Racing
John Oreovicz, Autos, Open-Wheel 9y

Stefan Wilson grateful for support, tributes to Justin

IndyCar, AutoRacing

SEARS POINT, Calif. -- Almost a week after the death of his brother Justin, Stefan Wilson said Sunday at Sonoma Raceway that the healing process has begun for him and his family.

Justin Wilson died Monday at an Allentown, Pennsylvania, hospital, one day after being struck by debris from an accident that occurred ahead of him on the track during a Verizon IndyCar Series race at Pocono Raceway. Wilson's death was the first in IndyCar in almost four years.

Stefan Wilson, who is also a race car driver, thanked the IndyCar and racing community for the overwhelming support his family has received. Justin, who was 37, is survived by a wife and two daughters.

"I don't know how to express it, but thanks to everyone who has reached out with support and the amazing tributes everybody has been paying," Stefan told reporters at Sonoma, where the IndyCar Series season finale will be contested today. "I'm seriously very grateful about all the support that has been shown to Justin's family. That was his No. 1 priority -- his family and taking care of his daughters. That became my priority, and a few other folks have really helped out. None of it was really expected."

Driver Graham Rahal is organizing an eBay auction of memorabilia, and a website has been set up for individual donations.

Each of the 25 drivers in the field for the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma will auction his helmet to raise funds for the Wilson children. Ryan Hunter-Reay revealed Saturday that his helmet has already sold for $24,000.

Thousands more has been raised through the sale of T-shirts and stickers bearing the hashtag #BadassWilson. Justin Wilson picked up the nickname Badass early in his career, partly in jest of his polite, easygoing personality.

"I sent an email to all the drivers asking if they would consider donating a helmet, and within minutes, every single one of them had responded positively and said they would do it," Stefan said. "There's just been nothing but love and support from them."

INDYCAR and Sonoma Raceway have incorporated several tributes to Justin Wilson into Sunday's program, including a moment of silence, the playing of "God Save the Queen" and skywriting pilots drawing "25" -- the car number Wilson was running when he died.

Roger Penske, upon his inauguration into Sonoma Raceway's Wall of Fame on Saturday, requested that Wilson also be honored.

"I wouldn't let this day go by without having his name on that plaque with me," Penske said. "He's one of the great guys. We lose a great friend and a competitor, and we need to honor him also."

Stefan revealed that the unusual nature of Justin's accident made the tragic result somewhat easier to handle.

"It sounds weird, but there's no one to blame," he said. "I looked at it, and it's so freak, there's no one to be angry with. It wasn't like something was preventable.

"If you think about all the things that equaled that, you change a parameter by the smallest amount and we're not sat here having this conversation," he added. "It's not easier to accept and not harder to accept, but there's been no anger. All we've been able to feel is the love for him. It sounds so cliché, but that's how I feel."

Wilson said he has personally received a great deal of support from many IndyCar drivers, but his focus remains on Justin's widow, Julia, and daughters Jane, 7, and Jessica, 5.

"My first priority was Justin's family, and that's the only thing I've really thought about over the last week," Wilson said. "Just trying to be strong for him. He wouldn't want us moping around. I just want to be at home right now, but he'd want us to be here and racing."

The heartfelt tributes from drivers and other motorsports figures around the world confirmed his greatness to Stefan and his family.

Wilson earned seven IndyCar race wins in an American career that started in 2004.

"It was at times so frustrating in Justin's career because there were so many times when he was on the cusp of a really great drive," Stefan Wilson said. "As a family, we knew how good he was, and I was probably his biggest fan from that standpoint. We just wanted to see him shine like we knew he would. I feel like he was in that place now where there was certainly the opportunity for that potential with Honda and with Andretti Autosport.

"It's amazing he didn't get an Indy 500 ring or a championship, but he had wins and a lot of success, and it's moving to see things like the Roger Penske tribute yesterday," Wilson added. "It's comforting to know that even though he didn't get those things, people knew that he had the potential, and it wasn't just us who knew it."

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