NEWTON, Iowa — Most people think of their 30th birthday as a milestone to forget. Dan Wheldon spent his in Victory Lane.
Wheldon turned the big 3-0 in style Sunday, winning the Iowa Corn Indy 250 for his second victory of the season. Wheldon plans to donate his winnings to the victims of Iowa’s recent floods and tornados.
“What a great day for Target Chip Ganassi Racing and a great birthday present for me,” he said.
Wheldon took the lead out of a caution flag 60 laps from the finish while almost every other driver took a pit stop. Wheldon guessed correctly that his old tires would do the trick, and he then held off Andretti Green drivers Hideki Mutoh and Marco Andretti down the stretch.
Somber winner.
A day after funny car driver Scott Kalitta was killed in a qualifying accident, five-time world champion Tony Schumacher raced to his first top fuel win in 12 tries at the NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J.
The event was overshadowed by the death of Kalitta. He died from multiple injuries after his car went out of control in qualifying Saturday.
“With the passing of Scott Kalitta yesterday, today’s race was extremely tough to get through from an emotional standpoint,” Schumacher said.
Tim Wilkerson, Greg Anderson and Chip Ellis also won in their divisions.
Footnote.
Felipe Massa of Ferrari won the French Grand Prix in Magny Cours, France, and moved to the top of the overall standings after his third F1 victory of the season.
The Associated Press
