The first two runnings were considered largely successful with Buddy Lazier and Kenny Bräck winning the mid-summer Saturday night 500 kilometer (208 lap) races.

The initial success of the event was seen as opportunity to expand the league's presence in the South, and also validated that the IRL machines were suited for the fast, high-banked "Intermediate" oval tracks.

John Paul Jr.'s car subsequently hit the debris field and the contact sent Wattles' right rear wheel and tire assembly over the catch fence.

The gravity of the situation in the grandstands soon became clear, and on lap 79 after 25 minutes under yellow, race officials brought out the red flag.

Two weeks after the incident, a controversy boiled at the 1999 Indianapolis 500 after Sports Illustrated published an article by Ed Hinton, entitled "Fatal Attractions: More fan deaths put the focus on the need for safety innovations" in its May 10 issue.

[8][9] The photo drew the ire of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George, and they pulled Hinton's credentials for the 1999 Indy 500.

After a few days, the credentials were restored, when it was determined that Hinton was unaware of the photo published along with his article, and when free speech/censorship issues were raised.

Later in the year, a short series of bombings took place in Lowe's stores in North Carolina, injuring three, and prompting some to think there may be a link with a relative of one of the victims.

When George Rocha was arrested for the bombings, he claimed that he was angry about the crash at the speedway, but he later confessed that it was retribution for being caught shoplifting and an attempt at extortion.