I couldn't disagree more. The angle of the hit was straight in 90 degree T-bone. Anything in close proximity, had there been no wall, would have been toast. That wall actually might have kept him alive as dirt and other debris could have entered the driver's compartment and knocked his head off as he rolled.
I was at Sonoma in 1997 when Carrie Neal died. There were no retaining walls past the finish line that day. She tried to scrub off speed by leaving the track past the retaining walls. A friend pulled double duty that day - he took photos for both National Dragster and the county coroner. All racing was cancelled for the rest of that day. The next day, retaining walls were in place for the length of the shutdown area.
Those walls keep people alive - racers, spectators, track workers, and assorted photo guys and gals who know when to duck.