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Thousands Attend Wheldon Memorial At Conseco Fieldhouse

Last updated on Monday, October 24, 2011

(INDIANAPOLIS, IN) - Thousands of friends and fans of the late Dan Wheldon turned out at Conseco Fieldhouse yesterday to say “goodbye” to one of racings greatest ambassadors.

One day after Wheldon was laid to rest in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida, Indiana residents attended a public memorial service in Indianapolis that included music from Reba McEntyre, Garth Brooks, and the Indianapolis Childrens' choir.

IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard addressed the crowd, and a trio of Wheldon's former Andretti-Green Teammates, Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, and Bryan Herta, spoke on the gregarious nature of the two time Indianapolis 500 Champion.

Fans filed past an enlarged photo of Wheldon that seemed to embody the personality of the 33-year old husband and father.

In the picture, Wheldon, with the orchid-bedecked victory wreath draped across half his body, gave his iconic toothy grin while flashing "hang loose" to all his fans.

Wheldon died on October 16th from injuries sustained in a crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

He leaves behind his wife, Suzie, and two sons.

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