Today is the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" also known as the Indianapolis 500. It is the most famous race in the entire world and the pinnacle event in open-wheel racing. However, 2012 will be a very different feel to something so majestic. Aside from "Back Home Again" not being sung live, and Danica Patrick not competing, there is one icon that will never be back to the Indianapolis Brickyard.
Dan Wheldon, the defending (and 2-time) Indy 500 champion, will not defend his title. Wheldon passed away in a crash in 2011's season finale at Las Vegas on October 16, just five months after winning his second Indy 500. A man who was such a stunning influence on the sport, went out much in the way he stepped onto the international stage: fast.
He made his debut in 2002 as a charismatic and charming 23 year old from England. He had a face to be marketed, and a personality that welcomed it. As he grew in experience and ability, his popularity only grew, especially in the United States.
When he won the Indy 500 for the first time in 2005, a star was born and blew up IRL racing more than it had in years. When he passed six years later, his death sent shock waves across the sports world and the world itself.
A 33 year old husband and father of two, who was one of the brilliant faces of a sport beloved by its fans, and watched by almost all in cases where it's history outweighs its skeptics; Wheldon's ability to be advertised made him a heartthrob, and his skill made him a worthy adversary. But it was his personality that made him a great man.
I can remember years ago, when I was very young and not yet into the sport, watching my father visibly disturbed when golfing's Payne Stewart's plane crashed and killed all on board. A father and husband, Stewart was months removed from his third major win at the U.S. Open in 1999 when he died. Known for his incredibly "fashionable" knickers and hat, respected for the competitor he was, and loved for the man he became once the clubs were stowed away; I now understand how my dad felt when an individual athlete who was bigger than his sport, was taken away from the world.
Whether you followed the sport religiously, or only cared about the big race, this years Indianapolis 500 will feel emptier than any other one in recent memory. And it is because a man, a driver, and an icon will be missing; never to be seen again. Rest In Peace, Dan Wheldon. We still miss you.
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