Dan Wheldon
| Dan Wheldon | |
|---|---|
Dan Wheldon in Washington, D.C. in February 2010
|
|
| Nationality |
 British |
| Born | Daniel Clive Wheldon 22 June 1978 Emberton, Buckinghamshire, England, UK |
| Died | 16 October 2011 (aged 33) Las Vegas, Nevada, US |
| IRL IndyCar Series | |
| Years active | 2002–2011 |
| Teams |
|
| 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 US F2000 National Championship |
| Championship titles | |
| 2011 2006 2005 1999 |
Indianapolis 500 Winner 24 Hours of Daytona Winner IndyCar Series Champion Indianapolis 500 Winner US F2000 National Championship |
| Awards | |
| 2003 2011 |
IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year IndyCar Series Most Popular Driver (posthumously) |
Daniel Clive Wheldon (22 June 1978 – 16 October 2011) was a British racing driver. He was the 2005 IndyCar Series champion and a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the race in 2005 and 2011. Wheldon died of injuries sustained after a collision during the IZOD IndyCar World Championship on 16 October 2011 at the age of 33.
Daniel Clive Wheldon was born in Emberton, near Olney, Buckinghamshire, England, on 22 June 1978. He took up karting at the age of 4 with funding from his father. He progressed through the junior ranks of motor racing during his school years. Attending Bedford School until he completed his GCSEs at age 16, he frequently took time off to race. During his early career in open wheel racing, he developed a rivalry with Jenson Button before ultimately leaving the United Kingdom to race in the United States. The reasoning behind the move was that the level of investment needed to fund his racing career in the UK was beyond his family's resources. Moving to the United States in 1999, he spent several years in lower open-wheeled circuits, such as the US F2000 National Championship, the Toyota Atlantic Championship, and Indy Lights.
In 2002, Wheldon moved up to the IRL IndyCar Series for two events with Panther Racing as teammate to Sam Hornish, Jr. Wheldon joined Andretti Green Racing the following year, taking the spot of Michael Andretti following his retirement, and collected league Rookie of the Year honours. In 2004, he won his first IRL race at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan; ultimately finishing as runner-up to teammate Tony Kanaan in the championship with three wins.
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