Drivers live to drive; living quite literally on the edge of control and disaster is the natural high which makes their lives livable. A good driver cannot be reckless; that edge is very real, and the rewards and penalties are enormous.
IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon lived to drive. From the age of four, in go-karts, until his death at age 33, driving was Wheldon’s life.
The 33-year old driver was not originally contracted to race in the IndyCar season finale. The 2011 Indy 500 winner, who had not full-time ride for the season, took the race on a $5-million wager with IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard, who bet that Wheldon could start last and beat the rest.
Make no mistake: the transplanted Englishman, wealthy after nine successful seasons in the sport, was not driving for the money, but for the chance to drive. The only possible positive point to take from his tragic death last Sunday is that at least he died driving.
Hot From the Start
Dan Wheldon, British-born but living in St. Petersburg, Fla., had a long series of successes throughout his nine-year career.
Wheldon started in IndyCar in 2002, driving for the small Panther Racing team; he showed so much promise he was hired in 2003 by the then-powerful Andretti Green squad (now Andretti Autosports,) and fulfilled his promise by winning Rookie of the year. He won his first IndyCar race in 2004, finishing third in the championship.
The list of successes grew in 2005: Wheldon won five races, including the Indianapolis 500, and won his first IndyCar Championship.
After the 2005 season Wheldon, then 27, signed with the prestigious Target-Chip Ganassi team, arguably the best in IndyCar racing. After only three full seasons in the sport, he had reached the top.
Wheldon was proving to be a great racer, not just a great IndyCar driver. His talents caught the attention of the BMW Sauber Formula One team. Wheldon was contracted to Ganassi, but said he wanted to try F1 when he had the chance.
2006 brought a bit of disappointment, as Wheldon tied Brian Herta in championship points, but lost the crown, having only two wins on the season to Herta’s four.
Wheldon scored two wins in 2007 and 2008. His last win in 2008 came on his birthday, June 22, at the Iowa Corn Indy 250. Iowa was recovering from the worst tornado season in decades — over 100 storms ravaged the state, doing $100s of millions in damage. Wheldon graciously donated his $35,000 earnings to the disaster victims.
Wheldon scored another big win in 2008: he married his personal assistant, Susie Behm. The couple had their first son in 2009, the second in 2011.
Tough Years, Bright Future
2009 and 2010 were trying years for the former champion. Wheldon returned to Panther Racing and went without a win on the underfunded one-car team, though he did finish second in the Indy 500 both years. Wheldon left Panther at the end of 2010 amidst money disputes with the team owner; unfortunately by the time he was released most teams had picked their 2011 drivers.
Unwilling to sign with a team...
Unwilling to sign with a team which had no chance of winning Wheldon tried his hand at broadcasting, doing race commentary for IndyCar; he was the best in the booth at the races he called, providing clear description mixed with inside information about what drivers and teams thought and did behind the scenes. He would have had a bright career waiting for him after he hung up his helmet.
Though he kept busy karting, Wheldon would not give up on driving IndyCars. He negotiated a one-race deal with Brian Herta Motorsports for the 2011 Indy 500. Wheldon was second starting the final lap; it seemed he was doomed to be a three-time bridesmaid. The race leader and Rookie-of-the-Year contender JR Hildebrand lost control passing a slower car on the final corner, and Wheldon cruised by to take his second Indy 500 win.
Following his win, IndyCar contracted Wheldon to test their brand new, much safer 2012 chassis. Wheldon probably got more seat time in an IndyCar than anyone else in the field, as he tested the new car at a variety of tracks. Some fans even complained that he would have an advantage in 2012, because he would know the car so well.
Maybe, maybe not. Whatever the reason, Andretti Autosports decided to rehire Wheldon to replace the departing Danica Patrick. 2012 was shaping up to be a stellar year for the 33-year-old racer father of two.
Fate intervened. Las Vegas, home of gambling in the U.S., was also the site of the 2011 IndyCar World Championship, where either Will Power would win his first title or Dario Franchitti his fourth. As an added attraction, IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard issues a challenge: if Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon could start from the very back and win the race, IndyCar would pay him $5 million dollars.
As a publicity stunt it was a great idea: Wheldon, good as he was, would be facing two drivers fighting for the championship and a bunch of drivers trying to end 2011 with a big win to boost their careers. The race was televised on ABC, to have the largest possible audience.
13 laps into the race, the aggression had already started. Ryan Briscoe and Graham Rahal were banging wheels near the front of the pack, which caused some drivers behind them to slow. One car touched another and a huge pile-up ensued.
A second group of cars, coming up on the first at 220 mph, scattered. Some hit debris from the initial contact, some went into the infield. Dan Wheldon hit EJ Viso and launched into the air, flying into the catch fencing cockpit-first with a force so great no safety system could possibly have saved him.
Several other divers were also launched into the air: Will Power and Pippa Mann both took off and landed hard enough to need hospitalization, as did JR Hildebrand.
Ironically, one of the most important and most controversial features of the new car Wheldon was testing was a rear bumper to prevent cars from becoming airborne in exactly this situation. Hopefully fans accept the new bumper, and hopefully they call it the “Wheldon Device” so the passing of this champion is not soon forgotten.
