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INDYCAR MEDIA CONFERENCEAugust 24, 2015Ed CarpenterMark MilesTHE MODERATOR: Welcome, everybody. We thank you for being here on short notice this evening. We're here tonight to make an announcement at the request of Justin Wilson's family. You're going to be hearing this evening from Mark Miles, the CEO of Hulman & Company, the parent of the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and also from IndyCar Series driver Ed Carpenter. Today we will not be taking any questions out of respect for Justin Wilson and his family. IndyCar will comment further and answer questions in the next few days. With that I'm going to turn it over to Mark Miles. MARK MILES: Thank you. On behalf of the Wilson family, it's with profound sadness that we announce that Justin Wilson died this evening at Lehigh Valley Health Network Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania, as a result of the head injury he sustained yesterday at the Pocono Speedway event. He passed away in the company of his family, his brother Stefan, his loving wife, wonderful wife, Julia, and his parents Keith and Lynne. Justin's elite ability to drive a racecar was matched by his unwavering kindness, character and humility, which made him one of the most respected members of the paddock. As we know the racing industry is one big family, and our focus now is on rallying around Justin's family to ensure that they get the support that they need during this difficult time. Anyone who follows our sport knows Justin is one of the most well-respected, highly regarded and loved people in the entire paddock. He will be missed. I want to express sincere thanks on behalf of Justin's family and the IndyCar and Andretti Autosport organizations, to the Holmatro Safety Team, to Drs. Olinger, Stevens and Trammell, and IndyCar nurse Denise Titus. Also to the staff at the Infield Care Center at Pocono Raceway, and also the skilled and thoughtful professionals at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown. The outpouring of support from the motorsports community, fans and stakeholders has been amazing. I know the Wilson family is very, very appreciative. In particular the Wilson family wishes to thank Justin's fellow drivers and their families who have been so thoughtful, kind and supportive. So on their behalf, I'd like to turn the mic over to one of those family members, Ed Carpenter. ED CARPENTER: Thanks, Mark. I'm here on behalf of all the drivers in the IndyCar Series. It's days like this that are extremely hard on all of us. We just want to offer our sincere condolences to Justin's family, to his parents, especially Julia, Jane and Jess, and Stefan. Obviously Justin was a great professional driver and extremely good at his craft. Beyond that he was a great guy. One of the few, if only, guys that really was a friend among everyone in the paddock, amongst the competitors, and respected for the way he carried himself. I think for me, for what Justin's gone through over the past couple years, how hard he worked to get back into the car this season, and the opportunity that he had with Andretti, I think he exemplified the reason we all love doing this. He fought so hard to come back. As challenging as today is and yesterday was, he was doing what he loved to do, what we all love to do, and why we'll all be back competing in his honor in the near future. Thank you. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Mark and Ed. Again, out of respect to Justin Wilson and his family, we won't be answering any specific questions this evening. I would like everyone to note that in lieu of flowers, a trust fund is going to be set up to benefit Justin and Julia's two daughters. We will have details about that sometime tomorrow. If you'll pay attention to the IndyCar.com website, we will get you that information. We also want to thank the IndyCar fans and community for all of their prayers for Justin Wilson and their family. We just ask that you continue to pray for his family as they go through this time. Again, thank you for being here this evening. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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