Fast Facts: Justin Wilson

Justin Wilson after winning Firestone 550
Photo by Lisa Janine Cloud
Justin Wilson, winner of the Firestone Indy 550 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 9, 2012, hadn’t won an IZOD IndyCar Series race since Watkins Glen International in July 2009. The driver of the No. 18 for Dale Coyne Racing has competed in many international series, including a stint in Formula One – here are a few more fast facts about IndyCar’s most recent winner.
  • Justin Boyd Wilson was born July 31, 1978 in Rotherham, England. He began racing karts in 1987, and spent part of the 1990s competing in Formula Vauxhall; in 1998, he won the inaugural Formula Palmer Audi championship along with nine races in the series. His Formula racing career continued in Formula 3000 from 1999 to 2001, ending with the 2001 Formula 3000 title.
  • After competing in the Telefonica World Series by Nissan in 2002, Wilson moved up to Formula One in 2003, driving for the Minardi Formula One team and Jaguar Racing; his best F1 finish was eighth at the 2003 United States Grand Prix at the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
  • 2004 saw Wilson move to the Champ Car World Series, which later merged with the Indy Racing League to create the current IZOD IndyCar Series. In four years in Champ Car, he drove for Conquest Racing, RuSPORTS and RSPORTS. In 2005, as teammate to current NASCAR driver A.J. Allmendinger, Wilson won his first race in Toronto and backed it up with a win at the season finale in Mexico City; he finished third in points that year, and second in 2006 and 2007.
  • The merger of the two series brought Wilson to IndyCar in 2008 with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, winning his first race in Detroit in late August. He would win again in 2009 at The Glen, this time with Dale Coyne Racing; he drove for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2010 and 2011 before returning to Coyne in 2012. The recent win at Texas marked Wilson’s first win on an oval.
  • Wilson was also a member of the winning team for the 2012 Rolex 24 at Daytona, racing the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ford Daytona Prototype along with Allmendinger, Oswaldo Negri and John Pew.
  • Wilson and his wife Julia reside in Northampton, England and near Denver, Colorado; they have two daughters, Jane Louise and Jessica Lynne. Wilson’s brother, Stefan, is also a driver; he most recently competed in the Firestone Indy Lights Series.
  • Find out more about Justin Wilson at his website, http://www.justinwilson.co.uk/
Fast Facts: Justin Wilson Fast Facts: Justin Wilson Reviewed by Paula on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 Rating: 5