Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon in Washington, D.C. in February 2010
Nationality United Kingdom British
Born Daniel Clive Wheldon
(1978-06-22)22 June 1978
Emberton, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Died 16 October 2011(2011-10-16) (aged 33)
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
IRL IndyCar Series
Years active 2002–2011
Teams
Starts 128
Wins 16
Poles 5
Best finish 1st in 2005
Previous series
2005–2008
2001
2000
1999
Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
Indy Lights
Toyota Atlantic Championship
US F2000 National Championship
Championship titles
2011
2006
2005

1999
Indianapolis 500 Winner
24 Hours of Daytona Winner
IndyCar Series Champion
Indianapolis 500 Winner
US F2000 National Championship
Awards
2003
2011
IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year
IndyCar Series Most Popular Driver (posthumously)

Daniel Clive Wheldon (22 June 1978 – 16 October 2011) was a British racing driver. He was the 2005 IndyCar Series champion and a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the race in 2005 and 2011. Wheldon died of injuries sustained after a collision during the IZOD IndyCar World Championship on 16 October 2011 at the age of 33.

Early life and career

Daniel Clive Wheldon was born in Emberton, near Olney, Buckinghamshire, England, on 22 June 1978. He took up karting at the age of 4 with funding from his father. He progressed through the junior ranks of motor racing during his school years. Attending Bedford School until he completed his GCSEs at age 16, he frequently took time off to race. During his early career in open wheel racing, he developed a rivalry with Jenson Button before ultimately leaving the United Kingdom to race in the United States. The reasoning behind the move was that the level of investment needed to fund his racing career in the UK was beyond his family's resources.[1] Moving to the United States in 1999, he spent several years in lower open-wheeled circuits, such as the US F2000 National Championship,[2] the Toyota Atlantic Championship, and Indy Lights.

IRL IndyCar Series

Wheldon's 2004 Dallara IR3, in which he earned his first IRL win at Twin Ring Motegi.

2002–2004

In 2002, Wheldon moved up to the IRL IndyCar Series for two events with Panther Racing as teammate to Sam Hornish, Jr. Wheldon joined Andretti Green Racing the following year, taking the spot of Michael Andretti following his retirement, and collected league Rookie of the Year honours. In 2004, he won his first IRL race at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan; ultimately finishing as runner-up to teammate Tony Kanaan in the championship with three wins.

2005

He won the Indianapolis 500, and the IndyCar Series championship, in the 2005 season. His six victories in 2005 also broke the record for most victories in one season (under IRL sanction), previously held by Sam Hornish, Jr. with five. His win at Indy was the first for an Englishman since Graham Hill's victory in 1966. In November 2005, it was announced that he would be driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in the IndyCar Series in 2006. Shortly after his first test with Ganassi, in February 2006, he won the 24 Hours of Daytona endurance sports car race with Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Casey Mears.

2006

He began the 2006 season by beating Hélio Castroneves by 0.0147 seconds in the Toyota Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway; a sombre race due to the earlier death of Paul Dana in a practice session. Wheldon retired from the Honda Grand Prix due to contact with Sam Hornish, Jr. during a caution period. At the end of the season, Wheldon and Hornish were tied for the lead with each driver having 475 points. In the event of a tie, the driver with the most wins for that particular season is declared the champion. Hornish had four wins for the 2006 season to Wheldon's two; therefore Hornish was declared the 2006 IndyCar champion.

During the 2006 season, he was offered a place in the BMW Sauber Formula One team, but declined on discovering he would not be assured a regular drive. "I do want to race in F1. When my contract expires with Chip, I'll take a serious look at Formula One."[3]

Wheldon practising for the 2007 Indianapolis 500.

2007

Wheldon signs autographs for fans following Pole Day qualifications at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2007.

Commenting in 2007 on the perception of him as 'difficult', Wheldon said "I put everything into my racing, and I expect the same back. If I see people who aren't giving it I'm not afraid to say so but that sometimes comes out a little brash. That could be improved a little bit."[4]

He won the opening race at Homestead, dominating the event from the pole. He won again at Kansas. The season is most notable for his run in with Danica Patrick after a racing incident at Milwaukee left with a skirmish. He said of Danica, being 'feisty'.

2008–2011

On 22 June 2008 (his 30th birthday), Wheldon took his 15th career victory in the IndyCar Series after winning the Iowa Corn Indy 250 over Hideki Mutoh and Marco Andretti. He donated his winnings to help the victims of the recent tornadoes and flooding which had occurred in Iowa.[5]

Wheldon was released from his drive at Ganassi on 2 September 2008.[6] He was replaced by Dario Franchitti. "I have enjoyed these last three seasons with Target Chip Ganassi Racing but will be moving on to pursue a very exciting opportunity for 2009", Wheldon said. This would later turn out to be a return to former team Panther Racing.[7] Wheldon drove the Panther car to a second-place finish in the 2009 Indianapolis 500; the second Indy 500 runner-up finish in a row for the team. However, his strong start to the season faded and Wheldon failed to crack the top 10 in 7 of the last 8 races. The following year, Wheldon finished second again, this time to good friend Dario Franchitti of his former team, Chip Ganassi Racing; his second-place finish and Franchitti's win was overshadowed by Mike Conway's horrific crash. This gave Panther its third straight runner-up finish at Indy. Wheldon remained competitive all year; challenging for wins on the oval tracks. Despite strong showings with Panther Racing, Wheldon still failed to win a race during his time with the team which frustrated his bosses. This led to his sudden firing from Panther Racing and was replaced by rookie J. R. Hildebrand; leaving Wheldon without a full-time ride for the 2011 season.

Wheldon won his second Indianapolis 500 in 2011 in a one-off entry for the Bryan Herta Autosport team.

Wheldon attempted and won the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with Bryan Herta Autosport during the weekend of the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, after Hildebrand hit the wall in the fourth and final turn on the final lap after trying to pass the decelerating Charlie Kimball, and slowly slid towards the finish; allowing Wheldon to pass en route to his second Indy 500 victory. This race was the fourth straight runner up for Panther Racing in the Indy 500 (Vitor Meira was runner-up in 2008).[8] With the win, Wheldon became the first driver in Indy 500 history to win the race by leading a single lap.

The National Guard pit team for Hildebrand congratulated Wheldon on his win but when Wheldon was celebrating in victory lane he heard Panther Racing's staff say that he made an illegal pass under yellow. IndyCar denied this and said that the yellow was not thrown until after Wheldon had won the race and even if it was thrown before the pass Hildebrand's car was wounded and therefore was allowed to be passed in the race. Wheldon was very emotional after the win, due to his not having a ride for the rest of the season and the news that his mother had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.[9] It was Wheldon's first series win in three seasons, his 16th win in the IndyCar Series and what would turn out to be the final win of his racing career.

Over the rest of the 2011 season, Wheldon helped IndyCar and Dallara test the new IndyCar chassis that was to debut in 2012.[10]

Death

During the IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on 16 October 2011, Wheldon was involved in a 15-car accident on the 11th lap, in which his car flew approximately 325 feet (99 m) into the catchfence cockpit-first and landed back on the racing surface after his head hit a pole lining the track.[11] The carnage and ensuing debris led race officials to almost instantly throw a red flag.[12][13][14] Wheldon was extricated from his car by the Holmatro Safety Team and their Las Vegas-based colleagues and was airlifted to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada for his critical injuries.[15] After interviewing the championship contenders, IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard announced to the media that Wheldon was pronounced dead on arrival.[16] He was 33 years old.[17][18]

Officials, after input from drivers and team owners, declared that they would abandon the race and that a five-lap, three-wide formation salute would be held in Wheldon's honour, along with his #77 displayed alone at the top of the scoring pylon.[14] Wheldon had been the only racing driver participating in Go Daddy's IndyCar Challenge where he and a randomly selected fan would have been eligible for US$2.5 million each if he had won the race starting from last place.[19][20]

An autopsy conducted on 17 October 2011 concluded that Wheldon died from blunt force trauma to his head.[21] His head suffered two distinct impacts when his vehicle was airborne; the second impact with the fence post was fatal.[22]

Wheldon's funeral was held on 22 October 2011 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Fellow drivers Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, and Tony Kanaan attended it and served as pall-bearers along with Wheldon's brothers.[23] A day later, IndyCar held a public memorial service for Wheldon at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.[24]

Wheldon was the fifth Indianapolis 500 winner to die in a racing accident the same year as winning the race, and the first repeat winner to do so. Preceding him were Gaston Chevrolet (1920), Joe Boyer (1924), Ray Keech (1929), and George Robson (1946).[25]

Aftermath

After Wheldon's crash and subsequent death, Michael Andretti revealed that Wheldon had officially signed with Andretti Autosport on the morning of 16 October for a several-year deal to replace Danica Patrick beginning with the 2012 season.[26] Andretti Autosport was the team with which Wheldon won both the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series championship in 2005. James Hinchcliffe was named as his replacement. As a result of the crash, IndyCar stated that they would no longer race at Las Vegas.

Dario Franchitti, who was a close friend of Wheldon's, won the 2011 IndyCar championship since Will Power was involved in the crash; it was declared that the crash was an accident and that Franchitti would have won it had the race continued. Indy Racing League, LLC delayed all official prize-giving, choosing instead to conduct it during the annual State of INDYCAR speech in February 2012. Franchitti did not celebrate this championship win until the week after the next and in the days that followed, he said the day was the worst that he had felt.

On 18 October, Dallara announced that their new chassis would be named in Wheldon's honour. The DW12, with the new bumper/nerf bar section being featured, was designed to prevent many similar single-seater crashes such as the one that killed Wheldon.[27] The nomenclature is similar to that of the old Formula One team Ligier, whose cars were labelled JSxx in memory of Jo Schlesser after his death at the 1968 French Grand Prix.

On 5 December, a charity race honouring Wheldon was held in Milton Keynes in England.[28] The location of this race was less than 10 miles (16 km) from where Wheldon was born and raised. Notable drivers in this race included Franchitti (who took part in the race in which Wheldon was killed), Anthony Davidson and Jenson Button.[29] All money earned by this charity race was donated to a charity chosen by Wheldon's family.

Memorial plaque located in St. Petersburg, Florida
Hélio Castroneves won the 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg; the first race held after Wheldon's death. This picture was taken during Castroneves' post race celebration as he pays respects to Wheldon, who was honoured by having a section of the course named after him.

Former IndyCar driver Mark Dismore's New Castle Motorsports Park, which organises the Robo-Pong 200 endurance karting event that Wheldon won in 2005, named the race trophy the Dan Wheldon Cup in 2012, and the Wheldon family added a Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am event in 2013 to the event. That race establishes the Sue Wheldon Fund in the Alzheimer's Association. The race is held after the INDYCAR season ends, and features INDYCAR stars, although a NASCAR-themed team of Paul Harraka and Ricky Rudd won the 2006 race.

The Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am consists of one pro and three amateur drivers in a one-hour, 40 minute race. The inaugural race, which like fund-raising golf tournaments where "mullingans" can be purchased, has teams "buying back" laps to the Wheldon Fund during the race, ended with a controversial finish where Marino Franchitti, Scott Borchetta, Mark Borchetta (the two of Big Machine Records), and Clive Wheldon (Dan's father) were declared co-winners with a team of Taylor Kiel, Blair Julian, Adam Rovazzini, and pro Ed Carpenter.[30] The current four-driver format consists of a race for each of the three amateur drivers, with the pros doing the anchor leg, in identically prepared rental karts provided by the circuit. The Target team of Andrew Drake, Michael Bizzell, Nathaniel Borden, and Scott Dixon (pro) won the 2015 race with a dramatic final-lap drive from fifth to first by Dixon.

On 7 March 2012, Wheldon's widow Susie and Mayor Bill Foster unveiled a street sign in St. Petersburg, Florida, the city where Wheldons lived during the INDYCAR championship season and towards the end of his life. Named Dan Wheldon Way, the sign was placed at the corner of Bayshore Drive and Albert Whitted Park (turn 10 of the IndyCar circuit). This is the same spot where Wheldon made a crucial pass on Ryan Briscoe and Tony Kanaan with nine laps remaining to win the inaugural IndyCar Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in 2005. A permanent memorial is located across from the Dali Museum.[31] On 25 March, the upcoming IndyCar Series season began with the 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the first race held since Wheldon's death. Wheldon's younger sister Holly waved the green flag to start the event. Hélio Castroneves, known for climbing fences following race victories, won and climbed the fence where the sign stood after the race. "No question about it, this is for our friend upstairs, Dan Wheldon", Castroneves said afterwards.[32]

On 27 May, the 96th Indianapolis 500 took place; the first Indy 500 without Wheldon in the field following his death. Franchitti won the race and paid tribute to Wheldon afterwards by wearing white sunglasses. "Everybody up there was a friend of Dan's, and that about sums it up. Everybody loved him", Franchitti said as bagpipes played over the public address system. "I think D-Dub would be proud of that one."[33]

In July 2013, Autosport magazine named Wheldon one of the 50 greatest drivers to have never raced in Formula One.

In 2014, the Wheldons were honoured with the "Dan and Susie Wheldon Make a Difference Award". which would be $1,000 donated to charity and part of the INDYCAR prizegiving banquet annually. In 2015, Scott Dixon and family were named the winner of the award.

During the 2016 Kobalt 400 NASCAR weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Jamie Little, a local resident who had been the ABC pit reporter during the 2011 IndyCar Championships and now works for Fox Sports, and motorsport publicist Brent Brush placed a Dan Wheldon Memorial plaque outside Turn 2 near the point Wheldon was killed.[34]

Dan Wheldon International Driver Trophy

The Dan Wheldon International Driver Trophy was awarded to the best performing international driver over the race weekend of the Australian V8 Supercars Gold Coast 600. The trophy was named after Wheldon following his death, which took place one week prior to the 2011 event in which he was scheduled to race in with the Holden Racing Team. The international drivers' trophy had been unnamed when debuted in 2010. The trophy was discontinued after 2012 as a change in regulations stated that international co-drivers were no longer compulsory in the race.

Season Driver Team Notes
2010 United Kingdom Andy Priaulx Triple Eight Race Engineering [35]
20112012 France Sébastien Bourdais Triple Eight Race Engineering Bourdais became the first driver to win at Surfers Paradise in both a Champ Car (in 2005 and 2007) and a V8 Supercar (2011). Bourdais repeated the feat in 2012.

Personal life

In 2008, Wheldon married his long-time personal assistant Susie Behm from Armstrong, British Columbia.[36] The family lived together in St. Petersburg, Florida.[37] They had two sons: Sebastian (born in 2009) and Oliver (born in 2011).[38]

Media appearances

Wheldon was a guest star in the voice cast for the TV series Hot Wheels Battle Force 5.[39]

Other projects

On 9 August 2011, Ignite Game Technologies announced that Wheldon would assist the physics development for its online auto racing game Simraceway. "It was pretty obvious that Ignite was not looking to build just another racing game, so the opportunity to influence Simraceway's physics directly was pretty appealing", Wheldon commented.[40] It later emerged that Wheldon would also be playing a role in the company's performance driving centre at Infineon Raceway.

Motorsports career results

American open-wheel racing results

(key)

Toyota Atlantic Championship

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
2000 PPI Motorsports United States
HMS1
1
United States
HMS2
2
United States
LBH
4
United States
MIL
13
Canada
MTL
3
United States
CLE
6
Canada
TOR
3
Canada
TRR
2
United States
ROA
2
United States
LS
1
United States
GAT
7
United States
HOU
4
2nd 159

Indy Lights

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
2001 PacWest Lights Mexico
MTY
5
United States
LBH
2
United States
TXS
10
United States
MIL
3
United States
POR
10
United States
KAN
3
Canada
TOR
7
United States
MDO
2
United States
GAT
1
United States
ATL
1
United States
LS
5
United States
FON
2
2nd 149

IndyCar Series

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Rank Points
2002 Panther Racing United States
HMS
United States
PHX
United States
FON
United States
NZR
United States
INDY
United States
TXS
United States
PPIR
United States
RIR
United States
KAN
United States
NSH
United States
MIS
United States
KTY
United States
STL
United States
CHI
10
United States
TX2
15
36th 35
2003 Andretti Green Racing United States
HMS
United States
PHX
Japan
MOT
7
United States
INDY
19
United States
TXS
20
United States
PPIR
19
United States
RIR
8
United States
KAN
21
United States
NSH
4
United States
MIS
20
United States
STL
5
United States
KTY
8
United States
NZR
7
United States
CHI
4
United States
FON
4
United States
TX2
3
11th 312
2004 United States
HMS
3
United States
PHX
3
Japan
MOT
1
United States
INDY
3
United States
TXS
13
United States
RIR
1
United States
KAN
9
United States
NSH
13
United States
MIL
18
United States
MIS
3
United States
KTY
3
United States
PPIR
3
United States
NZR
1
United States
CHI
4
United States
FON
3
United States
TX2
3
2nd 533
2005 United States
HMS
1
United States
PHX
6
United States
STP
1
Japan
MOT
1
United States
INDY
1
United States
TXS
6
United States
RIR
5
United States
KAN
2
United States
NSH
21
United States
MIL
5
United States
MIS
2
United States
KTY
3
United States
PPIR
1
United States
SNM
18
United States
CHI
1
United States
WGL
5
United States
FON
6
1st 618
2006 Chip Ganassi Racing United States
HMS
1
United States
STP
16
Japan
MOT
2
United States
INDY
4
United States
WGL
15
United States
TXS
3
United States
RIR
9
United States
KAN
2
United States
NSH
2
United States
MIL
8
United States
MIS
3
United States
KTY
4
United States
SNM
6
United States
CHI
1
2nda 475
2007 United States
HMS
1
United States
STP
9
Japan
MOT
2
United States
KAN
1
United States
INDY
22
United States
MIL
3
United States
TXS
15
United States
IOW
11
United States
RIR
3
United States
WGL
7
United States
NSH
8
United States
MDO
10
United States
MIS
12
United States
KTY
17
United States
SNM
7
United States
DET
3
United States
CHI
13
4th 466
2008 United States
HMS
3
United States
STP
12
Japan
MOT1
4
United States
LBH1
DNP
United States
KAN
1
United States
INDY
12
United States
MIL
4
United States
TXS
4
United States
IOW
1
United States
RIR
4
United States
WGL
24
United States
NSH
2
United States
MDO
17
Canada
EDM
7
United States
KTY
5
United States
SNM
4
United States
DET
20
United States
CHI
6
4th 492
Panther Racing Australia
SRF2
11
2009 United States
STP
14
United States
LBH
5
United States
KAN
10
United States
INDY
2
United States
MIL
10
United States
TXS
7
United States
IOW
4
United States
RIR
10
United States
WGL
10
Canada
TOR
14
Canada
EDM
15
United States
KTY
11
United States
MDO
16
United States
SNM
12
United States
CHI
22
Japan
MOT
8
United States
HMS
21
10th 354
2010 Brazil
SAO
5
United States
STP
20
United States
ALA
11
United States
LBH
9
United States
KAN
15
United States
INDY
2
United States
TXS
9
United States
IOW
11
United States
WGL
6
Canada
TOR
10
Canada
EDM
20
United States
MDO
14
United States
SNM
25
United States
CHI
2
United States
KTY
3
Japan
MOT
10
United States
HMS
9
9th 388
2011 BHA with Curb Agajanian
Sam Schmidt Motorsports
United States
STP
United States
ALA
United States
LBH
Brazil
SAO
United States
INDY
1
United States
TXS1
United States
TXS2
United States
MIL
United States
IOW
Canada
TOR
Canada
EDM
United States
MDO
United States
NHM
United States
SNM
United States
BAL
Japan
MOT
28th 75
Sam Schmidt Motorsports United States
KTY
14
United States
LVS3
C
a Wheldon lost the title on the tiebreaker—he won only 2 races compared to Sam Hornish, Jr.'s 4 after both tied on 475 points
1 Run on same day
2 Non-points race
3 Race abandoned after 15-car crash on lap 11 involving Wheldon, who would later succumb to injuries sustained in the accident.
Years Teams Races Poles Wins Podiums
(non-win)**
Top 10s
(non-podium)***
Indianapolis 500
wins
Championships
10 5 133 5 16 27 50 2 (2005, 2011) 1 (2005)
** Podium (non-win) indicates 2nd or 3rd place finishes.
*** Top 10s (non-podium) indicates 4th through 10th place finishes.
Indianapolis 500 results
Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team Status
2003 Dallara Honda 5 19 Andretti Green Racing Wrecked in turn 4, flipped
2004 Dallara Honda 2 3 Andretti Green Racing Running
2005 Dallara Honda 16 1 Andretti Green Racing Running; 157.603 mph
2006 Dallara Honda 3 4 Chip Ganassi Racing Running
2007 Dallara Honda 6 22 Chip Ganassi Racing Crashed on backstretch
2008 Dallara Honda 2 12 Chip Ganassi Racing Running
2009 Dallara Honda 18 2 Panther Racing Running
2010 Dallara Honda 18 2 Panther Racing Running
2011 Dallara Honda 6 1 Bryan Herta Autosport Running; 170.265 mph

Sports car racing

24 Hours of Daytona results

Year Class No Team Car Engine Co-drivers Laps Position Class pos.
2005 DP 2 United States Howard-Boss Motorsports Crawford Pontiac United Kingdom Dario Franchitti
Venezuela Milka Duno
United Kingdom Marino Franchitti
528 33 DNF 16 DNF
2006 DP 02 United States Target Chip Ganassi Racing Riley MkXI Lexus New Zealand Scott Dixon
United States Casey Mears
734 1 1
2007 DP 02 United States Target Chip Ganassi Racing Riley MkXI Lexus 5.0L V8 New Zealand Scott Dixon
Mexico Memo Rojas
538 41 DNF 21 DNF
2008 DP 02 United States Target Chip Ganassi Racing Riley MkXI Lexus 5.0L V8 New Zealand Scott Dixon
United Kingdom Alex Lloyd
Mexico Salvador Durán
515 44 DNF 18 DNF

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, Results are overall/class)

Year Team Make Engine Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Rank Points
2005 Howard-Boss Motorsports Crawford Pontiac DP DAY
33/16
HOM CAL LAG CMT WAT1 BAR WAT2 DAY2 MDO PHX WAT3 VIR MEX 79th 15
2006 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Riley MkXI Lexus DP DAY
1/1
MEX HOM LBH VIR LAG PHX LRP WAT1 DAY2 BAR WAT2 INF MIL 77th 35
2007 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Riley MkXI Lexus 5.0L V8 DP DAY
41/21
MEX HOM VIR LAG LRP WAT1 MDO DAY2 IOW CGV BAR WAT2 INF MIL 75th 10
2008 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Riley MkXI Lexus 5.0L V8 DP DAY
44/18
HOM MEX VIR LAG LRP WAT MDO DAY2 BAR CGV WAT2 INF NJ MIL 60th 13

See also

References

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  2. http://www.motorsport.com/openwheel/news/na-f2000-1999-season-review/?v=2&y=1999&s=1&q=dan+wheldon&i=3 1999 US Formula 2000 Review. Motorsport.com
  3. Shaw, Simon (17 May 2007). "Dan's Indy mood for F1". The Sun. London. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
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  10. http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110927/IRL/110929897
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  20. New Jersey On-Line—IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon's death hits home with High Bridge family, 16 October 2011
  21. "Dan Wheldon died of head injuries". ESPN. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
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  25. Hawley, Larry (18 October 2011). "Wheldon's death leaves Indy 500 void for 2012". fox59.com. fox59.com. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  26. "Dan Wheldon's death stuns racing world". ESPN. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  27. "Dallara to name 2012 IndyCar in honour of Dan Wheldon". Autosport.com. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  28. "Stars race to honour Dan Wheldon in Milton Keynes". BBC Sport. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  29. "Overwhelming Support For Dan Wheldon Memorial Kart Race". Racecar.com. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  30. "St. Petersburg pays tribute to Dan Wheldon by renaming street after him". Tampa Bay Times. 8 March 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  31. "Castroneves wins IndyCar opener, pays tribute to Wheldon". CBSSports.com. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  32. "Dario Franchitti wins 2012 Indy 500". FOXSports.com. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  33. "V8 Supercars unveils the trophy for the best performing international driver, the Dan Wheldon Trophy". Speed TV (Australia). 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  34. Jones, Terry (24 July 2009). "Lacombe connection at Indy". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  35. Lang, Marissa (18 October 2011). "Fans, adopted city mourn loss of racing champion Dan Wheldon". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  36. "Dan Wheldon's wife Susie Behm". Playerwives.com. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  37. Lewandowski, Dave (9 February 2011). "Wheldon, super hero of Battle Force 5". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  38. Wheldon to Help Develop New Online Racing Sim. http://www.crash.net/indycar/news/172028/1/wheldon_to_help_develop_new_online_racing_sim.html

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dan Wheldon.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Tony Kanaan
IndyCar Series Champion
2005
Succeeded by
Sam Hornish, Jr.
Achievements
Preceded by
Buddy Rice
Dario Franchitti
Indianapolis 500 Winner
2005
2011
Succeeded by
Sam Hornish, Jr.
Dario Franchitti
Awards
Preceded by
Laurent Redon
IndyCar Series
Rookie of the Year

2003
Succeeded by
Kosuke Matsuura
Preceded by
Mark Webber
Autosport
Rookie of the Year

2003
Succeeded by
A. J. Allmendinger
Preceded by
Andy Priaulx
Autosport
British Competition Driver of the Year

2005
Succeeded by
Jenson Button
Preceded by
Rubens Barrichello
Jackie Stewart
Autosport
Gregor Grant Award

2011
With: Damon Hill
Succeeded by
Sébastien Loeb
Jimmy McRae
Preceded by
Danica Patrick
IndyCar Series
Most Popular Driver

2011
Succeeded by
James Hinchcliffe
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