Dan Wheldon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wheldon at Daytona in January 2008 | |
| Born | Daniel Clive Wheldon 22 June 1978 Emberton, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Died | 16 October 2011 (aged 33) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Blunt force trauma |
| Resting place | Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Clearwater, Florida |
| IRL IndyCar Series | |
| Years active | 2002–2011 |
| Teams | Panther Racing (2002, 2009–2010) Andretti Green Racing (2003–2005) Chip Ganassi Racing (2006–2008) Bryan Herta Autosport/Sam Schmidt Motorsports (2011) |
| 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 | |
| 2006 2005, 2011 2005 1999 | 24 Hours of Daytona Winner Indianapolis 500 winner IndyCar Series Champion U.S. F2000 National Championship |
| Awards | |
| 2003 2011 2019 | IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year IndyCar Series Most Popular Driver (posthumously) Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame (posthumously) |
| Signature | |
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Daniel Clive Wheldon (22 June 1978 – 16 October 2011) was a British motor racing driver who won the 2005 IndyCar Series Drivers' Championship for Andretti Green Racing (AGR). He won the Indianapolis 500 in 2005 and 2011, and was co-winner of the 2006 24 Hours of Daytona with Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR).
Wheldon began competitive karting at the age of eight and achieved early success, before progressing to open-wheel car racing in the U.S. F2000 National Championship, the Toyota Atlantic Championship and Indy Lights. He began driving in IndyCar with Panther Racing in 2002. The following year, Wheldon moved to AGR, finishing as runner-up in the 2004 championship. He won the drivers' title in 2005 with the record for most victories (including that year's Indianapolis 500) during a season. In the 2006 season, he moved to CGR, tying Sam Hornish Jr. in points but finishing second because of count-back on the number of victories taken by both drivers. During the 2007 and 2008 seasons, Wheldon's form lowered but he won four additional races to place fourth overall in both years.
He returned to Panther Racing for the 2009 and 2010 seasons, failing to win a race but taking a further four podium results during this period. Wheldon left the team at the conclusion of the season. He drove part-time for Bryan Herta Autosport and later Sam Schmidt Motorsports in the 2011 season. He won his second Indianapolis 500 in May of that year. At the season-ending IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Wheldon was killed in a collision with a fence post alongside the circuit on the race's eleventh lap. He was 33 years old and the first driver to die in IndyCar competition since Paul Dana in 2006.