page_title: Dan Wheldon
section_title: 2008–2011
hierarchical_section_title: Dan Wheldon / IndyCar Series / 2008–2011
caption_attribution_description: Dan Wheldon - National Guard Panther Racing
context_page_description: Daniel Clive Wheldon was a British motor racing driver who won the 2005 IndyCar Series Drivers' Championship for Andretti Green Racing. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 2005 and 2011, and was co-winner of the 2006 24 Hours of Daytona with Chip Ganassi Racing.
  Wheldon began competitive karting at the age of eight and achieved early success, before progressing to open-wheel car racing in the U.S. F2000 National Championship, the Toyota Atlantic Championship and Indy Lights. He began driving in IndyCar with Panther Racing in 2002. The following year, Wheldon moved to AGR, finishing as the runner-up in the 2004 series championship. He won the drivers' title in 2005 with the record for most victories during a season. In the 2006 season, he moved to CGR, tying Sam Hornish Jr. in points but finishing second because of count-back on the number of victories taken by both drivers. During the 2007 and 2008 seasons, Wheldon's form lowered but he won four additional races and placed fourth in points in both years.
  He returned to Panther Racing for the 2009 and 2010 seasons, failing to win a race but taking a further four podium results during this period.
context_section_description: For the 2008 season, Wheldon stayed with CGR. He began the year with a third-place finish at the season-opening Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300 at Homestead–Miami Speedway after moving through the field from a 22nd-place start. Wheldon won the RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway three races later and became IndyCar's first driver to claim two consecutive victories at the track. He started eighteenth in the Indianapolis 500 finishing six places higher in twelfth due to handling problems in the final 50 laps. Wheldon took his second (and final) victory of the season in the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway. He donated his winnings to help the victims of the recent tornadoes and flooding which had occurred in Iowa. As IndyCar had become more orientated towards road and street circuits, his performance diminished throughout the remainder of the season. He achieved one further podium finish, a second-place at Nashville Speedway, and five top-seven finishes to place fourth in the final drivers' championship standings with 492 points.
  Wheldon planned to extend his CGR contract when Chip Ganassi provided him with an offer in May 2008. He decided against doing so when he learnt that AGR's Kanaan had begun discussions with the team. He felt betrayed and began talks with other teams. Wheldon told CGR three months later in Detroit of his decision to leave them at the season's conclusion. On 2 September, CGR announced that Wheldon would be released from his contract at the end of the season as Dario Franchitti left NASCAR and returned to IndyCar. Wheldon returned to Panther Racing for the 2009 season following an agreement with his management and team owner John Barnes in mid-August. He struggled to perform in the first three races, but he took his first top-ten finish with a fifth at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. At the Indianapolis 500, Wheldon qualified in eighteenth and finished second. The rest of Wheldon's season saw him achieve a best finish of fourth at Iowa Speedway and three top-tens. He did not attain those results in seven of the year's last eight races. He was tenth in the championship standings with 354 points, his lowest finish since he placed eleventh in 2003.
  Wheldon remained with Panther Racing for the 2010 season. During the season-opening São Paulo Indy 300, he made contact with Alex Tagliani, which sent him into Kanaan; he recovered to finish fifth. Three races later at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Wheldon took a second top-ten result with a ninth. In the Indianapolis 500, Wheldon started from eighteenth. He advanced through the field on pit stop strategy to come second for the second year in a row. Wheldon remained competitive all year; challenging for wins on oval tracks. Despite strong showings, he could not claim a race victory during his time with Panther Racing, which frustrated John Barnes. In the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway (now Sonoma Raceway), Wheldon made contact with Bertrand Baguette's car during a warm-up lap before the start of the event. He flipped upside down and pirouetted several times but emerged unhurt. His best finish of the year was a second place in the Peak Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. He came ninth at the season-ending Cafés do Brasil Indy 300 at Homestead–Miami Speedway, to rank ninth in the drivers' standings with 388 points.
  After the season, Wheldon left Panther Racing because of a lack of sponsorship and the No. 4 car was driven by rookie J. R. Hildebrand. He filed a $383,400 lawsuit against John Barnes in Marion County Superior Court on 18 August for late payment of his salary and of his share of earnings from his on-track achievements as well as taxation issues. The two reached a settlement on 1 October. Wheldon did not have a full-time seat for the 2011 season, and he missed the season's first four races as he sought employment with another team to compete in the Indianapolis 500. Talks with several teams, including signing a contract with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing co-owner Robbie Buhl to share a car with Mike
caption: Wheldon practising for the 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
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