One year later, I still miss Dan Wheldon.
It was going to be an exciting day. A championship battle, an interesting wager, the final race of the season. I still feel the prize Randy Bernard had create was worth it. It was a side story for the championship battle. It put the Indianapolis 500 winner in the field, after unjustly missing all but two races of the season.
After Dan won Indianapolis last year, I was adamant with my friends that Dan had to be in a car full-time. I was mad that a proven winner was not handed a ride in victory lane. He earned it, he should not have had to buy a ride.
After the accident, I cried. I did not want to do a damn thing. The following morning, I did not want to go to school. I just wanted to cry. The week slowly went by. I really sat down and thought about racing. What it meant to me, if my heart was still in it. After thinking for a couple of days, I determined my love for racing was just as strong as ever. Death is apart of racing. It's there, just as it follows us in everyday life. We don't think about it, we'll never know when it is coming or how it will get us but it is there.
What do I miss most about Dan? His smile. It is the first thing I think of him as a human being. As a racer, it is clear. Two Indianapolis 500 victories, an IndyCar championship and an impressive career nonetheless. I remember Richmond 2004. He started 20th and going in was not fully comfortable with short ovals. He ended up winning the race after nearly falling one lap down. Looking back, it is hard to believe Dan struggling on any oval during the his career. I remember the golden days for Andretti Green Racing. Four teammates, four different nationalities, but all acting as if they were all brothers. The reign they had during 2004 and 2005 where they were the best team and nobody came close.
What do I miss most about Dan? His smile. It is the first thing I think of him as a human being. As a racer, it is clear. Two Indianapolis 500 victories, an IndyCar championship and an impressive career nonetheless. I remember Richmond 2004. He started 20th and going in was not fully comfortable with short ovals. He ended up winning the race after nearly falling one lap down. Looking back, it is hard to believe Dan struggling on any oval during the his career. I remember the golden days for Andretti Green Racing. Four teammates, four different nationalities, but all acting as if they were all brothers. The reign they had during 2004 and 2005 where they were the best team and nobody came close.
After the season we just had, I cannot help but think about what it could have been like with Dan's presences. His would have been teammate, Ryan Hunter-Reay won the championship, James Hinchcliffe was competitive all year. We will never know what the results would have been, what races he would have won, if any. The car that Dan had a major hand in developing though, did not let us down. And I am sure, Dan is happy about that. We owe him thanks for the great racing produced, even though he is no longer with us.
I miss Dan, but the memories of him racing will remain, the joy he brought many fans, including myself will never go away. He has a special place in history.
As bad as I feel, I cannot begin to imagine how his widow Susie feels today. God bless her, Sebastian and Oliver and the rest of the Wheldon family.
Coming up this weekend, twenty-eight drivers, including nine from IndyCar, will compete in V8 Supercars at Surfers Paradise for the Dan Wheldon International Driver Trophy. Is there any better way to honor Dan than racing? I do not think so and I am sure Dan approves.
