Dan Wheldon, winner of the 89th Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 Indy Racing League (IRL) IndyCar Series Championship for Andretti Green Racing, has been nominated for two prestigious Autosport Awards - International Racing Driver of the Year and British Competition Driver of the Year. source: danwheldon.com Wheldon will attend the annual Autosport Awards dinner and reception on Sunday, December 4 at the Grosvenor House hotel in London. "The Autosport Awards are a highlight of my year and it's a real honor to be nominated by such a well-respected motorsports magazine," said Wheldon. "It's always nice being back in London with my racing friends and my family, and I'm hoping I have a chance to get on-stage and thank all the people that made my 2005 IndyCar season such a success. I couldn't do what I do without a lot of support." After a runner-up finish in the 2004 IRL Championship, in which he posted three race wins and 12 Top 4 finishes, Wheldon recorded one of the most dominating seasons in American open-wheel history this year. He became the first Englishman to win the Indy 500 since the late Graham Hill in 1966; the first driver to win both the Indy 500 and a major driver's championship since Jacques Villeneuve in 1995; and the first driver in IRL history to win both the Indy 500 and the IRL Driver's Championship. In 2005, Wheldon won four of the first five races of the season for the first time in IRL history. Overall, he captured six wins in 17 races, breaking Sam Hornish Jr.'s IRL record for most wins in a season, and recorded 12 Top 5 finishes and 15 Top 10 finishes. Wheldon also set IRL records for races led (15), total points (628) and earnings ($2,711,005). In less than three full seasons in the IRL, Wheldon is already tied for second place all-time in career wins with nine; having accomplished this in only 49 career starts.
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