(si.com 10-18-11)
IndyCar's new Dallara chassis will be named in honor of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon.
Wheldon, who did most of the testing on the new 2012 IndyCar, was killed Sunday in a fiery, 15-car pileup at the season-ending race in Las Vegas. IndyCar officials said late Tuesday that they will hold a public memorial service Sunday afternoon at Conseco Fieldhouse. The service will begin at 4 p.m.
"Dan lives in the memory of everybody at Dallara," company president and founder Gianpaolo Dallara said in a statement Tuesday. "We will honor his memory for the years to come by dedicating the Dallara IndyCar2012 in his name. He deserves that."
Flags at the company's Italian headquarters were lowered to half staff Monday.
IndyCar vice president of technology Will Phillips, who oversaw the testing program, said Wheldon did everything he could to make the car safer and stronger and that his assistance will be "sorely missed."
IndyCar is investigating the fatal crash.
Formula One's governing body (FIA) and the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States, an umbrella organization of auto racing sanctioning bodies in the United States, will assist in the inquiry.
Preliminary findings were expected within several weeks.
Series officials said a trust fund for Wheldon's family has been established. Donations can be sent to Fifth Third Private Bank, attention Dan Wheldon Family Trust, 251 North Illinois St., Suite 1000, Indianapolis, IN 46204.
