IRL: Wheldon and Wilson doing it for the kids
By Andy Darley
Saturday, August 29th, 2009
IndyCar drivers Dan Wilson and Justin Wilson, both fathers of very young children, will be racing at Chicagoland this weekend with reminders of youngsters in need on their cars and helmets.
Dan Wheldon with the prize-winning helmet design
Wheldon, who became a father in February this year, is a regular visitor to the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis to meet patients and their families. Each year he holds a contest with the children, asking them to design a helmet and write a story about themselves.
He then selects the most inspiring story and has his race helmet painted with the winning child’s design. This year’s winner is a nine-year-old girl called Jama, who is being treated for cancer at the Indianapolis children’s hospital.
“It’s fun but it’s more the meaning behind it,” said Wheldon. “I was raised in a big family that is incredibly close and I’m very blessed. I do a hospital visit every year before the Month of May starts and we wanted to come up with something that would be a little different and a little special.”
Where possible, the competition winner is invited to a race as his guest, and last year’s came to the Milwaukee Mile in May – but Jama couldn’t because of her treatment, and will also miss the Chicagoland race. Despite this, Wheldon is wearing her brightly-coloured helmet during the weekend.
He said: “It’s very hard to pick a design because they put so much effort into them. This young girl, Jama, is very special.”
Wilson, whose daughter was born in April last year, will carry the logo of charity Racing For Kids on his car during the weekend. The Sheffield driver, who lines up for Illinois-based Dale Coyne Racing, visited youngsters at Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital during the week.
Racing For Kids is a national charity in the US that uses the popularity of motor sports to focus public attention and funding on children’s healthcare needs. IndyCar and Firestone Indy Lights drivers visit youngsters at children’s hospitals before each race weekend as part of its work.
Related posts:
- IRL: Briscoe takes pole in Milwaukee
- IRL: Wheldon returns to Panther for next year
- IRL: Mike Conway out of hospital after Indy crash (video)
- IRL: Briscoe wins pole to pressure championship rivals
- IRL: Wilson hopes for repeat of Glen triumph
Read more about Dan Wheldon, IndyCar Series, Justin Wilson, PEAK Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300.
This entry was posted on Saturday, August 29th, 2009 at 12:38 am and is filed under IndyCar Series. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Don't forget you can keep up with Brits on Pole in the following ways: via RSS feed, or by receiving our weekly newsletter (and get a free F1 ebook when you do). Or follow us on Twitter or Racing Blips.
Author: Andy Darley. Ex-journalist, fan of David Coulthard and anyone who ever drove or tested for Minardi and didn't say rude things about the team afterwards. Owns a Triumph Spitfire and hopes that, one day, it'll be on the road again. Andy has written 606 articles for us.
