Earlier, drivers, team members and fans sobbed after they learned of the tragic death of the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.
Wheldon was caught up in the second wave of multicar crashes early in Sunday's race. He and others were traveling about 220 mph when they collided with the first group of mangled race cars. Wheldon's car went airborne into the catch fence above the SAFER barriers. The coroner's office said yesterday he died of blunt head trauma.
"We lost a good friend. Everybody in IndyCar Series considered Dan a friend," a red-eyed IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti said. "He was one of those special, special people from the first moment he showed up in IndyCar. And he was kind of brash, but he was a charmer.
"Then he became this loving family guy who was still charming, but he had this whole, new side to him [after marriage and the births of two children]. When I think about them, I'm struggling to hold it together."
Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves said: "It is hard to put into words how sad this is for all us of here. On the track, we compete, but at the end of the day. we are like a big family, and today we lost a part of that."
Despite winning this year's Indy 500 after rookie J.R. Hildebrand, the leader, smacked a wall on the final lap, Wheldon did not have a full-time ride this year. He had tested the 2012 car, featuring new engines and chassis.
Wheldon was scheduled to replace Danica Patrick next year in the Andretti Autosport car. Patrick is moving to NASCAR's Nationwide Series.
A $5 million bonus lured Wheldon to Las Vegas. Originally, the promotion was intended to lure a few NASCAR Sprint Cup stars to the race. When that didn't happen, the promotion was changed to give Wheldon the opportunity, only because he was not a full-time driver. If Wheldon won, the $5 million would be split among him, the Sam Schmidt Motorsports team and a fan chosen in a contest.
