It is an old saying in life that one man’s loss is another man’s gain, well in the context of Indycar racing this concept can be seen no more clearly then in the 2011 Indy 500, where one driver’s lost shot at Indy immortality would lead to one of the most heart-warming moments that Speedway had ever seen.

Going into 2011 Dan Wheldon’s Indycar career appeared to be surrounded in uncertainty. The Buckinghamshire based driver had been a breakout star since entering the sport back in 2003, claiming both a championship as well as the 2005 Indy 500 on his way to becoming one of the most popular and well-regarded faces in the sport, but two lacklustre seasons with Panther Racing had seen Wheldon’s star wane somewhat, and at the end of the 2010 campaign in which he finished 9th in the standings, Panther team principal John Barnes made the decision to release Wheldon from his contract with the team.

After spending the early stages of 2011 working as the development driver for Dallara’s 2012 Indycar chassis, Wheldon was approached by former Andretti Autosport team-mate Brian Herta over the possibility of driving for his team in a one-off entry for that season’s 500 mile showpiece event, only the second Indycar race the team had ever participated in after an anonymous outing by Sebastian Saavedra in the 2010 race. Despite having failed to drive in Indycar for nearly six months Wheldon was quickly back on the pace, qualifying the #98 William Rast car in sixth place and running comfortably with the lead pack for the majority of the event.

After a hectic 400 miles which had seen the likes of Alex Tagliani, Oriol Servia, Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti take turns at leading, the critical moment of the race came on lap 158 where a collision between Ryan Briscoe and Townsend Bell brought out the final yellow flag of the race, and led to a division between teams and drivers regarding fuel strategy for the remainder of the race. Whilst most drivers prioritised track position over fuel strategy a handful of drivers, including Wheldon and Franchitti, both chose to return to the pits to top off their fuel tanks as the field returned to green flag racing on lap 164.

From that point on the race turned into an economy run, with every driver doing everything they could to conserve fuel and run the rest of the race without the need of another pit-stop. Both Danica Patrick and Belgian outsider Bertrand Baguette both took over the lead of the race for short spells, before the duo were forced into the pits with four laps remaining. Dario Franchitti then took over leadership over the race, but poor fuel conservation meant that the Scotsman was unable to run at a full pace for the remainder of the race, allowing 23 year old JR Hildebrand, the man who had replaced Wheldon at Panther Racing, to the lead with just three laps to go. With a rookie driver leading the centenary 500 in the National Guard car on Memorial Day, the stage was set for what would have been a fairy-tale ending to the race.

Fate however was to take a very different turn, coming into the final corner of the race, Hildebrand came across the lapped car of a slowing Charlie Kimball, the American struggling to make it to the end of the race with his remaining fuel allowance. Rather then hold station behind Kimball, Hildebrand made the decision to pass the #83 on the outside of turn 4, a move which saw the Californian get into the marbles surrounding the outside of the track and into the concrete wall. Devoid of steering and running on three wheels, Hildebrand’s career coasted along the start/finish straight towards the finish line, only for Wheldon’s #98 to surpass Hildebrand’s car just yards from the line, the only time that Wheldon would lead during the entire race.

The victory gave Wheldon his second 500 win, and fresh off the birth of his second son Oliver he and his family celebrated an emotional triumph in victory lane, and leaving Hildebrand sitting disconsolately by his wounded car on the inside of turn one. The victory propelled Wheldon back into the spotlight, appearing on multiple talk-shows and leading to him being signed as Danica Patrick’s replacement at Andretti Autosport for the 2012 Indycar season, but triumph would turn to despair, as just five months after his 500 victory Wheldon succumbed to injuries sustained in an end of season race at Las Vegas, the last race before the car he had helped develop would take it’s place.

Relive the dramatic final laps of the 2011 Indy 500 in the video below:

In tomorrow’s write-up a controversial last lap incident helps to bring about the end of 42 years of Indy 500 legacy.