The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Dan Wheldon, who moved to the United States from his native England with hopes of winning the Indianapolis 500 and went on to twice prevail at his sport's most famed race, died Sunday after a massive, fiery wreck at the Las Vegas Indy 300.
One of the most well-liked drivers in the paddock, Wheldon was 33.
He called the Indy 500 "the biggest sporting event in the world," and his second and final win there came in a most unexpected fashion. Trailing rookie JR Hildebrand with only one turn remaining, Wheldon was resigned to finishing second for the third straight year.
Then Hildebrand brushed the wall just seconds away from what seemed like certain victory, giving Wheldon one of the luckiest breaks ever at the Brickyard. He crossed the line in front, making the final lap the only one he led in the entire race.
Wheldon returned to the track the next morning for the traditional photo session with the winner, kissing the bricks as his 2-year-old son Sebastian sat on the asphalt alongside him, and his wife, Susie, held their then-2-month-old son Oliver.
"That's Indianapolis," Wheldon said after this year's Indy win. "That's why it's the greatest spectacle in racing. You never know what's going to happen."
Such was the case again Sunday at Las Vegas.
Wheldon started last in the 34-car field and was up to 24th quickly, but still well behind the first wave of cars that got into trouble on the fateful lap. Still, he had no way to avoid the wrecks in front of him. There was no time to brake or steer out of trouble. His car sailed into the fence extending high over the track barrier, and about two hours later, his death was announced.
Wheldon began driving go-karts as a 4-year-old, and racing was a constant in his life as he attended school in England as a child, winning eight British national titles along the way. He moved to the U.S. in 1999, trying to find sponsor money to fund his dream, and by 2002 — after stints in some lower-profile open-wheel series, such as the F2000 championship, Toyota Atlantic Series and IndyLights — he was on the IndyCar grid for the first time.
Wheldon was a fast study. He got his first IndyCar Series ride in 2002, competing twice with Panther Racing, then replaced Michael Andretti when Andretti retired the next season and won Rookie of the Year.
His first victory came the next season, in Japan, and he finished second in the championship standings behind Andretti Green Racing teammate Tony Kanaan. The next year, he was the series champion. NASCAR teams talked to him about changing series. So did Formula One organizations.
In the end, he decided IndyCar was his calling.
"The biggest thing for me is the Indianapolis 500," Wheldon said in 2005, not long after becoming the first Englishman since Graham Hill in 1966 to win the race. "It would be really difficult to leave this series because of that race."
A star was born at that 2005 Indy 500 — and it wasn't necessarily Wheldon, the winner. Danica Patrick was a rookie at Indy that year, and not only did she steal the show, she nearly took the biggest prize as well. Wheldon passed Patrick with less than 10 laps to go and held on for the victory, and that wasn't the last time those two would share a spotlight.
At Milwaukee in 2007, Wheldon and Patrick brushed cars during the race, then brushed bodies on pit road after the race in a relatively heated exchange.
He good-naturedly poked fun at what was fast known as Danicamania following the 2005 race, famously posing in a T-shirt afterward with the words "Actually 'Won' The Indy 500" emblazoned on the front. Wheldon got his share of fame as well after that '05 win, of course, throwing out the first pitch at a Yankees game and appearing on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman."
On Sunday, Patrick, making her last IndyCar start before moving to NASCAR, was clearly emotional after drivers were told of Wheldon's death. Wheldon would have taken over for Patrick in IndyCar for the 2012 season. Andretti Autosport, the team with which Wheldon won the 2005 Indy 500, had agreed to a contract early Sunday for Wheldon to return to the team, and the actual deal was supposed to be signed after the race.
Even with his resume — two Indy wins, 16 race victories on the circuit overall — Wheldon found it difficult just to stay in the series, at least in 2011. He finished among the top 10 in IndyCar points annually from 2004 through 2010, but Sunday was only Wheldon's third start of the 2011 campaign.
Lacking the financial backing to secure a full-time ride for himself this season, Wheldon kept busy by working as a commentator for some races and testing prototype cars that the IndyCar series will be using in the future. IndyCar will have new cars in 2012, much of the changes done with a nod to safety. It had been a passion of Wheldon's in recent months, and he once quipped that he was a "test dummy" for the new cars by working with engineers as often as he was.
"We need to make sure that the product that the IndyCar Series puts out toward the end of this year, beginning of 2012, is something that primarily the fans get very excited about, but also the teams and drivers," Wheldon said this summer. "And obviously we want to make sure that the product we put out is incredibly safe."
Wheldon, his wife and their children lived in St. Petersburg, Fla., and he often said that he believed fatherhood made him a better driver.
Wheldon said the 2011 Indy victory was "a Cinderella story," and lauded his wife for helping him deal with all that came with not having a full-time driving gig this season. He did not personally need money — his winnings already ensured his family would be set for life, he said —
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but rather the lack of sponsorship funds is what kept him from regularly racing this year.
At times, he said it was difficult, and Wheldon credited his wife for helping him through the emotional lows.
"There's times where you do doubt yourself a little bit," Wheldon said after this year's Indy win. "Through all of this, she's been incredibly supportive and she understands that this is all I've ever done. Racing is all I've ever done. She knows that racing creates the personality in me that she loves. So she was desperate to get me back out the house and in a race car. It's good to deliver for her, my two boys, my family back home, too."
Off the track, Wheldon had varied interests, some of which had almost nothing to do with his driving.
He raised money for several charities, was a spokesman for the National Guard and its education-awareness programs, and most recently tried to raise money for Alzheimer's research. His mother was diagnosed with an early onset form of that disease in 2009.
He visited Lake Placid, N.Y., in 2010 for the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Challenge, taking a run down the icy chute — and getting ejected from the back of a two-man sled in a crash. Wheldon was unhurt, and even hopped to his feet quickly, taking a bow.
"Us IndyCar drivers, we like to go fast," Wheldon said that day.
Later that year, he released a photo book he called "Lionheart," a coffee table book that he described as "almost like a photo biography from my career in IndyCars up until this point." He spent years editing the book, which included dozens of photos of his life away from the track, including images from his wedding.
"I wanted it to have a lot of my input," Wheldon said last year. "Obviously, it's a reflection of me."
He also wanted that book to provide his fans with a glimpse of his life that they would never have known otherwise.
"There's a lot of my wedding in there," Wheldon said. "I wanted there to be a lot of photos of my wife. She was the most beautiful bride on her wedding day the world had ever seen."
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Reaction to the death of Dan Wheldon
Reaction to the death of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, who was killed Sunday in a 15-car wreck at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
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"It's a black day for the sport. We came in here hoping for a good season-finale and ended up losing a very close friend and a very good racing driver." — IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe.
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"We put so much pressure on ourselves to win races and championships, and that's what we love to do, what we live for. Days like today, it doesn't really matter. I lost, we lost, a good friend. Everybody in IndyCar considered Dan a friend. You saw what the reaction was. Dan was one of those special, special people, from when he first showed up at IndyCar." — Dario Franchitti, Wheldon's former teammate and 2011 season champion.
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"Dan Wheldon was a tremendous competitor and great racer and an even better person. It was an honor to have him be a part of our team. All of us at Sam Schmidt Motorsports are deeply saddened by his passing. On behalf of everyone at Sam Schmidt Motorsports, our prayers go out to all of his family, especially his wife, Susie, and their two children." — Sam Schmidt, owner of Sam Schmidt Motorsports.
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"We're all going to miss him. A little bit of everybody in IndyCar racing died today." — Chip Ganassi, owner of Chip Ganassi Racing, Wheldon's former team.
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"I feel so bad for Susie and their kids. It's so tough to understand when somebody is gone that quickly. Dan was always a very happy guy; he was always smiling. He was a funny, great person that touched a lot of people. He will be missed." — IndyCar driver Oriol Servia.
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"Recently, we had been working very closely with Dan on the development of the 2012 IndyCar. His passion for the sport was evident every day, and he worked endlessly to do the best he could at everything he did. We extend our sympathies to his family, to his team, and to his many friends and fans. He was a talented competitor on the track who will be long remembered by all who had the privilege of working with and knowing him." — Al Speyer, executive director of Firestone Racing.
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"What a tremendously sad day, my thoughts are with the entire Wheldon family... Dan's passion for IndyCar racing will be sorely missed...." IndyCar driver JR Hildebrand on Twitter.
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"The passing of Dan Wheldon today is a great shame. Dan was a great driver as evidenced by not only his Indianapolis 500 victories, but by his many wins and great performances in the race car. But he was much more than a great driver. He was a good guy, good family man and really seemed to have a bright future, not only as a driver, but as a television personality as well." — Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Racing.
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"All of us here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are deeply saddened by the death of Dan Wheldon. He was a tremendous race car driver and a great representative for IndyCar racing. Our prayers are with Dan's family as well as the officials and sponsors of IndyCar." — Chris Powell, president of LVMS.
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"Dan had a passion for motorsports and a wonderful personality that made him a friend to everyone in the racing community. His talent and dedication were an inspiration to us all. We will miss him terribly and everyone at Honda extends our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and fans across the world." — Erik Berkman, president of Honda Performance Development.
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"We are incredibly saddened at the passing of Dan Wheldon. He was a great champion of the Indianapolis 500 and a wonderful ambassador for the race, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and all of motorsports. Most importantly, he was a fantastic husband, father and man — a good
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friend to so many in this sport. His memory will live forever at the Speedway, both through the magnitude of his accomplishments on the track and his magnetism off the track." — Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation president and CEO Jeff Belskus.
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"Such a sad day... to lose a champion like Dan Wheldon...my thoughts and prayers are with Susie and his kids," IndyCar driver Will Power on Twitter.
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"Dan Wheldon was a dear friend and an incredible race driver. His family and friends were with him at the track today, and he was surrounded by love. He was doing what all true racers love best. There is a massive hole in my heart, but I am blessed to have shared in his life, his family and friends and his mighty racing accomplishments." — Scott Borchetta, president and CEO of the Big Machine Label Group & sponsor of Dan Wheldon's car.
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"This is a truly heartbreaking loss. Dan Wheldon was a terrific driver and a great champion, but overall he was one of the most engaging, intelligent and colorful individuals in our sport. We were fortunate to work with Dan as a regular promotional partner over the years. We will miss his competitive drive on the track and his energy and sense of humor in the paddock." — Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway.
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"NASCAR offers its deepest sympathies and condolences to the family of Dan Wheldon, his teammates, and the entire IndyCar Series community for their tragic loss today. They will be in our thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time." — NASCAR CEO Brian France.
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"He's just too young. You just don't realize that every time you get in the car they could die." — photographer Michael Vorhees who shot "Lionheart," Wheldon's coffee table book that he described as "almost like a photo biography from my career in IndyCars up until this point."
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"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dan Wheldon's family and friends on this sad, sad day. All of us in the IndyCar family feel an unexplainable sense of loss. Not just for the sport, but for all who knew Dan Wheldon. Dan was a family man, a father, a husband, a son and a brother. The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner was also a competitor and a colleague ... our deepest condolences go out to all who knew Dan." — Go Daddy CEO Bob Parsons.
