Remembering Dan Wheldon - One Year Later

Dan Wheldon 1978-2011

One year. A lot can happen in one year. Good things, bad things, moments you won’t remember, moments you’ll never forget. But no matter what happens in any amount of time, it is impossible to forget and nearly impossible to move forward from a day filled with so much sadness. For some, that day is parting ways with the one you love. For others, it’s watching a family member in the military being deployed overseas. For many, it’s the loss of a loved one at too young of an age.

One year ago today, the sports world lost Dan Wheldon at too young of an age.

On this day, daddy and child celebrate by kissing the bricks
at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Less than five months
later, Sebastian and Oliver tragically lose their father.

It really is hard to believe how much has happened since that tragic Sunday at Las Vegas Speedway last year.  Just in the sport of IndyCar so much has changed.  A new car circuits the speedways and street courses and motorsports parks in the series.  Engine competition returns to the series with the new twin turbochargers from Chevrolet and Honda (oh ya and Lotus too, I guess).  Helio Castroneves, the driver known as Spiderman finally ends on top again after almost two years without a win. Road racing becomes relevant again, with Barber Motorsports Park hosting the most boring race in 2011 and arguably the most exciting in 2012. Another familiar name in Dario Franchtti drinks the milk for his third time, avoiding a crash on the last lap. An American wins the championship for the first time since 2006 with Ryan Hunter-Reay beating out Will Power by just one point. And, much like the last official race of 2011, a small team with a popular yet underperforming driver in Ed Carpenter wins the race to close out the season.

Dan Wheldon tests the new Dallara chassis.

And in all of those amazing moments, one thing remained consistent throughout the season: the presence of Dan Wheldon.

The chassis bears the name DW12 in memory of the Lionheart, who did a majority of the testing of the new Dallara in 2011. All teams used the new Dallara DW12 in the 2012 season, and there were no safety issues throughout the season with the new chassis.

 

This image has left a lasting impression on
IndyCar fans everywhere, and the moment
is one that nobody will soon forget.

Holly Wheldon, Dan's youngest sister, waved the flag on the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season. It seemed fitting, like it was everybody's way of saying "We should be here. We should be racing." After winning that season-opening race in St. Petersburg, Dan Wheldon’s adopted hometown in the US, Helio Castroneves climbed the fence in his typical Spiderman fashion. Except this time, he pointed to the street sign reading “Dan Wheldon Way” and pointing to his heart before returning to solid ground with emotions flowing. "No question about it, this is for our friend upstairs," Castroneves said, fighting back tears.

Dario Franchitti said in his post-race interview how
happy he was to have his face on either side of Dan's
on the Borg-Warner Trophy as the Indy 500 winner
in 2010 and 2012.

Franchitti had to fight back tears when he got into the cockpit for the five lap salute a year ago in honor of Wheldon. After winning the 2012 Indy 500, he teared up again saying “Everybody up there [at the end of the race] was a friend of Dan's, and that about sums it up. Everybody loved him...I think D-Dub would be proud of that one.” Dario wore white sunglasses, a favorite of Dan's, during his Victory Lane celebration. He also commented how happy he was to have his face on either side of Dan's on the Borg-Warner Trophy, winning in 2010 and 2012. Dan's wife Susie Wheldon joined Dario and Ashley Judd on the victory lap.

Ryan Hunter-Reay would have been Wheldon’s teammate in 2012, as Dan was to rejoin his old team of Andretti Autosport.  Wheldon had signed the deal the morning of his death. Hunter-Reay ends up winning, in fitting fashion, the 2012 IndyCar Championship.

Dan Wheldon poses with his family
after his second Indy 500 win in 2011.

Safety has been a huge question mark since Las Vegas.  Most of those questions have already been answered…by Dan Wheldon.  He broke in the new chassis, designed with safety features which included a rear wheel guard that would have prevented Wheldon’s ramping over another car and going airborne. Many drivers have come out and said that Dan would not have wanted them to stop racing; that he would want them to find a better way to race and to keep doing what they loved.  And they surely have, and they have remembered Dan all along the way.

It was a tragedy to lose Dan Wheldon a year ago. But he truly has not left us. He’s been there through each and every race: in our thoughts, in our prayers, and always in our hearts. And that right there is the least tragic thing of all. RIP Dan, you’ll always be with us.