IndyCar: Looking back at Justin Wilson's final victory

Justin Wilson earned his final IndyCar victory in the race at Texas Motor Speedway in 2012 after capitalizing on Graham Rahal’s late mistake.

Graham Rahal entered the 2012 IndyCar season’s race at Texas Motor Speedway on a 68-race win drought, as his most recent victory came in his IndyCar debut on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida in the 2008 season.

With three laps to go in the 228-lap race around the four-turn, 1.455-mile (2.346-kilometer) high-banked Texas Motor Speedway oval in Fort Worth, Texas, the then 23-year-old Columbus, Ohio native appeared to be slated to break that win drought with a resounding victory.

While his lead over Justin Wilson, who was on his own 42-race win drought, in second place was shrinking, it did not appear as though Wilson had enough time to catch Rahal, much less pass him, before the checkered flag flew.

Then this happened.

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With just over two laps remaining, Rahal hit the wall coming out of turn four in his #38 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Heading down the back straightaway with only about a lap and a half remaining, Wilson got up beside him and blew by him in his #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda.

Wilson then took the white flag and opened up a 3.920-second lead over Rahal in second place to take the victory in stunning fashion while at the same time heartbreaking fashion for the man whose win drought grew to 69 races as a result of it.

But little did anyone know at the time that this victory would be Wilson’s last. As a result of a crash late in the IndyCar race at Pocono Raceway in 2015, a piece of debris struck Wilson’s helmet, making him a passenger in his #25 Andretti Autosport Honda. The following day, he passed away at the age of 37.

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While Justin Wilson has been gone for over three and a half years now, memories of him will live on forever, especially this weekend as IndyCar returns to Texas Motor Speedway for Saturday night’s running of the DXC Technology 600.

Nobody will ever forget just how special of a night it was when race leader Graham Rahal, whose win drought ended up coming to an end at 124 races at Auto Club Speedway in 2015, hit the wall coming out of turn four with just over two laps to go at Texas Motor Speedway and Wilson took advantage to find victory lane one final time in IndyCar.

IndyCar: Looking back at Justin Wilson’s final victory

By Asher Fair | Jun 6, 2019

Justin Wilson earned his final IndyCar victory in the race at Texas Motor Speedway in 2012 after capitalizing on Graham Rahal’s late mistake.