It was meant to be the title deciding race and a chance for a driver to win $5 Million dollars to share with a sweepstakes winner. Sadly the Las Vegas Indycar finale will be remembered for the horrific crash that claimed the life of the 2011 Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon. Wheldon's car became airborne and burst into flames as it slammed into the safety fence.
The accident, on lap 12, involved 15 cars, including title aspirant Australian Will Power. Power also became airborne in the incident and whilst he walked away from his car at the time he later was sent to hospital complaining of lower back pain. He was later released but the injury has seem him withdraw from this weekends Gold Coast 600.
Power expressed his sadness at the news on Twitter "Such a sad day... to lose a champion like Dan Wheldon...my thoughts and prayers are with Susie and his kids"
Wheldon is survived by his wife Susie, two year-old son Sebastian and seven month-old son Oliver.
With the race red flagged and later abandoned on confirmation of Wheldon's passing, it meant Dario Franchitti claimed the title.
Franchitti was however focused on the loss of his friend "Numb and speechless are what come up, one minute we're joking around at the driver intros and the next Dan's gone. I told his son, Sebastian today that I've known his dad since he was about six years old, we'd known him since he was a little kid [signalling with hand how tall he was], and then he's my team-mate in IndyCars. We had a couple of fallouts along the way but he was a friend. I lost... we lost a good friend. Everyone saw Dan as a good friend." he was said at a Press Conference with Chip Ganassi.
"When he first turned up in Indy he was brash but a charmer. I think about Susie [his wife] and the boys and I struggle to hold it together."
In respect of claiming his fourth title he again was more focused on the tremendous loss and the respect shown by the fans who stayed for the 5 lap salute by drivers able to take their cars back on track "No… I'd like to say thank you to all the fans for showing so much respect for Dan, it was a very nice thing. I was thinking about Dan and all stories and all the fun times we had. It's just really, really sad. It's the ugly side of our sport."
DAN WHELDON
Born: June 22, 1978
Place: Emberton, England
Lives: St. Petersburg, Florida
Status: Wife, Susie
Children: Sebastian & Oliver
Career Highlights:
• 2001 Rookie of the Year Indy Lights Championship
• 2003 IndyCar Rookie of the Year
• 2005 IndyCar Championship Winner
• 2005, 2011 Indy500 Winner
* He drove the 2008 Indycar race on the Gold Coast and finished 11th for Panther Racing.
