Dan Wheldon 1978-2011
INDYCAR

Dan Wheldon 1978-2011
Dan Wheldon, Some History
Published by: All Car Central Publishing
Date published: 10/19/2011




Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon: June 22 1978 - October 16, 2011

Dan Wheldon was from Emberton, England and was a British up-and-coming racing star when he arrived at the US racing scene in 1999. Dan had already won the British kart and Formula Ford titles and started out dominating the US F2000 series. After his 2000 Atlantic year, Dan moved into the Indy Lights where he was the 2001 Rookie of the Year.

2002 found Dan driving the ultra fast IndyCars for Panther Racing and Andretti Green Racing

Dan was the 2003 Rookie Of The Year with 14 starts and a 3rd over all finish.

Dan Wheldon driving for Andretti Green Racing in 2005 scored a series record 6 wins which included the 89th Indianaplis 500 winning the series championship for his Team.

A the end of the 2005 season he jumped to the highly competitive Target Chip Ganassi Team and promptly beat out Helio Castroneves at the finish line of the Homestead-Miami Speedway 2006 opener.

The 2006 year ended with a second in Series Points standings as a result of a second first place finish at Chicagoland.

In 2007 Dan Wheldon with Target Chip Ganassi Racing finished 4th in the Series Points standings.

Dan Wheldon Infineon Raceway 2008

Dan Wheldon the young raising star, and now driving for the highly successful Chip Ganassi Team, was posing on the cover of the official IndyCar Media Guide for the 2008 year, along side his team mates, Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves with their bright red Team Target uniforms. Dan also reveled that he had a collection of hundreds of pairs of shoes and was very superstitious, always tapping his car on the nose 3 times and will only enter from the non-gear stick side.

Back at Panther Racing in 2009 Dan moved up 16 positions to finish second at the Indianaplis 500. In 2009 Dan's car was sponsored by the US National Guard and Dan 'enjoyed' some experiences of their "Boot Camp" training, but only recorded a 10th place in Series Points standings.

The 2010 year ended with a ninth in Series Points standings with Panther Racing with a season best of second at Indianaplis 500 and Chicagoland.

Dan's 2011 season was rocky and he did not have a full time ride even though he had won the 2011 Indy 500. But INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard and the IndyCar Series with support from Go Daddy and Verizon, opened up a once in a lifetime opportunity for a moonlighting driver to win $5 million which would be split between the driver and a fan at the Las Vegas track. As the reigning Indy 500 champion, there were no other takers, Wheldon was the only driver eligible to race for this challenge. As an 'outsider' he had to start from the last row.

"Myself and a fan have the chance to win two-and-a-half million dollars each and I genuinely think we have a shot," Wheldon said. "They'll make me start from the back of the field, which is good because I think it shows that (Bernard) has confidence in me that we can do this."

Wheldon was driving the No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins at Magnolia/William Rast Dallara/Honda/Firestone car, which was co-entered by Sam Schmidt Motorsports and Bryan Herta Autosport with support from Curb-Agajanian, when on the 12 lap, it hit Paul Tracy's rear wheel and launched into the air, flying, twisting, many, many yards down and across the track slamming into the catch fence.

The 34 cars all running in a tight 3 to 4 wide pack at over 220 MPH had no time to react to a car drifting out of its racing line in, mid-group, clipping one another and sending cars into the wall and into the air. Fire, parts and cars flying every where. The scene of destruction on live TV was like an over-dramatized movie scene. The devastation was huge and very sad.

Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011
Tim Surman Photo 2011

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Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011
Tim Surman Photo 2011

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Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011
Tim Surman Photo 2011

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Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011
Tim Surman Photo 2011

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Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011
Tim Surman Photo 2011

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Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon
IndyCar Series
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, California, 2008

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Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon
IndyCar Series
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, California, 2008

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Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon
IndyCar Series
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, California, 2008

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Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon
IndyCar Series
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, California, 2008

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Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon
IndyCar Series
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, California, 2008

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Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon
IndyCar Series
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, California, 2008

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Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon
IndyCar Series
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, California, 2008

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Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon
IndyCar Series
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, California, 2008

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Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon
IndyCar Series
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, California, 2008

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Dan Wheldon: June 22 1978 - October 16, 2011

Dan Wheldon Infineon Raceway 2008

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