Race Weekend Central

The Racing Community Remembers Justin Wilson

Monday evening, the racing world got the news it dreaded. Following an accident at Pocono Raceway Sunday afternoon, IndyCar driver Justin Wilson succumbed to his injuries and passed away at the age of 37. Immediately, the tributes and remembrances came pouring in.

Statement from Wilson’s family:

With deep sadness, the parents of Justin Wilson, Keith and Lynne, his wife Julia, and his brother Stefan share the news that Justin passed away today after succumbing to injuries suffered during the Verizon IndyCar event at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, August 23.

Justin was a loving father and devoted husband, as well as a highly competitive racing driver who was respected by his peers.

The family would like to thank the staff at the Lehigh Valley Health Network Cedar Crest Hospital,  Pocono Raceway, Andretti Autosport, and the Verizon IndyCar Series as well as the entire racing community for the amazing outpouring of support from fans around the world.

The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Wilson Children’s Fund care of INDYCAR. 

Wilson Children’s Fund
C/O INDYCAR
4551 West 16th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46222

Statement from Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co.:

On behalf of the Wilson family, it’s with profound sadness that we announce that Justin Wilson died this evening at Lehigh Valley Health Network Hospital in Allentown, Pa., as a result of the head injury he sustained yesterday at the Pocono Raceway event.

He passed away in the company of his family, his brother, Stefan, his loving wife, wonderful wife, Julia, and his parents, Keith and Lynne.

Justin’s elite ability to drive a racecar was matched by his unwavering kindness, character and humility, which made him one of the most respected members of the paddock.

As we know, the racing industry is one big family, and our focus now is on rallying around Justin’s family to ensure that they get the support that they need during this difficult time.

Anyone who follows our sport knows Justin is one of the most well-respected, highly regarded and loved people in the entire paddock. He will be missed.

I want to express sincere thanks on behalf of Justin’s family and the INDYCAR and Andretti Autosport organizations, to the Holmatro Safety Team, to Drs. (Michael) Olinger, (Andrew) Stevens and (Terry) Trammell, and INDYCAR nurse Denise Titus. Also to the staff at the Infield Care Center at Pocono Raceway, and also the skilled and thoughtful professionals at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown.

The outpouring of support from the motorsports community, fans and stakeholders has been amazing. I know the Wilson family is very, very appreciative. In particular, the Wilson family wishes to thank Justin’s fellow drivers and their families who have been so thoughtful, kind and supportive.

Statement from Andretti Autosport:

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Justin Wilson. He was a tremendous racer, a valuable member of the team and respected representative to our sport. While Justin was only part of the Andretti lineup for a short time, it only took a second for him to forever become part of the Andretti family. His life and racing career is a story of class and passion surpassed by none. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Wilson family and fans worldwide.

Godspeed, JW.

Statement from Ed Carpenter on behalf of the IndyCar drivers:

I’m here on behalf of all the drivers in the IndyCar Series. It’s days like this that are extremely hard on all of us. We just want to offer our sincere condolences to Justin’s family, to his parents, especially Julia, Jane and Jess, and Stefan.

Obviously, Justin was a great professional driver and extremely good at his craft. Beyond that, he was a great guy. One of the few, if only, guys that really was a friend among everyone in the paddock, amongst the competitors, and respected for the way he carried himself.

I think for me, for what Justin’s gone through over the past couple years, how hard he worked to get back into the car this season, and the opportunity that he had with Andretti, I think he exemplified the reason we all love doing this. He fought so hard to come back.

As challenging as today is and yesterday was, he was doing what he loved to do, what we all love to do, and why we’ll all be back competing in his honor in the near future.

Thank you.

https://twitter.com/dfieldsfrye/status/635993832996347905

https://twitter.com/pjchesson/status/635994812559327233

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the author

Sign up for the Frontstretch Newsletter

A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.

Share via