Dan Wheldon
Daniel Clive Wheldon (22 June 1978 – 16 October 2011) was a British motor racing driver. He was the 2005 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series champion. He was also the winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 2005 and 2011. He was killed at the age of 33, in a 15-car crash at the IZOD IndyCar World Championship.[1][2]
| Dan Wheldon | |
|---|---|
 Wheldon in Washington, D.C. in February 2010 | |
| Nationality | British |
| Date of birth | 22 June 1978 |
| Place of birth | Emberton, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Died | 16 October 2011 (aged 33) |
| Place of death | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| IRL IndyCar Series | |
| Years active | 2002–2011 |
| Teams | Chip Ganassi Racing Andretti Green Racing Panther Racing Bryan Herta Autosport Sam Schmidt Motorsports |
| 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 U.S. F2000 National Championship |
| Championship titles | |
| 2005 1999 | IndyCar Series Champion U.S. F2000 National Championship |
| Awards | |
| 2003 2005 2006 2011 | IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year Indianapolis 500 Winner 24 Hours of Daytona Winner Indianapolis 500 Winner IndyCar Series Most Popular Driver (after his death) |
Early life and start of career
Wheldon was born in Emberton, near Olney, Buckinghamshire, England. He started go-kart racing at the age of four. At the beginning of his career in open wheel racing, he had a rivalry with Jenson Button before he left the United Kingdom to start racing in the United States. He moved to the U.S. because he thought the chance for success there were greater than in the UK.[3] He moved to the United States in 1999. He spent many years racing in lower open-wheeled circuits like the U.S. F2000 Championship Series, the Toyota Atlantic series and the Indy Lights series before moving to a higher series.
IRL IndyCar Series
In 2002, Wheldon moved up to the IRL IndyCar Series for two races. He drove for Panther Racing with his teammate Sam Hornish Jr. In 2003, he joined Andretti Green Racing, winning the Rookie of the Year award. In 2004, he won his first IRL race at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan. He finished the 2004 season second in points with three wins.
In 2005, Wheldon won the Indianapolis 500. He finished the season first in points winning the IndyCar Series championship. He won six races during the season, breaking the record for most victories in one season.[4] In November 2005, it was made known that Wheldon would be driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in the IndyCar Series in 2006. He went on to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing in the 24 Hours of Daytona, winning the race with Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Ganassi NASCAR driver Casey Mears.[5]
Wheldon began the 2006 IndyCar season by winning the race at Homestead–Miami Speedway. This was a sombre race, as Paul Dana had died earlier while practising for the race.[6] At the end of the 2006 IndyCar season, he and Sam Hornish Jr. were tied for the lead in the points. They both had 475 points. Hornish had four wins for the 2006 season, and Wheldon only had two. Because Hornish had more wins than Wheldon, he was made the 2006 Indy Car Champion.[7]
The BMW Sauber Formula One team gave Wheldon the chance to drive for them, but he turned down their offer. They could not give him a ride for the whole season, so he decided to continue to focus on Indy.[8]
On 22 June 2008, Wheldon won his 15th IndyCar Series race in the Iowa Corn Indy 250. He donated all of the money he won to help the victims of the tornadoes and flooding which had just happened in Iowa.[9]
On 2 September 2008, Wheldon left Chip Ganassi Racing.[10] He was replaced by Dario Franchitti. He had chosen to return to Panther Racing.[11] He finished second in the 2009 Indianapolis 500. However, Wheldon did not finish in the top 10 in seven of the last eight races of the year. The next year, he ran well again at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, finishing second. He finished the 2009 season 9th in the series points.[12] He ran well with Panther racing in 2009 but he did not win a race during his time with the team. Panther Racing decided to replace Wheldon with J. R. Hildebrand. He raced in the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with Bryan Herta Autosport, winning the race after J. R. Hildebrand crashed going into the final turn.[13] He was very emotional after winning the race. He did not have a ride for the rest of the season. He was also worried about his mother who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He dedicated his win to his mother.[14] It was his first series win in three seasons.[15]
Death
On 16 October 2011, Wheldon was part of a 15-car wreck on lap 11 of the IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His car went into the air and hit the catch fence. He was taken by helicopter to the hospital. When he was taken to the hospital, he was declared dead from blunt force trauma to the head. He was 33. He is buried at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Clearwater, Florida.[1][2]
Other appearances
Wheldon was a guest star in the voice cast for the TV series Hot Wheels Battle Force 5.[16]
Personal life
Wheldon married his long-time personal assistant, Susie Behm, in 2008. The couple had two sons, Sebastian (born 1 February 2009) and Oliver (born 19 March 2011). His family lives in St. Petersburg, Florida.[17]
Motorsports career results
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 |  HMS |
PHX |
FON |
NZR |
INDY |
TXS |
PPIR |
RIR |
KAN |
NSH |
MIS |
KTY |
STL |
CHI 10 |
TXS 15 |
36th | 35 | ||||
| 2003 | Andretti Green Racing | HMS |
PHX |
 MOT 7 |
INDY 19 |
TXS 20 |
PPIR 19 |
RIR 8 |
KAN 21 |
NSH 4 |
MIS 20 |
STL 5 |
KTY 8 |
NZR 7 |
CHI 4 |
FON 4 |
TX2 3 |
11th | 312 | |||
| 2004 | Andretti Green Racing | HMS 3 |
PHX 3 |
MOT 1 |
INDY 3 |
TXS 13 |
RIR 1 |
KAN 9 |
NSH 13 |
MIL 18 |
MIS 3 |
KTY 3 |
PPIR 3 |
NZR 1 |
CHI 4 |
FON 3 |
TX2 3 |
2nd | 533 | |||
| 2005 | Andretti Green Racing | HMS 1 |
PHX 6 |
STP 1 |
MOT 1 |
INDY 1 |
TXS 6 |
RIR 5 |
KAN 2 |
NSH 21 |
MIL 5 |
MIS 2 |
KTY 3 |
PPIR 1 |
SNM 18 |
CHI 1 |
WGL 5 |
FON 6 |
1st | 618 | ||
| 2006 | Chip Ganassi Racing | HMS 1 |
STP 16 |
MOT 2 |
INDY 4 |
WGL 15 |
TXS 3 |
RIR 9 |
KAN 2 |
NSH 2 |
MIL 8 |
MIS 3 |
KTY 4 |
SNM 6 |
CHI 1 |
2nda | 475 | |||||
| 2007 | Chip Ganassi Racing | HMS 1 |
STP 9 |
MOT 2 |
KAN 1 |
INDY 22 |
MIL 3 |
TXS 15 |
IOW 11 |
RIR 3 |
WGL 7 |
NSH 8 |
MDO 10 |
MIS 12 |
KTY 17 |
SNM 7 |
DET 3 |
CHI 13 |
4th | 466 | ||
| 2008 | Chip Ganassi Racing | HMS 3 |
STP 12 |
|MOT1 4 |
LBH1 DNP |
KAN 1 |
INDY 12 |
MIL 4 |
TXS 4 |
IOW 1 |
RIR 4 |
WGL 24 |
NSH 2 |
MDO 17 |
 EDM 7 |
KTY 5 |
SNM 4 |
DET 20 |
CHI 6 |
4th | 492 | |
| Panther Racing |  SRF2 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Panther Racing | STP 14 |
LBH 5 |
KAN 10 |
INDY 2 |
MIL 10 |
TXS 7 |
IOW 4 |
RIR 10 |
WGL 10 |
TOR 14 |
EDM 15 |
KTY 11 |
MDO 16 |
SNM 12 |
CHI 22 |
MOT 8 |
HMS 21 |
10th | 354 | ||
| 2010 | Panther Racing |  SAO 5 |
STP 20 |
ALA 11 |
LBH 9 |
KAN 15 |
INDY 2 |
TXS 9 |
IOW 11 |
WGL 6 |
TOR 10 |
EDM 20 |
MDO 14 |
SNM 25 |
CHI 2 |
KTY 3 |
MOT 10 |
HMS 9 |
9th | 388 | ||
| 2011 | BHA with Curb Agajanian Sam Schmidt Motorsports |
STP |
ALA |
LBH |
SAO |
INDY 1 |
TXS1 |
TXS2 |
MIL |
IOW |
TOR |
EDM |
MDO |
NWH |
SNM |
BAL |
MOT |
28th | 75 | |||
| Sam Schmidt Motorsports | KTY 14 |
LVS3 Canc |
- a Wheldon lost the title on the tiebreaker. Wheldon won only two races while Sam Hornish Jr. won four, giving him the championship.
- 1 Run on same day
- 2 Non-points race
- 3 Event cancelled after a 15-car incident on Lap 11 involving Wheldon, who later died from his injuries.
| 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) means 2nd or 3rd place finishes.
- *** Top 10s (non-podium) means 4th through 10th place finishes.
Indianapolis 500
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Dallara | Honda | 5 | 19 | Andretti Green | Wrecked in turn 4, flipped |
| 2004 | Dallara | Honda | 2 | 3 | Andretti Green | Running |
| 2005 | Dallara | Honda | 16 | 1 | Andretti Green | 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 |
Dan Wheldon Media
The Dallara IR03 car Wheldon drove to achieve his first IRL victory in the 2004 Indy Japan 300
Wheldon celebrating his victory at the 2005 Indy Japan 300
Wheldon practicing for the 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
Wheldon competing for Bryan Herta Autosport at the 2011 Indianapolis 500
Dan Wheldon waving during driver introductions shortly before the accident
The crash scene just shortly after it began. Dan Wheldon's car, seen at the bottom of the picture, has just left the racing surface.
A memorial plaque dedicated to Wheldon's memory in 2013
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Briton Dan Wheldon dies in IndyCar race in Las Vegas". BBC Sports. BBC. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Dan Wheldon dies in huge crash at IndyCar finale". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2011-11-18. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ↑ Viner, Brian (25 May 2007). "Dan Wheldon: 'Winning at Monaco would be great, but it's nothing next to the Indy 500'". The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/dan-wheldon-winning-at-monaco-would-be-great-but-its-nothing-next-to-the-indy-500-450237.html. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ↑ "Dan Wheldon: a career in pictures". The Guardian. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ↑ Salisbury, Matt (30 January 2006). "Grand-Am: Ganassi secure maiden Rolex 24 win". Crash. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ↑ Biebrich, Richard (27 March 2006). "A Driver's Duel". Sun-Sentinel. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2006-03-27-0603260303-story.html. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ↑ "Dan's race, Sam's title". Eurosport. 10 September 2006. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ↑ Himmer, Alastair (18 April 2006). "Wheldon turned down BMW F1 offer". Autosport. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ↑ Simmons, Marcus (17 October 2011). "Dan Wheldon: 1978 - 2011". Autosport. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ↑ Perez, A.J. (3 September 2008). "Goodbye NASCAR: Franchitti headed back to IndyCar Series". USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/irl/2008-09-02-franchitti-returns_N.htm. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
- ↑ Lewandowski, Dave (9 February 2011). "Wheldon, super hero of Battle Force 5". IndyCar Series. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ↑ "2009 IZOD IndyCar Series Point Standings". Archived from the original on 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
- ↑ "Britain's Dan Wheldon wins second Indy500 after rival's late crash". The Guardian. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ↑ "Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon enjoys moment in spotlight". USA Today. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ↑ "Dan Wheldon gets stunning Indy win". ESPN. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ↑ Lewandowski, Dave (9 February 2011). "Wheldon, super hero of Battle Force 5". IndyCar Series. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ↑ DeGregory, Lane (17 March 2017). "Susie Wheldon, wife of late IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon, opens up about life without him". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
Other websites
- Official website (archived)
- Dan Wheldon at Driver Database
- Dan Wheldon at Racing-Reference
- Dan Wheldon on IMDb
- Dan Wheldon at Find a Grave
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Laurent Redon |
IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year 2003 |
Succeeded by Kosuke Matsuura |
| Preceded by Buddy Rice |
Indianapolis 500 Winner 2005 |
Succeeded by Sam Hornish Jr. |
| Preceded by Tony Kanaan |
IRL IndyCar Series Champion 2005 |
Succeeded by Sam Hornish Jr. |
| Preceded by Dario Franchitti |
Indianapolis 500 Winner 2011 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Awards | ||
| 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 |