Dan Wheldon Crash Death: Will Power Says Starting the Race was a 'Recipe for Disaster' [VIDEO]

As Will Power became mired in the crash that caused the death of his rival and friend Dan Wheldon, he allowed the thought of death to enter his mind.

Your worst nightmare is to end up airborne and heading toward the catch fence, Power told the Daily Mirror on Wednesday. The catch fence just destroys the car. A lot of guys have had their legs destroyed.

So, I thought, 'This is it!'

Speaking three days after the crash that killed Wheldon, Power didn't suffer the same fate. In interviews, Power blamed the setup of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway track, the catch fence and the race speeds as reasons Wheldon died.

He said it was all about how his car landed, as it hit the track first and then went into the wall. Wheldon, however, wasn't so lucky.

Unfortunately, Dan ended up on the catch fence and that's what got him, Power said. I still can't believe Dan was killed. He was a great champion. Everyone was a little uneasy on this style of track. It's too fast and too close.

When you are averaging 225 mph and you are inches apart, it was a recipe for disaster.

In an interview with NPR, Power talked about how he could not sleep the night of Wheldon's death. He said he has been worried about something catastrophic occurring like Wheldon's death for quite some time. He also told Triple M radio in Sydney, Australia, that racers had been worried about the Las Vegas track since the first day of practice.

You know, he told NPR, it's a pity that it takes something like this for them to stand up and, you know, have a serious look at it.

Power was one of three other drivers taken to a local hospital after the crash, and he has taken himself out of the Gold Coast V8 Supercars round this weekend because of back and neck injuries that he suffered in the crash.

Power ended his interview with NPR by advocating for changes in IndyCar. Changes that he said should have already happened.

I was angry and I was angry because I felt that, you know, we were all screaming on the radio that we should not start this race. It's too dangerous, but yeah, Power said.

I think that the officials in the series really need to sit down with the drivers themselves, not the team owners, not the old drivers, not the guy that used to race in a different formula. And I think they need to sit down with the drivers that race this current car with this current formula and listen to what we think should be done and, you know, where we should race.