Dallara to name new IndyCar in Wheldon's honor

PHOTO: Dan Wheldon puts the 2012 IndyCar through its paces during testing last month at Indianapolis. -- Chris Jones/IZOD IndyCar Series.

After Dan Wheldon won his second Indianapolis 500 in May in a one-off effort with Bryan Herta Autosport, he and the team kept themselves busy as the developers of Dallara's 2012 IndyCars, which will go on-track next season. Wheldon tested the chassis in August at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and again at Indianapolis Motor Speedway just last month.

Following Wheldon's tragic death on Sunday, support quickly spread for the idea of naming the 2012 IndyCars after the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and former IZOD IndyCar Series champion. On Monday, Dallara confirmed that it would indeed do just that.

“Dan lives in the memory of everybody at Dallara,” company founder/president Gianpaolo Dallara said in an IndyCar.com piece by Dave Lewandowski. "He has been a true champion; not only because of his many victories, but and above everything else, because he has been a true and warm man to all the people he encountered.

"All people at Dallara always enjoyed meeting him in Italy and in the USA. We will honor his memory for the years to come by dedicating the Dallara IndyCar 2012 in his name. He deserves that."

According to Autosport, an official name has not yet been determined by Dallara. But it is still a classy move by the Italian constructor to honor the man whose input helped make the sport's newest generation of machines better.

Below is a video that features Wheldon speaking on the testing process last month at Indy. May a safer sport be part of his legacy.