He walked in, looked around and seemed, for a second, legitimately stunned. Dan Wheldon was once a main attraction for IndyCar during the month of May, a guy fans either loved or loved to see come so close and fail.
“It’s not as busy as when you’re starting on the pole,” said Wheldon, who qualified for the 18th spot with a four-lap average of 222.777 mph on the second day of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500, which runs May 24.
In his six prior trips to the Indianapolis 500, Wheldon has started outside of the top two rows once – in 2005 when he won the race.
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Back then, Wheldon was coming off a top-3 finish and racing for one of the sport’s top teams, Andretti Green Racing.
Which brings Wheldon to change No.2, and perhaps the most jarring for the 30-year-old. For the first time in his career, Wheldon is not with one of IndyCar’s elite teams.
Now, the royalty aspect for Wheldon is gone. He’s back racing for the team he started with, Panther Racing, without the Q rating, funds or sponsors of his former teams. And instead of being them – he’s now trying to beat them in a car dressed in camouflage for the National Guard.
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Wheldon will start in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar team and in an unfamiliar position within the sport, he still believes his team can contend.
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