( CNN ) -- Dan Wheldon brought a bit of England with him when he began driving extremely fast cars in the United States . `` When I first started racing , a lot of the guys said that I raced with a lot of heart , occasionally not my head , but always with a lot of heart , like the way that Richard the Lionheart fought in battle , '' Wheldon wrote on a sponsor 's blog in 2010 . Wheldon placed a small mural of the 12th-century warrior king on his helmet in 1995 , before he competed in America and eventually released `` Lionheart , '' a biographical photo book . Wheldon 's fellow IndyCar drivers remembered the heart , competitiveness and growing maturity of the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner , who died in a horrific multi-car wreck at a Las Vegas event on Sunday at age 33 . `` Dan came over years ago as a young , brash kid from England , '' former IndyCar driver Lyn St. James said Monday , `` and we watched him mature into being this absolute , consummate professional ... He touched so many people . '' A shaken Dario Franchitti , speaking after the canceled Las Vegas Indy 300 , said `` one minute you 're joking around ... the next , Dan 's gone . '' `` We can put so much pressure on ourselves to win races and championships and it 's what we love to do , '' said Franchitti , who knew Wheldon since he was a child . `` And it 's what we live for . And then on days like today , it does n't really matter . I lost , we lost ... a good friend . '' Franchitti recalled Wheldon 's early IndyCar years . `` He was kind of brash , but he was a charmer , '' Franchitti said . `` He became this loving family guy . He was still charming , but he had this whole new side to him . '' Wheldon , 33 , left behind his wife , Susie , and two young boys , Sebastian and Oliver . They live in St. Petersburg , Florida . Born in Emberton , England , Wheldon raced go-karts at the age of 4 . His father was a go-kart racer and his mother was the timer at a local track . He was an IndyCar rookie in 2003 and won his first Indianapolis 500 two years later . Superstitious , the driver as an adult would tap his race car three times before getting in on the non-gear stick side , according to his IndyCar bio . After his second Indy 500 victory in May , Wheldon talked with CNN 's `` American Morning '' about serving as a spokesman for the Alzheimer 's Association . His mother was diagnosed with the disease in 2009 . After his win , however , he found himself unemployed . `` This time off that I 've had has truly made me understand and really grasp how much I love driving the cars themselves , '' he told CNN World Sport in June . `` Indy cars are fantastic to drive ... I want to be part of that , there 's no doubt about it . '' At that time he said he was n't sure what the rest of the year would hold as far as sponsorship . `` If it means me sitting out the rest of the season in order to have a positive ride in 2012 , then that 's the best thing for me , '' he said . Sunday , drivers in Las Vegas did a five-lap salute in Wheldon 's memory . `` Amazing Grace '' played as the drivers slowly wound their way around the track . The driver 's father-in-law , Sven Behm , told CNN North Carolina affiliate WGHP that he had told Wheldon to have a safe race . The competitor assured him vehicles , which routinely reached speeds in excess of 225 miles per hour , had been made safer in recent years . `` He was n't just a great driver , '' said Behm . `` But he was a great human being . He was always very positive . '' He said Wheldon 's sons are age 2 1/2 and 7 months . CNN `` World Sport '' anchor Patrick Snell said `` Dan Wheldon is a character . ... Extremely popular . Huge respect from his peers . '' There is no question that the world of motorsports has lost one of its favorite sons , '' Snell said Sunday night .
The two - time Indy 500 winner was killed while at a Las Vegas race . Born in England , he compared himself to Richard the Lionheart . He also was a bit superstitious . Many questioned Dan ##ner 's growing maturity , outside of sports .