Justin Wilson (racing driver)

Justin Wilson
NationalityUnited Kingdom English
BornJustin Boyd Wilson
(1978-07-31)31 July 1978
Moorgate, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England
Died24 August 2015(2015-08-24) (aged 37)
Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Related toStefan Wilson (brother)
IndyCar Series career
Years active20082015
Former teamsNewman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (2008)
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (2010–2011)
Dale Coyne Racing (2009, 2012–2014)
Andretti Autosport (2015)
Starts120
Wins3
Poles2
Fastest laps2
Best finish6th in 2013
Champ Car World Series
Years active2004–2007
TeamsConquest Racing (2004)
RuSport (2005–2006)
RSPORTS (2007)
Starts54
Wins4
Poles6
Best finish2nd in 2006, 2007
Awards
2006, 2007Greg Moore Legacy Award
Formula One World Championship career
Active years2003
TeamsMinardi, Jaguar
Entries16
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points1
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry2003 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry2003 Japanese Grand Prix

Justin Boyd Wilson (31 July 1978 – 24 August 2015) was a British professional open-wheel racing driver who competed in Formula One (F1) in 2003, the Champ Car World Series (CCWS) from 2004 to 2007 and the IndyCar Series from 2008 to 2015. He won the first Formula Palmer Audi (FPA) in 1998, the International Formula 3000 Championship (IF3000) with Nordic Racing in 2001, and co-won the 2012 24 Hours of Daytona for Michael Shank Racing.

Wilson began karting at the age of eight and achieved consistent results, before progressing to car racing in the Formula Vauxhall Championship. He won the FPA title and earned a fully funded seat in IF3000, becoming the first British driver to win the series championship in 2001. He moved to the 2002 World Series by Nissan for the Racing Engineering team and finished fourth. Through an investment scheme where the public could purchase shares in Wilson, he drove for the Minardi and Jaguar teams in the 2003 F1 season.

He drove for the Conquest Racing and RuSPORT teams in the CCWS from 2004 to 2007, winning four races and finishing runner-up in the 2006 and 2007 drivers' championships. Wilson went to Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing for the 2008 IndyCar Series, winning the Detroit Indy Grand Prix. A move to the low-budget Dale Coyne Racing (DCR) team for 2009 resulted in the team's first open-wheel victory at the Grand Prix at the Glen. Wilson moved to the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing squad from 2010 and 2011 but did not win a race. He returned to DCR for 2012 to 2014, winning the 2012 Firestone 550 and finishing sixth in the 2013 drivers' championship.

Late in the 2015 season, in the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway, Wilson died after debris from a crashed car struck his helmet. He was the first driver to die from injuries sustained in an IndyCar race since Dan Wheldon in 2011. As of 2024, it is also the most recent fatal accident to have occurred in IndyCar. His organs were donated to save the lives of five people. A hairpin corner at Snetterton Circuit was renamed after him and a memorial fund was established to support his children.