Dan Wheldon: The Perfect Storm that Reformed Indycar - Past Gas

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Dan Wheldon was a talented and charming driver who left an indelible mark on the world of motorsport. But how did this unflappable Englishman break through to IndyCar stardom? Why did he turn down the offer to race in Formula One? And how did his tragic death shape the future of IndyCar? Today on Past Gas, we explore the legacy of IndyCar champion, Dan Wheldon.
0:00 Intro
0:26 Cinematic intro
2:26 Dan Wheldon: The Perfect Storm that Reformed Indycar
49:20 Listener mail / Outro
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Donut Media brings you some of the craziest stories from all of automotive history in their new podcast "Past Gas!". Hosts James Pumphrey and Nolan Sykes walk you through incredible stories behind your favorite cars and manufacturers, like underground Japanese racing clubs, bitter racing rivalries and how some of your favorite classic cars came to be. Remember, it's about cars, not about farts.
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[@hxrold12]

I still remember his crash. It was my first time watching Indy car and I was like 8

[@alicecooley543]

I was born, and lived in Emberton until I was 16. The wheldon family were well known as it is an extremely small village outside of the city of Milton Keynes. Although I never really ran in the same circles as the Wheldon family I remember contacting all my old friends on the day of this crash, all absolutely devastated that Dan had passed. An absolute shock that such a talented racer had passed.

[@jonnybooks9337]

I remember Dan's first race as Sam Hornish, Jr's teammate in that Pennzoil Panther car. Then went on to watch his full career & even got to meet him on several occasions at races...he was one of the nicest guys in the paddock...always took time for his fans (especially the kids)...shook me all kinds of up that day in Vegas.

[@LtNduati]

I remember watching this live and it was one of *_those_* moments, the kind when you stopped being a kid type of moment.

[@Hooptie100]

I was in thoroughly modern Molly at my high school my sophomore year. Also my older sister’s sophomore year they did little shop. I can’t remember who she was. My mom was also in little shop a few years before that at a local theatre. I kinda miss show tunes lol

[@tilmykillme]

Suddenly Seymour is a banger

[@TheBrightLow]

Idk why this got me so fuckrd up but I’m so choked up during this episode.

[@RobbbbC]

Haha! I'm a firefighter, and I say the only better jobs would be racecar driver or fighter pilot.

[@philryan9038]

Love DW. Also, good god, Scuderia Panera is the funniest thing I've ever heard.

[@celticsuave]

I remember I spent the whole day crying after the crash. Took me a long while to recover .

[@Shmurda330]

Always a great day when donut posts

[@matthewsimon9500]

lol for who?

[@joeschmoe5009]

Nolan and chloe's kid(s) will be car & music lovers, so theyll clearly be into the trumpets of nissan z's! 😂

[@joeschmoe5009]

First we got the obscure name drop of Bastien Salabanzi, then Tony Hawk?! Woah!

[@megachonk9440]

I remember watching that race and knowing that it probably wasn't going to be a good time. Having 34 cars, many of them driven by drivers who had no business in an Indycar, at a track where Indycars had no business racing in the first place was such a recipe for disaster. If you can stomach re-watching the crash (it's a breathtakingly bad one, with a lot of carnage), the most amazing thing is that only Wheldon was killed. I believe only the SAFER barrier saved some of these drivers from paying the ultimate price. This stupid race should never have happened, and the fact that Randy Bernard wasn't immediately removed as CEO (this whole idiotic event was his brainchild) and continued as CEO for the next season is just wild.

[@Tj930]

Max Velocity (Verstappen)'s mother was a female Karting champion; his dad, a Benetton F1 Team mate of Michael Schumacher...
So, yeah, nature + nurture... But good DNA helps 😉

[@StevenG122175]

My favorite Dan Wheldon memory was when he bought those $100k teeth before 2008 season.

[@robertstewart8998]

Yellow River drag race disaster Covington Georgia

[@psychlops924]

Does James really not know how to pronounce Franchitti?

[@jonanderson4474]

Proverbs 28-1.
the wicked flee when no one pursues.

[@stephankyle6460]

Get a bicycle for fun cardio