IndyCar fans saddened by the end of an annual tradition
By Asher Fair
Every January 1 from 2018 to 2023, the late Justin Wilson's Twitter account sent out a scheduled "Happy New Year" tweet at around 2:00 a.m. ET -- which would be 12:00 a.m. MT at Justin's Colorado residence.
Wilson was killed as a result of an IndyCar accident at Pocono Raceway in August 2015, when his helmet was struck by a piece of debris off of a car that had just wrecked.
As to why the tradition began in 2018 (rather than 2016 or 2017), his brother and fellow IndyCar driver Stefan explained that it actually did start before 2018, but the tweets were deleted due to some confusion over who might (or might not) have had access to his account.
For those who may be wondering.. the reason 2016 & 2017 do not show.. 2016 we all woke up, saw the tweet, assumed someone with access to his twitter mistakenly posted from his account. So we deleted the tweet. 2017, we’d forgot what happened previously & deleted again.
— Stefan Wilson (@stef_wilson) January 1, 2023
Justin Wilson 'Happy New Year' tradition likely over
But due to the changes that took place on Twitter (now officially X) throughout 2023, it appears that whatever software the late Wilson had used to schedule his annual "Happy New Year" tweet was adjusted in a way that has effectively ended this tradition, as there was no tweet when the calendar turned from 2023 to 2024.
At least, that's what Stefan believes.
I had suspected this was the case, so I stayed up way past my bedtime to see for myself. In doing so I think I finally realized why he set the auto-tweet up… he was probably in bed asleep and still wanted to wish everyone a timely HNY. Genius now I think of it 🤔🤣
— Stefan Wilson (@stef_wilson) January 1, 2024
The annual Justin Wilson "Happy New Year" tweet was something that many IndyCar fans looked forward to each year following his passing, so it was disappointing to learn that the tweet sent out on January 1, 2023 will likely be the final one to come from his account, barring some kind of additional Twitter/X change.
It was a wonderful tradition that put a smile on the faces of so many people. Happy New Year Stefan. And we miss you JW.
— Thomsen419 (@Thomsen419) January 1, 2024
Such a fun tradition. I think you should tweet this exact same thing annually.
— Jake Query (@jakequery) January 1, 2024
The IndyCar team without any confirmed drivers for 2024. dark. Next. The IndyCar team without any confirmed drivers for 2024
Having said that, given that Stefan discussed deleting the tweets in 2016 and 2017, it is theoretically possible that they could go in and find a way to continue the tradition in 2025 and beyond. But it goes without saying that this would not be the same thing as having something that Justin personally set up continue on, year after year.
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