Dan Wheldon: Remembering the Life of One of IndyCar's Brightest Stars

Dan Wheldon, the pride of England and St. Petersburg, Florida, tragically died Sunday afternoon.  A terrifying 15-car crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway took the 33-year old’s life.  Wheldon lived a life that racing fans won’t soon forget.

From the age of four, Wheldon was bred to race. Growing up in the United Kingdom, the young prodigy quickly learned to dominate at the sport. At 16 years old, he sped off to America in a move meant to ignite his racing career, and boy did it ever.

After spending a number of years in less prestigious circuits, Wheldon made the jump to the IndyCar Series back in 2002.  He was an instant hit winning rookie of the year.  Just three years later in 2005, that English racer won the Indianapolis 500 on his way to an IRL IndyCar Series Championship.

While he was at the top of the racing world for the moment, his career had its ups and downs over the next few years. Those downs seemed long gone when Wheldon won the 2011 Indy 500.  NASCAR was a temptation for him, but ultimately he stuck with his first love.

He spent time with four different racing teams during his IndyCar career which included Chip Ganassi, Andretti Green and Panther Racing along with his last team, Bryan Herta Autosport.  

During Wheldon's 10-year career he won 16 races and recorded 27 podium finishes.  He was a top-10 finisher in almost 40 percent of his races.

Wheldon loved IndyCar, but his first love and his greatest love weren’t in competition with one another.

In 2008, he married Susie Behm, who was his personal assistant for years before their marriage. The two had a pair of boys, Sebastian and Oliver (the youngest born in March).

IndyCar didn’t just lose a talented driver on Sunday. Far more notable, a husband and father were lost as well.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.  Follow him on Twitter.