ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – The late Dan Wheldon gave NTT IndyCar Series team owner Michael Andretti his first Indianapolis 500 victory in 2005.
Saturday morning at the Dan Wheldon Memorial Monument, located in turn 10 of the St. Petersburg Street Course, Andretti announced a karting deal for Wheldon’s sons, 12-year-old Sebastian and 10-year-old Oliver.
The developmental program is hoped to be the first step toward a potential IndyCar ride in the future for the two boys.
Two-time Indy 500 winner Wheldon was killed in a horrific crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 16, 2011 when his car went airborne and crashed into the fence.
Earlier that fateful day, Wheldon had signed a contract with Andretti to return to Andretti Autosport to replace the departing Danica Patrick in the GoDaddy ride. A few hours later, Wheldon was gone.
Nearly 10 years later, Andretti is about to honor that “Wheldon contract.”
“I guess we really did have that contract in the end, and that makes this even more special for the boys to be able to come full circle and be back here with Andretti,” Susie Wheldon, Dan’s widow and the boys’ mother, told SPEED SPORT. “It’s really special.”
Andretti has stayed close with the Wheldon family since the that tragic day in Las Vegas and has watched the two boys grow up. Now, he is ready to help them start their careers.
“We have a couple of young, hot shoes we have been watching since they were this tall,” Andretti said, raising his hand a foot off the ground. “Sebastian and Oliver are the real deal. I’ve been watching a lot of what they have been doing in karts and they have been running up front. I think they have been doing a great job. We want to help them get through the Road to Indy and to Indy cars. That’s the point.
“Dan was a great friend, and we miss him. It’s great to be here to help the two boys. I’m real proud of these kids. This is important because it is looking to the future. I believe in this.”
To Andretti, it’s all about family, and the Wheldons will always be part of the Andretti Autosport family.
“Dan was family to us, and we had a lot of on track success together. We see a lot of Dan in both Sebastian and Oliver and are very proud to officially welcome them into our racing family,” Andretti said. “No one will ever be able to replace Dan in their lives, but we’re happy to offer a network for mentorship to help the boys grow their careers. Karting is the first step, but we have hopes of helping foster promising Road to Indy, and eventually even IndyCar opportunities.”
Dan Wheldon famously said that he had to win the Greatest Spectacle in Racing twice so that each of his sons, would have a Baby Borg Warner trophy.
Already winning races in karting, the two boys are now on the path to winning their own Baby Borgs by joining Andretti Autosport.
“I’m really excited to be a junior driver for Michael Andretti and follow in my dad’s footsteps. I hope Oliver and I can both win the Indy 500 too,” said Sebastian Wheldon.
“It would be so cool to race for Andretti Autosport one day. I think we will get to win a lot of races, just like my dad,” added Oliver Wheldon.
Under the new mentorship program, the Wheldons will carry the Andretti shield into three national level karting series: ROK Cup USA, Super Karts USA and the United States Pro Kart Series, all while competing with JC Karting.
The boys will receive oversight and career guidance from Michael Andretti and the Indianapolis-based team where the late Dan Wheldon recorded his first Indy 500 victory in 2005.
Through the years, Andretti Autosport has helped bring dozens of drivers through the ranks of open wheel racing through their Road to Indy efforts.
“I am so grateful to Michael for taking Sebastian and Oliver under his wing,” noted Susie Wheldon. “The junior ranks of racing are so difficult to navigate and to have the support of Andretti Autosport’s engineering resources will, I’m sure, make all the difference. I am reminded of Dan every time the boys pull on their helmets as they have the same determination and winning attitude.
“They often show some of Dan’s other traits too. Good luck, Michael – #DoubleTrouble.”
The two boys have already been active in karting including races throughout Florida and at such tracks as New Castle Motorsports Park and New Castle Raceway in New Castle, Ind.
When asked what his favorite race has been, Oliver responded like a true racer.
“The next race that I win,” he said.
Those are words that were spoken like a true Wheldon.