My hands are typing, but I’m not entirely sure where the words are coming from.
Today, in what was the last race of the season, Indianapolis 500 winner and 2005 IndyCar Series Champion Dan Wheldon lost his life in a truly horrific crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
He was only 33. 33.
His lovely wife must now move forward without the love of her life and his two darling baby boys will never fully know how extraordinary their father was.
Though the Cowboys began playing on the other channel, Mom, Dad, and I sat transfixed to the race, waiting, praying, and hoping. We never changed the channel…we didn’t care about the game; it’s amazing how insignificant a win or a loss can become.
When the announcement came, so did the tears as flashbacks of the darkest day in NASCAR came rushing back. It’s hard to understand why such a wonderful man with a smile that could light up the universe was taken from this world. Don’t we need people like Dan in this day and time? When you think about it, doesn’t it sometimes seem like the worst of the worst of mankind just cruise through life, while those who bring joy leave us far too soon? It’s so unfair.
If you try to find reason in this, you’ll go crazy. There is no reason. There is nothing to understand and, maybe, in the grand scheme of things, we’re not supposed to.
On this night, after such a tragedy, maybe all we can do is tell the ones we love how much they mean to us, give them a hug, and send as many thoughts and prayers as we can to those who have lost loved ones.
My thoughts and prayers are with the entire Wheldon family. I firmly believe Dan will be with his wife, holding her hand, watching over his little boys forever. He’s their guardian angel now. When faced with the darkest of times, if they look very carefully, they just might see a twinkle in the distance—that will be Dan’s smile, lighting the way, letting his loved ones know he’s there and everything will be okay.
Dan Wheldon, a tremendous driver and a genuinely kind human being, will be missed terribly and never, ever forgotten. God Bless.
Wheldon Family after the Indianapolis 500, 2011, credit: Nick Laham, Getty Images
Dan Wheldon, credit: Nick Laham, Getty Images
