I could go on and on about all the solid reasons Justin Wilson should be in a full time IndyCar seat. I could tell all the statistics on his amazing driving and what a great team player he is. I could explain all the ways he is a key leader in this sport and his expertise is relied on greatly by all those in the sport. If I wrote more on all those things I wouldn’t need to list a single additional reason on why Wilson should have a full time seat. However, as you know my blog is less about the technical stuff and more about the heart and Justin Wilson has a lot of heart.
Justin became a family favorite while driving the McDonalds car. My kids love McDonalds so they naturally gravitated towards that car and Justin. As the years went on he drove the Dad’s Root Beer car and the Boy Scouts of America car. Hard to get more kid friendly and family oriented than that.
Justin is always a class act. I can think of very few times when we have seen Justin angry. Of course there have been a few but even then he has kept his temper in check and has been a great role model for my boys.
In 2012 Justin would cement a place in our hearts. We were attending a kids club event during qualifying weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The morning of the event my boys begged me to tweet Justin, Tony Kanaan and James Hinchcliffe to please stop by the kids club to sign autographs. Justin replied asking where and when the event was. He showed up at the event and made our day. I remember hearing the woman running the event say she had no clue Justin was going to show up. He was there because we tweeted him. How cool is that. Over the years he has regularly responded to tweets. We need more drivers like him.
We’ve also seen him overcome adversity. In 2011 he sat out the remainder of the season after injured his back. Then in 2013 he fractured his pelvis during the season ending race at Auto Club Speedway. He also suffered a small pulmonary contusion from that accident. After both incidents he couldn’t wait to get back in the car, showing both his determination and his love for racing. He has such passion for the job he does and that is just another way he is such a great role model for young fans.
With only a month till the IndyCar season opener in St. Pete it is getting tough waiting for the news on Justin Wilson. My family is keeping fingers crossed, saying prayers and eagerly awaiting news that he has signed with a team so we can cheer him on during the 2015 season. IndyCar needs him!
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