Worlds of sports and entertainment join forces to create Dan Wheldon memorial auction

Graham Rahal didn’t know what he was starting when he offered to auction the race-used helmet, gloves and shoes he used in Las Vegas to raise money for the family of the late Dan Wheldon.

Rahal’s gesture began an outpouring of support from celebrities and athletes around the world who wanted to donate memorabilia to raise money for the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund.

“I certainly appreciate everyone’s support for Dan’s Memorial Auction,” said Rahal, who recently completed his first season with Chip Ganassi Racing. “I never thought when I tweeted about auctioning my helmet that we would get this kind of reaction.”

Among the items already offered up for auction are:

• Graham Rahal’s Las Vegas-worn helmet, gloves and shoes
• Original Bobby Rahal race-worn helmet
• Race worn items from INDYCAR drivers such as Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, Simona De Silvestro, Oriol Servia, James Hinchcliffe and Charlie Kimball; NASCAR drivers such as Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Max Papis; Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello and NHRA stars Brandon Bernstein, Cory McLenathan, Antron Brown and Ron Capps.
• #77 Dan Wheldon Indianapolis Colts jersey signed by Colts players
• Signed Indiana Pacers jerseys from Larry Bird and Clark Kellogg
• Ritmo Mundo INDYCAR rose gold timepieces.
• Memorabilia from Tour de France winning cyclist Lance Armstrong, MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden, NBA star Dwight Howard, tennis legend Billie Jean King, actors Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett and professional surfer Kelly Slater
• VIP Package for any of the Barrett Jackson Auctions, tires from Service Central and all of their partners
• INDYCAR Experience Two-Seater ride around Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• Two-seat Grand-Am Daytona Prototype ride from Mike Shank Racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
• NFL helmet signed by Steve Young, Jerry Rice, and Deion Saunders.
• New York Giants helmet signed by Eli Manning
• NFL jersey signed by Roger Staubach, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Warren Moon, and Harry Carson.
• Limited-edition Colt handgun with serial number “98INDY500” and two custom Colt Indianapolis 500 rifles.

Auctions for donated items will begin on Monday, Oct. 24 with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund.

The auction will be run by online auction site eBay, which has waived all fees, and Auction Cause, a Los Angeles-based auction management agency specializing in high profile corporate, celebrity, and nonprofit eBay auction events.

A link to the auction site will available through www.DanWheldonMemorial.com, the memorial website set up by GoDaddy.com, which includes a Facebook link to leave condolences and remembrances, a career photo retrospective and details on how fans can donate to either the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund or the Alzheimer’s Association, a cause near to Dan Wheldon.

Susie Wheldon statement; Family of Dan Wheldon announces funeral arrangements

Funeral services for IZOD IndyCar Series driver Dan Wheldon will be held at 10 a.m. (ET), Saturday, Oct. 22, at First Presbyterian Church of St. Petersburg, 701 Beach Drive N.E. in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Wheldon’s wife, Susie, released the following statement on behalf of the family, inviting members of community to attend the service:

“Although the last few days have been unbearable for our family, the overwhelming love and support we have received are rays of sunshine during these dark days. The outpouring of sympathy and condolences has been so comforting, and I want to thank everyone for their kind notes, letters, gifts and flowers.

“Dan touched the lives of many people, and I would like to invite those citizens in our community who knew and loved my husband to attend his funeral service at the First Presbyterian Church of St. Petersburg on Saturday, October 22, at 10 a.m.

“Though we won’t be able to fit everyone inside, I know that Dan would have wanted the community to share in the celebration of his life and to grieve his passing. Thank you again. I am forever grateful for your kindness.”

The Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund has been established for the financial security of Wheldon’s family. The public can make contributions to the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund at the following address:

Fifth Third Private Bank
Attn: Dan Wheldon Family Trust
251 North Illinois St.
Suite 1000
Indianapolis, IN 46204

All of Fifth Third Bank’s Indianapolis branches also are accepting contributions in person, which will be routed to the account.

In lieu of flowers, friends and fans also can choose to make a donation to the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund or the Alzheimer’s Association, a cause close to his heart.

For more details, visit http://www.alz.org or http://www.danwheldonmemorial.com, a memorial site, which includes a Facebook link to leave condolences and remembrances and a career photo retrospective.

Those wishing to send their sympathy and condolences to the Wheldon family, can address letters to:

The Wheldons
9600 Koger Blvd N, Ste. 105
St Petersburg, FL 33702

INDYCAR will hold a public memorial service to celebrate the life of Wheldon at 4 p.m. (ET) Sunday, Oct. 23, at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Doors open to the public at 2:30 p.m. The Virginia Street parking garage will be open free of charge to augment on-street parking.