Dan Wheldon (1978-2011) Traditional Cache
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Size:  (micro)
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While I was out placing this cache today, A great racer lost his
life in a crash at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. So I named this
cache for him. The cache is a small pill bottle under a rock at the
base of a small tree. just off the side of the road.
Daniel Clive Wheldon (22 June 1978 - 16 October 2011) was an
English auto racing driver. He was the 2005 Indy Racing League
IndyCar Series champion, and winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 2005
and 2011. Wheldon died during a racing accident at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway on 16 October 2011, at the age of 33. Wheldon, who was
born in Emberton, near Olney, Buckinghamshire, England, took up
karting at the age of four with funding from his father, he
progressed through the junior ranks of motor racing during his
school years. Attending Bedford School until he completed his GCSEs
at age 16, he frequently took time off to race. During his early
career in open wheel racing, he developed a rivalry with Jenson
Button before ultimately leaving the United Kingdom to race in
America. The reasoning behind the move was that the level of
investment needed to fund his racing career in the UK wasn't able
to be provided by his family. Moving to the United States in 1999,
he spent several years in lower open-wheeled circuits like the U.S.
F2000 Championship Series, the Toyota Atlantic series and the Indy
Lights series. In 2002, Wheldon moved up to the IRL IndyCar Series
for two events, with Panther Racing as teammate to Sam Hornish,
Jr.. The following year Wheldon joined Andretti Green Racing,
taking the spot of Michael Andretti following his retirement, and
collected league Rookie of the Year honours. In 2004, he won his
first IRL race at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan, ultimately finishing
as runner-up to teammate Tony Kanaan in the championship with three
wins. He won the 2005 Indianapolis 500 as well as that season's
IndyCar Series championship. His six victories in 2005 also broke
the record for most victories in one season (under IRL sanction),
previously held by Sam Hornish, Jr. with 5. His win at Indy was the
first for an Englishman since Graham Hill's triumph in 1966. In
November 2005, it was announced that he would be driving for Chip
Ganassi Racing in the IndyCar Series in 2006. Shortly after his
first test with Ganassi, he won the 24 Hours of Daytona endurance
sports car race with Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Ganassi
NASCAR driver Casey Mears. He began the IndyCar season by beating
Hélio Castroneves by 0.0147 seconds at Homestead-Miami, a somber
race due to the earlier death of Paul Dana in a practice session.
Wheldon retired at St. Petersburg thanks to contact with Sam
Hornish, Jr. during a caution period. At the end of the 2006
IndyCar season, Wheldon and Hornish were tied for the lead with
each driver having 475 points. In the event of a tie, the driver
with the most wins for that particular season is declared the
champion. Hornish had four wins for the 2006 season, to Wheldon's
two; therefore Hornish was declared the 2006 IndyCar champion. On
22 June 2008, his 30th birthday, he took his 15th career victory in
the IndyCar Series after winning the 2008 Iowa Corn Indy 250 over
Hideki Mutoh and Marco Andretti. He donated his winnings to help
the victims of the recent tornadoes and flooding which had occurred
in Iowa. Wheldon was released from his drive at Ganassi on 2
September 2008. It would later turn out to be a return to former
team Panther Racing. Wheldon drove the Panther car to a second
place finish in the 2009 Indianapolis 500, the second Indy 500
runner-up finish in a row for the team. However, his strong start
to the season faded and Wheldon failed to crack the Top 10 in 7 of
the last 8 races of the year. The following year Wheldon again
showed strong at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, finishing second
at the 2010 Indianapolis 500. This gave Panther its third straight
runner-up finish at Indy. This time, Wheldon remained competitive
all year, challenging for wins on the oval tracks. Despite strong
showings in the Panther Racing #4 car, Wheldon still failed to win
a race during his time with the team. This led to his being
replaced at Panther Racing by the young American driver (and 2009
Indy Lights champion) J.R. Hildebrand. Wheldon attempted and won
the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with Bryan Herta Autosport in stunning
and ironic fashion after inheriting the lead with metres to go
after Hildebrand wrecked going into the final turn trying to get
around the decelerating Charlie Kimball with too much velocity,
being the first driver in Indy history to win the race by leading a
single lap. Wheldon was very emotional after the win, due to not
having a ride for the rest of the season and concerning his mother
who had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, to whom
he partially dedicated his victory. It was Wheldon's first series
win in three seasons.
At the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season finale at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway on 16 October 2011, Wheldon was involved in a 15-car
accident during lap 11 of the race. The massive pile-up resulted in
a red flag. Wheldon had to be extricated from his car and was
airlifted to a local hospital with what were described as "serious
injuries." He subsequently died of his injuries. He was 33 years
old. He left behind a wife and two boys.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Jr zvff lbh nyernql, Qna.