Wheldon Reflects On Indy 500 Win

Dan Wheldon poses with the first, 50th and 100th Indy winners
Photo: Anne Proffit

Dan Wheldon knows the whirlwind of winning Indianapolis.  He won in 2005 with Andretti Green Racing and took victory in Sunday's 100th anniversary race for Bryan Herta Autosport.  Obviously neither he, wife Susie, sons Sebastian (2+) and two-and-a-half-month-old Oliver got much sleep on Sunday night.  

Winning the Indy 500 will do that.

Susie describes her husband as being "passionate in everything he does."  That's been plain to see for anyone that's followed the Briton for the years he's been in this sport.  "This was more of an emotional win than in 2005," Wheldon noted.  "I'm in a different stage of my life."

The collaboration between Bryan Herta Autosport and Sam Schmidt Motorsports was an effective one this year.  SSM won the pole position for this year's Indianapolis 500 with Alex Tagliani.  BHA won the 500 in an eerily similar manner to how Tagliani's hopes of victory were removed from him.

It was on the 147th lap that Tagliani was lapping eventual second-finisher JR Hildebrand; Tag got high in the fourth turn and crashed.  Hildebrand was on his final lap, passing fellow rookie Charlie Kimball as he came to the checkered flags.  He, too, got in the marbles on the outside of the turn and crashed, albeit able to continue to the checkered flags to take second place.

"The collaboration between our team and Sam Schmidt Motorsports was very good.  Allen McDonald, Tag's engineer worked with me at Andretti Green Racing and he and my engineer Todd Malloy worked together very, very well.

"It's about getting the right package and something you're confident in.  Here at Indy you can work through the month to get the car as you like it.  I knew the car handled very well, although it was a little bit slower than Tag's," Wheldon continued.  "The car handled very, very well through the race.

"When I was coming out of Turn 4 on the last lap, I was mostly focused on clearing Bia (Ana Beatriz) and saw JR hit the wall.  From that point it was a case of making sure I didn't follow him.  I was confident I passed before the yellow."

In its first effort at Indy, Bryan Herta Autosport ran rookie Sebastian Saavedra in 2010.  It was a difficult race as the driver crashed in practice after qualifying for the show.  "they did a good job this year and I had a lot of fun.  Choosing to work with my good friend Bryan was a case of making sure I got back into a car where I had the opportunity to win."

© 2011 Anne Proffit