Factbox: Indy 500 Winner Dan Wheldon was Killed in a Fiery Crash

Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon was killed in a fiery 15-car crash on October 1, 2011, while racing at the Las Vegas Indy 300. He was only 33. There was no way for Wheldon to avoid the 15-car pileup ahead of him, as he flew into a fence and wall during the accident that eventually killed him. The world lost a great driver, but also lost was a loving friend, husband and father.

Dan Wheldon was one of the most popular race car drivers in the paddock.

Here are some facts about Dan Wheldon's life and career:

* English race car driver Dan Wheldon was born on June 22, 1978.

* In 2008, Dan married his personal assistant Susie Behm. The couple live in Florida, and have two boys Sebastian and Oliver.

* Wheldon started driving go-karts at the age of 4. He won eight British titles at the beginning of his career. He then moved to the United States in 1999. In 2002, Wheldon was on the IndyCar grid for the first time.

* Dan Wheldon was a part of four teams during his IndyCar racing career, which included Chip Ganassi, Andretti Green, Panther Racing and his latest team Bryan Herta Autosport. Wheldon won 16 races and recorded 27 podium finishes during his 10-year career.

* In 2003, Wheldon was named Rookie Of The Year. The following year, he won three races and finished second place in the championship.

* Dan Wheldon's car was sponsored by Justin Timberlake's William Rast clothing line.

* Dan Wheldon raised money for many charities, and was a spokesman for the National Guards, and tried to draw awareness to their education programs. He recently spent time trying to raise money for Alzheimer's research. In 2009, his mother was diagnosed with an early onset form of Alzheimer's disease.

* In 2005 and 2011, Dan Wheldon won the Indy 500.

* In 2010, Wheldon released a photo book called Lionheart. It was a book of pictures that highlighted his racing career. He spent many years editing the book, that also included pictures from his wedding and his life away from the track. He wanted his fans to see all aspects of his life through the pictures in the book.

* Wheldon was air-lifted from the track to the University Medical Center. He later died from unsurvivable injuries.