It has been one week since Dan Wheldon died in a crash at Las Vegas Speedway, and I decided to dust off the old blog and say goodbye in my own way. I met Dan a few weeks before he won his first Indy 500 in 2005. I had just come home from work and my little brother Matt come bursting through my bedroom door and yells that a "Fucking Indycar just drove down the street" After I accused him of being on crack, I went outside to check it out, and sure enough here comes the two seater that they use to take people for rides coming down the street for another lap. In the back seat is some blond chick, and driving is none other than Dan Wheldon, wearing sunglasses and hitting the rev limiter in first gear doing about 50 MPH right in front of my house. Matt, who pays little to no attention to racing had no clue who he was, but i was instantly pumped up as I ran across the front yard and jumped into my truck to chase after him. Matt and I chased around the block to the gas station, and when he got out of the car, I walked up and started a conversation. Dan and I talked about racing for about 20 or 30 minutes like we were old friends, while the crew loaded the car back into the trailer. At the end of the conversation he wished me luck in my Kart racing, and i wished him luck at the upcoming Indy 500, and then he thanked me for coming out today. That part always kinda stuck with me since he was the one who had just made my day, but he was thanking me. A few weeks later at the first 1100 mile party in my new apartment I was jumping off the couch an freaking out as Dan won his first 500. After his victory was overshadowed by the rise of "Danaica Mania" he showed up at the next race with a shirt that read "I actually won the Indy 500" and I knew that this was gonna be my guy for a long time. His sense of humor in interviews, and his hard driving style were both always a lot of fun to watch. While I never had the chance to meet him again, a lot of my friends had encountered him over the years, and we have been sharing stories of how cool he was in person all week on Facebook.
Dan Wheldon's driving career was enjoying a huge rebirth this season after his second Indianapolis victory with the little team that could, Bryan Herta Autosport. A Victory that I actually predicted on race day, and was helped by my good friend Ellen Jinxing J.R. Hildibrand when she said "He has it won unless he wrecks" about 10 seconds before he hit the wall. After that incredible triumph he spent a few races in the TV booth giving the world a glimpse of what his second career could be. In only 3 races he became one of my favorite TV announcers ever. Unlike most of the retired driver that the networks put in front of the camera, he actually sounded like he was having fun, and unlike Scott Goodyear, you actually believed he knew what he was talking about. Dan then spent the rest of the year as the test driver for the next generation of Indycars, which ironically have been designed to keep the cars from getting air born, and help prevent accidents like the one that claimed his life last week.
Dan Wheldon accepted the five million dollar challenge from Indycar, not for the potential of a big pay day, but because he loved to race. He didn't drive that last race any differently than he would have if he had been driving for free. He had already picked up 10 spots at the time of the wreck, and as a fan I am proud to say that he drove those last eleven laps of his life like they were the last eleven laps of his life, Dan the Man was coming to the front! Having just signed a new contract to return to Andretti Autosport next season, Wheldon didn’t need to be in that race, but he wanted to be in that race, because that is what True race drivers do, they race anything anytime they get the chance to do it.
As I sat glued to my TV for over two hours after the wreck knowing that we had lost Dan Wheldon, but somehow hoping I was wrong, I started to feel especially bad for Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanan, went through an eerily similar experience in the 1999 season final when they lost another good friend in Greg Moore. As I watched TK come out of the drivers meeting with his sun glasses on and his lip quivering, I started to tear up myself, and as I watched Dario Cry as he strapped into the car for those 5 tribute laps I was crying just as much. While I obviously didn’t know Dan Wheldon nearly as well as they did, I felt a huge loss, as the racing community had just lost a great one, a Champion on and off the track, who made everybody he met feel like an old friend.
Away from the track Dan Wheldon had become a devoted family man, and from what I have read he loved his wife Susie, and his two young sons, Sebastian, and Oliver more than anything else. I feel bad for them as the boys now have to grow up without a Dad, but I hope that as they get older they understand how much their dad meant to all of his fans around the world, and that they take some solace in knowing that he died doing what he loved to do.
Anybody who has ever driven in a race understands the risk involved in doing what they love, and in the back of our head we know that every green flag we take could be our last. We accept this risk, not because we are thrill seekers with a death wish, but because we are wired a little bit differently than most people, and we love to race. While my racing accomplishments will never equal those of Dan Wheldon, We are all a part of a unique community, The Racing Community, and we will stick together, and help each other get through this loss. While it is a sad time for us, It is not a tragedy to die doing something you love, when it is our time, Most of us will not be so lucky.
Rest in Peace Dan Wheldon.
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