Bill Text: IN SCR0002 | 2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: A SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION memorializing Dan Wheldon.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-11-22 - Returned to the Senate [SCR0002 Detail]
Download: Indiana-2012-SCR0002-Introduced.html
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION memorializing Dan Wheldon.
_______________________, read first time and referred to Committee on
RESOLUTION
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION memorializing Dan Wheldon.
Whereas, Thirty-three-year-old Dan Wheldon died on
Sunday, October 16, 2011, doing what he loved to do;
Whereas, Dan died from injuries he sustained in a fiery,
15-car crash during the season-ending IndyCar race at the
Las Vegas Motor Speedway;
Whereas, Dan Wheldon came from a racing family;
Whereas, Born in Emberton, England, where his father was
a go-kart racer and his mother was the timer at a local track,
Dan began racing go-karts at the age of four;
Whereas, Dan Wheldon burst onto the IndyCar scene as a
talented newcomer in 2002, won Rookie of the Year honors
in 2003, won his first Indianapolis 500 race just two years
later, and was the IndyCar Series champion that same year;
Whereas, Dan Wheldon earned his second Indy 500 crown
in 2011 during the 100th year celebration of the "Greatest
Spectacle in Racing", becoming only the 18th driver in the
history of the race to win it more than once;
Whereas, Although his career was cut tragically short,
lasting only eight seasons, Dan posted 134 career starts,
collected 26 top-three finishes, 93 top-ten finishes, and five
pole positions, and won the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona;
Whereas, Dan was the driver of the Army National Guard IndyCar during the 2009 and 2010 seasons, and his popularity among soldiers went well beyond what he accomplished on the track;
Whereas, When he wasn't racing, Dan Wheldon visited
soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and veterans
hospitals around the country, something he continued to do
even after he stopped driving the Army National Guard
IndyCar following the 2010 season;
Whereas, Dan Wheldon also served as a spokesperson for
the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, which
supports at-risk teenagers and young adults around the
country;
Whereas, Dan Wheldon was a champion away from the
track as well;
Whereas, A strong supporter of the Alzheimer's
Association, a cause he championed when his mother
developed early onset Alzheimer's in her mid-50s, he added
the organization's logo to his car at the Indy 500 to help
promote greater awareness of the disease;
Whereas, Dan Wheldon's fun-loving personality made him
one of IndyCar's most popular drivers and helped him
develop a special bond with fans in Indianapolis and St.
Petersburg, Florida, the American cities that he called home;
Whereas, Dan's accomplishments on the racetrack were
exceeded only by his love for his family and his devotion to
his wife, Susie, and his sons, Sebastian and Oliver;
Whereas, Dan Wheldon represented IndyCar with respect
and integrity and will be remembered as a great racer and a
kind and giving person; and
Whereas, Dan Wheldon was an outstanding ambassador
for the sport of racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,
and the city of Indianapolis: Therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the State of
Indiana, the House of Representatives concurring:
SECTION 1. That the Indiana General Assembly and the Motor
Sports Caucus express their heartfelt sympathy to Susie Wheldon and
her children in their hour of grief and acknowledge the many
contributions Dan Wheldon made to auto racing and the people of the
world. He truly made the world a better place in which to live.
SECTION 2. That copies of this resolution be transmitted by the
Secretary of the Senate to Dan Wheldon's wife, Susie, his children,
Sebastian and Oliver, his parents, and the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway.
