Dan Wheldon Memorial Auction to Benefit Late Racer’s Family
Finally, an auction that serves a greater good in the wake of Dan Wheldon's tragic death.
What started as a simple comment on Twitter by fellow racer Graham Rahal has snowballed into a massive charitable event with all proceeds benefiting the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund. Rahal offered the helmet, gloves and shoes he used in the ill-fated Las Vegas race to raise money for the family of his fallen peer. This seemingly small gesture began an outpouring of support from celebrities and athletes around the world who also wanted to donate memorabilia.
“I certainly appreciate everyone's support for Dan's Memorial Auction. I never thought when I tweeted about auctioning my helmet that we would get this kind of reaction," said Rahal.
Some of the items include a Colts helmet signed by Peyton Manning, a race-worn helmet from NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, a Pippa Mann race-used firesuit from the Indianapolis 500, a hockey stick signed by the LA Kings, Danica Patrick signed die-cast model cars, a Firestone tire table signed by every participant in the 2011 Indianapolis 500 and more.
Each item will be available for bidding for ten days with more items slated to be added in the future. Fans and collectors interested in bidding on one of the dozen of items can visit the specially created auction site at www.danwheldonmemorialauction.com.
The site also has information about donating items for the auction as well as how to make a contribution directly to the fund. All proceeds will go to Wheldon's family, including funding his children's education.
Wheldon is survived by his wife, Susie, and sons Oliver, age 2, and Sebastian, 7 months.
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