Paul Frederick Dana (/ˈdeɪnə/; April 15, 1975 – March 26, 2006)[1] was an American racing driver who competed in the IndyCar Series.

After competing in three IndyCar Series events, Dana suffered a spinal fracture while practicing for the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and missed the rest of the season, replaced by Jimmy Kite.

Dana was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he died due to complications from injuries sustained in the crash.

During a show on March 27, 2006, an emotional David Letterman paused during his monologue to offer his condolences to Dana's family:It's not hard to imagine the despair and sorrow that Paul Dana's wife, Tonya, and the rest of his family are feeling now, and I want them to know that they have the thoughts and the prayers of myself, the entire Rahal-Letterman team, and the entire racing community and, hopefully, that will give them the slightest amount of comfort.

I did not know Paul personally but we were all proud to have him on our team and are deeply saddened by his tragic passing at such a young age.