Grand Prix course has safety in mind  Published March 28, 2006
HOMESTEAD - Could it happen here?  Could the high-speed
collision that killed Indy Racing League rookie Paul Dana at
Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday happen on the downtown
streets of St. Petersburg when the Grand Prix comes to town this
weekend?  Certainly, experts say. Auto racing is a dangerous
sport, no matter the commitment to safety or numerous
technological advances. That ever-present danger was tragically
underscored when Dana died after colliding with Ed Carpenter's
car in a morning warmup session before the season-opening race.
But if recent history is any indication, the second IRL-
sanctioned Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will exhibit a tradeoff
between speed and safety, thrill and peril.  Dana was the sixth
driver of an Indy-type car to die on the track since 1996, and
the first since DeLand native Tony Renna perished when his car
went airborne in a turn and into the catch fence at Indianapolis
Motor Speedway in October 2003.  Four