Photo Credit: Carrie Ellis
On Tuesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, KV Racing Technology announced that they will enter Stefan Wilson as the driver of the No. 25 Driven2SaveLives-KVRT Chevrolet for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor oil. The program is run in conjunction with the Indiana Donor Networks “Driven 2SaveLives” initiative as they promote organ, tissue and eye donation and transplantation.
As Wilson attempts to qualify for the race he will have a special copilot riding shot gun with him: his late brother Justin.
Justin Wilson died in August 2015 from the injuries that he sustained in an incident during the Verizon IndyCar Series race at Pocono Raceway. Justin was a previously registered organ donor, and because of this was able to save five other lives through his organ donation.
This will be Stefan’s first attempt to qualify for the Indy 500, something Justin did on eight occasions with his best finish being fifth in 2014. The Wilson brothers were teammates in Stefan’s only IndyCar Series race to date which took place on the streets of Baltimore in 2012. Stefan will also honor his older brother by driving the same No. 25 that Justin ran his final race in.
“I want to say it’s a little bit bittersweet,” Stefan admitted. “I’m super excited for the opportunity to qualify for the race, but now that we’ve got the deal done and the focus is on the race, there’s a part of me that does start to miss Justin as well.
“When I got the deal done, the first person I wanted to tell was Justin and I couldn’t. I know he’s going to be looking down and know he’s proud. I want to make him as proud of me as I was of him.”
The Indiana Donor Network with the help of Stefan are hoping to get 2,500 people across the country to register their decision to be an organ donor through Driven2SaveLives. Indiana Donor network is one of 58 designated organ recovery organizations in the United States, oversees and coordinates organ, tissue and eye donation, as well as provides public education on donation and transplantation across the state.
“Justin’s decision to be an organ donor ended up being the one shining light out of that dark, terrible time after Pocono,” said Stefan. “I’m grateful to Indiana Donor Network and KV Racing Technology for the opportunity to fulfill a racing dream and to honor Justin’s legacy on such a monumental stage as the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500.”
Wilson’s entry into the Indianapolis 500 is part of a joint effort by KV Racing Technology and Pelfrey Racing, which fields cars in all three series as part of the Mazda Road to Indy.
“I’ve always made my Indy 500 attempt about honoring Justin and this is just a huge way to do that, bigger than I even realized,” added Stefan. “To be able to carry his legacy on and potentially save future lives, that’s pretty important to me now.”
There are more the 120,000 people nationwide who are on the waiting list for a lifesaving organ transplants. Out of that amount 22 reportedly die each day because an organ was available in time. Indiana Donor Network believes with the exposure during the month of May will help change that.
“Stefan’s story really personifies our mission at Indiana Donor Network,” said Kellie Hanner, the group’s president and CEO. “His experience with Justin’s organ donation illustrates firsthand what it means to save and enhance lives. We couldn’t ask for a better champion and we hope Driven2SaveLives inspires others to become registered donors like the Wilson brothers.”
To register to become an organ donor, visit http://driven2savelives.org/.
Wilson will join teammates Sebastian Bourdais and Matthew Barbham in a three car KV entry for the Indy 500.
