It’s time to let Dan go
IndyCar, IndyCar commentary — By Paul Dalbey on May 29, 2012 2:55 pmOn a day when many race fans finally got their opportunity to remember and pay respects to the late Dan Wheldon, it was fitting that the top three finishers were three of Wheldon’s closest friends. The winner, Dario Franchitti, and third-place finisher Tony Kanaan were teammates of Wheldon’s, along with 2011 Indianapolis 500 winning car owner Bryan Herta, when the quartet made up the Andretti Green Racing team in 2004 and 2005. Second-place finisher Scott Dixon was a three-year teammate of Wheldon’s when Dan joined Target Chip Ganassi Racing following the 2005 season. Each had cherished memories of Dan, and each wanted his face to be the one to live on eternally next to Dan’s on the Borg-Warner Trophy.
But as the Month of May has now come and gone and we turn our attention to the remainder of the IZOD IndyCar Series season, the time has come for INDYCAR as a whole to begin to move past the haunting memory of Dan Wheldon’s passing.
We all grieve in different ways and at different speeds, so I don’t mean to suggest in any way that fans and friends of Dan Wheldon need to just “get over it.” However, now that we are more than seven months removed from his death, INDYCAR and its drivers, teams, events, and tracks have done just about all that can be done to memorialize Wheldon without being tacky, opportunistic, or exploitative.
After the public memorial service held for Wheldon in Indianapolis last October, official recognition of Dan took place at the season’s opening event on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida — only blocks from the house than Dan and Susie and their two beautiful children called home — with the renaming of a portion of the track to “Dan Wheldon Way.” That race marked the debut of the new INDYCAR chassis that Dan influenced and that carries his initials.
At Indianapolis, where Wheldon scored his final victory in dramatic fashion, tributes were tastefully done throughout the month. His image adorned the ticket for the event (an Indianapolis tradition dating back many decades), his personal logo was mown into the infield grass just north of turn 2, his winning car was driven on a ceremonial pre-race lap of honor, fans were given replicas of his trade-mark white sunglasses upon entering the grounds, and IMS produced a poignant and touching video montage of Dan’s career highlights that preceded Taps in the opening ceremonies.
All of the tributes to the two-time Indianapolis 500 champion have been fitting and appropriately well done. They have honored his life, his achievements, and his memory without becoming sensationalistic as many tributes to fallen heroes have tended to do. They have, we all hope, brought a sense of peace and comfort to those who still mourn his absence.
But Dan wouldn’t want us to continue endlessly grieving for him. It wasn’t his nature. To memorialize Dan at each and every opportunity only serves to delay the healing process and keep those who still mourn him from being able to get on with their lives.
We’ve spent enough time in the past. Now, it’s time to move forward.
Though the formal tributes to Dan Wheldon should come to an end, there is a way for INDYCAR to remember Dan in perpetuity: by conferring an annual award to the driver who best displays Dan’s enthusiastic love for fans of the IZOD IndyCar Series and his ability to connect with them and make each one feel special. The Dan Wheldon Outreach Award (or something similar) should not be a fan-voted popularity contest but rather selected by a committee of individuals who can assess each driver’s impact on the fan base without bias and reward the one who goes above and beyond the call of duty to make fans feel special. Dan was certainly one-of-a-kind when it came to interacting with fans, but other drivers should be recognized for their efforts as well. Putting Dan’s name on such an award would be the perfect way to honor his legacy for years to come.
Aside from an enduring tribute such as this, though, it’s time for the INDYCAR Nation as a whole to move on from Dan’s passing. We’ve all had many chances to remember him and honor his memory, and he will forever live on in our hearts and minds. Certainly, we all should cherish our memories of his life and his career, and we should continue to keep Susie, Oliver, and Sebastian in our prayers as they continue to adjust to life without their patriarch.
The show must go on, and it continues to go on. And now, it’s time to find a way to let it go on while letting Dan Wheldon go.
Tags: Dan Wheldon
Could not agree more.
It seems not only an appropriate time to let Susie and her family now move into what the future holds for them, but the best possible time. I wish nothing but the best thoughts and wishes for Susie and her family as they navigate their future at their pace with the privacy and respect they deserve.
After watching the Indy 500 and the “Memorial” to Wheldon happening during the salute to America’s fallen soldiers, it’s starting to feel like Wheldon has become one of the few things that Indy has to keep them in the public eye. They lost Danica to NASCAR and now they need something to keep them in the headlines and keep people turning out to races. The longer they can keep dragging Wheldon into things the longer they can ride that wave. The more memorials they have and the longer they can keep people “mourning” turns into a certain “popularity” for the series.
Dan was a great driver and what happened to him was a tragedy, but it’s time to move on and figure out how to make their racing interesting.
I would argue that this years races more than speak for themselves, delivering some of the most interesting an exciting racing in recent memory. And drama off-track with engine manufacturers (among other things) has added to the sense that this has been one of the better years Indy has had in a long while. MAYBE IndyCar feels like it needs a “hook” to keep people interested. I’d say that this year, for the first time in a long while, the racing itself is the best promotional tool IndyCar has to offer.
Well written Paul. As sad and as shocking Dan’s passing was I think that the tributes have now said enough. I will always remain a fan of Dan and will always remember what a good guy he was whenever I ran into him at the track. However, we can now put the tragedy well behind us.
I’ve shed many tears & am still as so many have & this troubles me. The memorials were carried out nicely & went well beyond any other drivers’ passing. Now they should cease. We will never forget him, I agree it’s time to let go. The award in his name is a good idea as long as it won’t be forgotten like the Scott Brayton award has it seems.
I totally disagree! We have something huge planned at the Fontana race. And at each venue fans should be able to say goodbye in their own way! Us on the west coast want our opportunity also. Long Beach doesn’t count because no one there cares,Its just eat drink and be merry there! Infineon doesn’t count because no one shows up,and its a hot dusty track,and no one cares there because they are to busy sipping wine! Dan last raced at Fontana in 2005, and it the season finale! What better a venue, than to have our final goodbye here! We deserve it, we have something planned for it, and I was at Vegas when he died, and I didn’t get to say goodbye! Just got to see him put on a helicopter and flown away! Then watch everyone in pit lane crying! No let us have our farewell, and that will be the farewell!
Dan Wheldon is gone. Gone. How do you say goodbye to someone who has already GONE?
I agree. I think Indy was always going to be the height of the tributes and remembrances. Now we’re beyond Indy it should naturally subside before it starts to drag on. We will all remember Dan, always, but it is time to let him rest.
An award based on fan interaction is a great idea. TK should get one.
I think now that the Month of May is over everybody can finally move on. A lot of the people including myself were actually waiting for May to get here so we can have a decent goodbye for Dan. It’s time for Susie and the boys as well as Dan’s Family to go on with there lives and for us to keep them in our prayers but to respect there privacy now.
I agree. I was actually surprised by the video tribute during the Victory Banquet. My feeling was that what was done during the race was well done, appropriate, and all that was necessary.
Tony Kanaan is right. Don’t forget Dan, But move on with life.
Suuuurrrrrreeeeeee, let me know when they let Dale Earnhardt go too.
Couldn’t agree more. Well said.
Love the idea of a “The Dan Wheldon Outreach Award”. That would be such a fitting memorial. Hope Indycar considers it.
I will never forget Dan. Will always be my favorite driver. Wasn’t sure what to think when I saw the title of your article but I know deep down inside I have to let it go. He isn’t coming back and I’ll never see him race again (aside from the races I have on video). Well written and respectful article.
I completely agree with you! My husband and I were so sad about losing Dan. We were looking forward to Indy because we knew we would get to honor his life and get a little bit of closure. I feel like IMS did a wonderful job of letting us do that! I cried during the tribute video and then I stood up and cheered as hard as I could in joy! On such a perfect day, and with such a perfect race, I felt like Dan was looking down and wanting us to be happy and at peace. I don’t think any of us will ever forget him, I’m not worried about that! He will always be a part of IndyCar. I hope the 500 showed his family that they will forever be a part of it and we love them. It IS time to let them heal in their own way. Great article!
Amen.
It’s not disrespect to say this; on the contrary, it’s 1. Leaving the passed in peace, and 2. Letting the living look forward.
On top of that, I’ve yet to see anyone alive who’d be happy with all their friends as well as their profession coming to a screeching halt on account of that person’s death. The only people who’d think that way would be selfish, and I get the impression that Dan would have been the exact opposite in this regard. He seemed like the kind of guy who’d be mad if everyone treated Indycar and the 500 as some sad, solemn thing instead of the vibrant, joy-giving event it really is. Not celebrating the series upcoming future and the Indianapolis 500 as an event would be disrespect of the highest order to the very same man who loved it as much as he did.
Moving on *is* respect. Thats’ the bottom line.
This is fine by me. We have had two races where we chose to pay tribute to Dan – St. Pete and Indy, both appropriate places.
I don’t mind the decals, rocking white framed sunglasses (I recently bought myself a pair), mentions at tracks where he performed well, and maybe a Lionheart accessory or two. But there is no more need to for huge tributes at this time.
Well done, Paul. ‘Nuff said.
Well in agreement with you on all points, including the award; that would be nice and very appropriate. We were in Vegas. We had our time to mourn. We will always miss Dan; we don’t need spectacular video tributes at each and every race for that. In no way does that marginalize the gap that we feel having him not be there. But it’s time to let go and go racing.