Justin Wilson, 1978-2015: 'A true sportsman'

For the second time in four years, U.S. motor sports has lost one of its most popular drivers.

Four years ago, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon was killed. This time, it's IndyCar Series veteran Justin Wilson.

Wilson, 37, died Monday in an Allentown, Pa., hospital following a traumatic head injury suffered in Sunday's race at Pocono Raceway, Hulman and Co. officials announced Monday night. In what can only be considered a fluke accident, Wilson was struck in the helmet by a large piece of debris bouncing around on the track after the crash of race leader Sage Karam.

Wilson had been the 12th driver into Karam's accident scene, and his instinctive move to go around another car led to his being hit.

Fellow driver Ryan Hunter-Reay called Wilson "an innocent bystander." Wheldon had been that, too.

Details of Wilson's injuries were not immediately available, although it's believed his family was with him at the Lehigh Valley Hospital. Wilson was 37 and is survived by his wife, Julia, and young daughters Jane and Jessica.

Wilson considered Sheffield, England, home, but he spent recent years living in the Denver suburb of Longmont, Colo., where he was an avid mountain cyclist.

Wilson reached the highest level of international motor sports – Formula One – but his stay there was short. He arrived in the U.S. in 2004 and immediately made an impact with his results and personality.

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Wilson won four races in the old Champ Car World Series and three more in the combined IndyCar Series. He added eight poles and shared driving duties on the winning sports car entry in the 2012 24 Hours of Daytona, this country's leading endurance race held each January in Daytona Beach, Fla.

In spite of Wilson's undeniable talent, IndyCar never seemed to shine on him. This partial-season ride with Andretti Autosport, was his sixth IndyCar team. He often seemed close to landing with one of the larger teams, but deals never seemed to materialize, mostly because a lack of sponsorship.

"The guy just couldn't get a break," said veteran engineer Bill Pappas, who felt as close to Wilson as a brother. "He's the best racer who couldn't get a (great) job."

Pappas, who won races with Wilson, including two with Dale Coyne's underdog team, said his wife called Wilson "the Renaissance Man" because of his varied interests and his ability to relate to everyone he met. Pappas said Wilson, a leading advocate for driver safety, could communicate at any level.

"He was the common man of sport, a true sportsman," Pappas said.

Said Colorado mountain bike training partner JR Hildebrand, a fellow IndyCar driver: "I never heard him say a bad word about anybody."

Part of Wilson's charm was his vulnerability. He was dyslexic, and he used his platform to raise awareness for others. But he never used it as an excuse for the challenges he overcame as a young man.

Wilson put so much thought into motor sports safety that earlier this summer he offered an alternative approach to protecting fans. While acknowledging his radical idea would be expensive to implement, Wilson suggested tracks move spectator grandstands to the inside of oval tracks since a car's momentum carries debris to the outside. Instead of cable fencing with posts like what Wheldon fatally smashed into, Wilson suggested seamless metal barriers to allow cars to slide without becoming entangled.

Graham Rahal was Wilson's teammate at Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing in Champ Car's final season, in 2008. Rahal said Wilson was the rarest of all partners.

"A lot of drivers are great because they're selfish," Rahal said in including series champions he'd worked with in the past. "It's guys like Tiger Woods, and that's what makes them the way they are.

"But Justin was always the first guy to come up to me and say something positive, something constructive, something helpful. You mention 'team player,' that's Justin, and it's hard to find that sort of guy in sports.

"He was just the nicest guy out there."

Wilson was competitive, yes, but he was fair, too, and that's what Rahal knew about him heading into the final stages of IndyCar's Aug. 2 race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Rahal had Wilson to his left in a battle for the lead, and Wilson's car actually surged ahead briefly heading to Turn 4, a fast, hard-braking right-handed corner.

Rahal said Wilson made the moment tough on him, as he should have, but Rahal had no concern for the well-being of both cars.

"I knew he wasn't going to take me out or do something stupid," Rahal said. "There are very, very few drivers I can say that about. I know I can count them on three fingers, and I'd have to think about the three."

Not surprisingly, Wilson was one of three drivers selected a few years back to represent the drivers in talks with IndyCar. The others? Former series champions and Indianapolis 500 winners Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan.

"Justin made it natural to be out here doing things together," Hildebrand said. "He was a husband, a father and a friend, and he was great at being all of them."

FAMILY FUND

The series set up a fund for the Wilson family.

Wilson Children's Fund

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SEASON FINALE

The IndyCar Series season finale will run as scheduled Sunday at Sonoma, Calif.