spokesman for Dana.

Both drivers were ferried by helicopter to Jackson Memorial Hospital in downtown Miami, trauma personnel worked on Paul and then pronounced him dead at the hospital a little before noon.

Carpenter was listed in stable condition at the hospital, according to Henry Bock, the Indy Racing League's senior director of medical services.

Dana was in his second year in the open-wheel racing series and this year he had joined the Rahal-Letterman team, named after owners TV talk show host David Letterman and racing legend Bobby Rahal.

Dana, a St. Louis native and Indianapolis resident, was a runner-up in the 2004 Indy Pro Series standings.

Source: Xinhua