104 Facts About Dan Wheldon

Daniel Clive Wheldon was a British motor racing driver who won the 2005 IndyCar Series Drivers' Championship for Andretti Green Racing.

Dan Wheldon won the Indianapolis 500 in 2005 and 2011, and was co-winner of the 2006 24 Hours of Daytona with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Dan Wheldon began driving in IndyCar with Panther Racing in 2002.

Dan Wheldon won the drivers' title in 2005 with the record for most victories during a season.

Dan Wheldon 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.

Dan Wheldon left the team at the conclusion of the season.

Dan Wheldon drove part-time for Bryan Herta Autosport and later Sam Schmidt Motorsports in the 2011 season.

At the season-ending IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Dan Wheldon was killed in a collision with a fence post alongside the circuit on the race's eleventh lap.

Dan Wheldon was 33 years old and the first driver to die in IndyCar competition since Paul Dana in 2006.

Dan Wheldon was born in the village of Emberton near the town of Olney, Buckinghamshire, England on 22 June 1978.

Dan Wheldon was the son of plumber and domestic heat electrician Clive Wheldon and his wife Sue.

Dan Wheldon's family was connected to motorsport; his father had competed in karting from an early age and his mother acted as Clive's timekeeper.

Dan Wheldon went to the Bedford School until he completed his GCSE examinations at the age of 16.

Dan Wheldon attained good reading grades and excelled in cross-country running, rugby and squash.

Dan Wheldon married his long-time personal assistant Susie Behm of Armstrong, British Columbia, in 2008.

Dan Wheldon was a guest voice over for the television series Hot Wheels Battle Force 5, and assisted in the physics development for Ignite Game Technologies' online simulation racing game Simraceway.

Dan Wheldon partook in philanthropic activities, such as raising money for Alzheimer's disease research, contributed to the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, and met unwell children at the Peyton Manning Children's Cancer Hospital in Indianapolis every year.

Dan Wheldon was a spokesperson for the National Guard's Youth Challenge Program, which provides services to vulnerable young Americans.

Dan Wheldon edited and published a coffee table book of photographs of his life, called Lionheart in 2010.

Dan Wheldon began go-kart racing at the age of four but did not partake in competitive racing until he was eight due to age limits.

Dan Wheldon drove a self-built 60cc kart during the intervals before switching to a 100cc kart later on.

Dan Wheldon was inspired by racing driver Nigel Mansell, and he was sponsored by All Kart owner Bruno Ferrari and his father helped to better his son's driving ability at Rye House Kart Circuit.

Dan Wheldon won the RAC British Cadet Karting Championship three times in 1988,1989 and 1990.

Dan Wheldon went on to win the British B Junior title driving a Wright chassis in 1992.

Dan Wheldon was later advised by Mark Rose and Terry Fullerton as he progressed to the international level.

Dan Wheldon won the 1995 FIA Formula A World Cup with Fullerton's team.

Dan Wheldon was named a finalist for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award in 1996 and 1997.

Dan Wheldon improved to third in those two series with the Van Diemen team, driving a Mygale in 1998.

Dan Wheldon did not have the necessary level of funding from his father and sponsors to further his career in the United Kingdom and progress into either the British Formula 3 International Series or the British Formula Renault Championship.

Dan Wheldon observed an Indy Lights and Toyota Atlantic test session for future preparation.

Dan Wheldon stopped doing so after about three months, when Baytos urged him to concentrate on racing.

Dan Wheldon was named the series' Rookie of the Year, and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2012 as a 1999 graduate.

Dan Wheldon progressed to the 2000 Toyota Atlantic Championship, driving for PPI Motorsports in its No 3 Swift 008.

Dan Wheldon won the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca race, finishing runner-up in the championship standings with 159 points and a further nine top-ten finishes.

Dan Wheldon was named the 2001 Indy Lights Rookie of the Year.

Dan Wheldon brought capital to the team and drove their second car for the final two races of the 2002 season.

Dan Wheldon came 15th in the season-closing Chevy 500 at Texas Motor Speedway to finish his two-race campaign 36th in the points standings with 35 accrued.

Dan Wheldon was signed to be the team's test driver in November as they sought sponsorship to enable his participation in the 2003 season.

Dan Wheldon drove well thereafter with another eight top-ten finishes.

Dan Wheldon ended the season finishing third at Texas Motor Speedway, scoring 312 points for 11th in the point standings.

Dan Wheldon's performances enhanced his reputation, and he demonstrated an accord with oval track racing that many European drivers lacked.

Dan Wheldon was awarded the 2003 IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year, and was voted the 2003 Autosport Rookie of the Year.

At Phoenix International Raceway, the season's second race, Dan Wheldon won his first career pole position and finished third.

Dan Wheldon took his first series win at Twin Ring Motegi, leading an event-high 192 laps from pole position.

Dan Wheldon took four top-ten finishes in four of the next six races, before achieving his third series victory in Nazareth Speedway's final motor race to move into second in the drivers' championship.

Dan Wheldon made the race-victory overtake with seven laps to go to become the first British driver to win the event since Graham Hill in 1966.

Dan Wheldon continued to drive consistently in the top six in the next seven races.

At Pikes Peak International Raceway, Dan Wheldon took his fifth win of the season to equal Sam Hornish Jr.

Dan Wheldon won the championship before starting the season's penultimate round by setting a single practice lap of Watkins Glen International.

Dan Wheldon was awarded the 2005 Autosport British Competition Driver of the Year.

When Chip Ganassi Racing owner Chip Ganassi was informed of rumours that Dan Wheldon might leave AGR, he engaged in informal discussions with him, which led to an agreement in principle at a meeting in August 2005.

Dan Wheldon made the switch because he wanted to ensure his stay in the IRL and remain competitive.

Dan Wheldon achieved eight top-ten finishes and two pole positions, and entered the season's final round at Chicagoland Speedway as one of four drivers in contention for the championship.

Dan Wheldon won the race but lost the championship on tiebreak to Sam Hornish Jr, who had won four races to Dan Wheldon's two.

Dan Wheldon went on to lead a race-high 177 laps to win the Kansas Lottery Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway, his second of the season.

The rest of Dan Wheldon's season was modest, with four retirements and two further third-place finishes in the SunTrust Indy Challenge and the Detroit Indy Grand Prix.

Dan Wheldon came fourth in the final points standings with 466 accrued.

Dan Wheldon won the RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway three races later, becoming IndyCar's first driver to claim two consecutive victories at the track.

Dan Wheldon started second in the Indianapolis 500 finishing ten places lower in twelfth due to handling problems in the final 50 laps.

Dan Wheldon took his second victory of the season in the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway.

Dan Wheldon donated his winnings to help the victims of the recent tornadoes and flooding which had occurred in Iowa.

Dan Wheldon achieved one further podium finish, a second-place at Nashville Speedway, and five top-seven finishes for fourth in the drivers' championship with 492 points.

Dan Wheldon planned to extend his CGR contract when Chip Ganassi provided him with an offer in May 2008.

Dan Wheldon decided against doing so when he learnt AGR's Kanaan had begun discussions with the team.

Dan Wheldon felt betrayed and began talking to other teams.

Dan Wheldon told CGR three months later in Detroit of his decision to leave them at the season's conclusion.

Dan Wheldon returned to the full-time one-car Panther Racing team for the 2009 season following an agreement with his management and team owner John Barnes in mid-August.

Dan Wheldon struggled to perform in the first three races, but he took his first top-ten finish with a fifth at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The rest of Dan Wheldon's season saw him achieve a best finish of fourth at Iowa Speedway and three top-tens.

Dan Wheldon did not attain those results in seven of the last eight races.

Dan Wheldon was tenth in the championship standings with 354 points, his lowest finish since he placed eleventh in 2003.

Three races later at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Dan Wheldon took a second top-ten result with a ninth.

Dan Wheldon remained competitive all year; challenging for wins on oval tracks.

Dan Wheldon flipped upside down and pirouetted several times but emerged unhurt.

Dan Wheldon did not have a full-time seat for the 2011 season, and he missed the season's first four races as he sought employment with another team to compete in the Indianapolis 500.

Dan Wheldon then spoke to his friend and former AGR teammate Bryan Herta who offered to assemble a car from his own low-budget operation, Bryan Herta Autosport, for Wheldon and he agreed.

Dan Wheldon drove a Dallara car from 2003 leased to Herta by BHA's technical partner Sam Schmidt Motorsports and Curb-Agajanian Motorsports.

Dan Wheldon took the lead to become the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 leading only the final lap.

Dan Wheldon's contract expired at midnight on 30 May He then became a color commentator and pit lane reporter for the cable television channel Versus for three IndyCar Series events, believing he would not race again in 2011.

Dan Wheldon impressed viewers with his expertise, quick wit and ease in interacting with other commentators.

Dan Wheldon was employed by IndyCar, car manufacturer Dallara and designer Tony Cotman to test and develop the official prototype model of a new one-specification chassis that debuted at the beginning of the 2012 season.

Dan Wheldon made his endurance racing debut at the 2005 24 Hours of Daytona, sharing the No 2 Howard-Boss Motorsports Pontiac Crawford DP03 with Dario Franchitti, Marino Franchitti and Milka Duno in the Daytona Prototype class.

Dan Wheldon declined when he discovered that he would not be assured a race seat for the 2007 season; he felt emotionally attached to the United States.

Dan Wheldon turned down an offer to compete for Great Britain in the inaugural A1 Grand Prix season.

In 2006, Dan Wheldon returned to compete in the season-opening 24 Hours of Daytona for Chip Ganassi Racing with Scott Dixon and Casey Mears in the DP class.

Dan Wheldon returned with the same team for the following year's race, again partnered by Dixon, and they were joined by Memo Rojas.

Dan Wheldon returned for a fourth time to participate in the 24 Hours of Daytona for Chip Ganassi Racing with Dixon, Alex Lloyd and Salvador Duran.

Dan Wheldon was unable to get an international racing driver so he offered the challenge to Wheldon who accepted.

Dan Wheldon was ABC's in-race reporter and spoke in defence of his participation in the event and IndyCar to the network's commentary team during the warm-up laps.

Dan Wheldon's vehicle rotated and travelled parallel to the catchfence above the concrete wall behind the SAFER barrier alongside the track.

Dan Wheldon collided with a fence post along his car's right-hand side, creating a deep defect in the chassis that went from the upper pedal bulkhead and through the cockpit.

Dan Wheldon was extricated from his car by the trackside safety team and airlifted to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada for his critical injuries.

Dan Wheldon was the fifth Indianapolis 500 winner to die in a racing accident in the same year as winning the race, and the first repeat winner to do so.

Dan Wheldon is buried at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Clearwater, Florida.

The results of the investigation into Dan Wheldon's death were released on 15 December 2011.

Dan Wheldon had charisma, a sense of humour and warmth that made him a favourite amongst motor racing fans and the media, despite being unrecognisable in England due to Formula One being the country's most popular motor racing series.

Dan Wheldon was a keen learner, and was focused on accomplishing his objectives.

That month, Dan Wheldon was posthumously awarded the Gregor Grant Award for his lifetime career achievements that his father Clive and Franchitti collected.

The Dan Wheldon family added a Dan Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am to the event in 2013.

Franchitti won the 2012 Indianapolis 500 on 27 May and dedicated his victory to Dan Wheldon and wore white sunglasses in his honour.

That year Dan Wheldon was memorialised by a resolution passed by the Indiana Senate.

The Wheldons were honoured with the "Dan and Susie Wheldon Make a Difference Award" in September 2014.

Dan Wheldon was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in May 2019.

The trophy was named after Dan Wheldon following his death, which took place a week prior to the 2011 event in which he was scheduled to participate with the Holden Racing Team.