R.I.P. Miles Nelson

Posted by Iannucci | 5/28/2008 | 5 comments »
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This appeared today on the forum at Miles Nelson's Ovalicious site.

"Hi Everyone, I am Michael, Miles's oldest son. It is my sad duty to inform all his great friends that Miles passed away. I don't have any details yet as to what happened. This sad news is a shock to all of us and he will be missed by many. He told me a while ago, when one of his friends passed "I've lived a great life, don't feel sorry for me when it is my time." I'm glad the Lord let him see one more Indy 500 and witness the promising future of his beloved sport.

I will post more information when I find out, Please let others know.
Thanks everyone for your friendship with my Dad. Michael."




If you never ventured over to his site which was like the third "blog" type site linked in the sidebar here, Miles was kind of a blogger/reporter/photographer who tried to attend every Indy Racing League event, especially the oval ones. You can read his entries for yourself and notice what made him different was how he covered stories with a little more technical angle than most. He's yet another example of this wonderful digital medium that gives voice to someone who might otherwise not be heard.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Miles in person, but I did discuss issues with him at the forum on his site and also via email. He was probably one of the most passionate fans I've come across, debating whatever from the pertinent to the inconsequential. As an example, he posted a bunch of photos of the shattered rear wings off the Penske cars at Milwaukee last year's race, trying in vain to convince Brian Barnhart that the wings connectors were illegal. Stuff like that just fueled his fire.

But there's one less dedicated IndyCar fan out there tonight, one with a voice that will definitely be missed. Say a prayer if you are so inclined.

5 comments

  1. Jennifer Coomer // May 28, 2008 8:09 PM  

    Thanks for the post Jeff & letting us honor Miles. I'm glad he got to see one last 500. And it was a great one.

  2. Jenna // May 28, 2008 9:09 PM  

    This is so sad.. I met him after the third day of qualifying was done when he took a picture of myself and some other girls that were walking around the garages. He was such a sweet guy!

  3. Anonymous // May 28, 2008 9:18 PM  

    wow he had one of the best sites and his posting of pictures made it a mandatory check, truly a very sad thing.

  4. Anonymous // May 29, 2008 8:03 AM  

    A sad day...I'm sure he was a great guy and with his work, he certainly did his best for the fans. He will be missed.

  5. Anonymous // May 29, 2008 2:12 PM  

    what happened ??? how did he die ??