Celebrities donate items for Wheldon auction
Celebrities from across American sports and Hollywood have donated items for an auction to benefit the family of the late Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon. The 33-year-old Englishman, who won his second Indy 500 title last May, was killed last...
Celebrities from across American sports and Hollywood have donated items for an auction to benefit the family of the late Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon.
The 33-year-old Englishman, who won his second Indy 500 title last May, was killed last Sunday in a fiery 15-car wreck at a race in Las Vegas. He died of severe head injuries when his car flew into the air and hit a safety fence.
Wheldon, survived by a wife and two young sons, was buried yesterday in Florida and a memorial service will be conducted today at Indianapolis in the home arena of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.
IndyCar racer Graham Rahal offered to auction the helmet, gloves and shoes he used in the Las Vegas race to raise money for Wheldon’s family and the idea drew international support.
Scotsman Dario Franchitti, who won his third IndyCar season series title in a row last Sunday, donated race-worn items, as have Tony Kanaan, Oriol Servia, Marco Andretti, Simona de Silvestro and cycling’s Lance Armstrong.
F1 racers Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello also contributed along with actors Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett.