IndyCar legend Dan Wheldon's 'The Lionheart' earns 5 Sports Emmy nominations

The HBO Sports documentary 'The Lionheart', which centers around late IndyCar legend Dan Wheldon and his family, received five nominations for the 46th annual Sports Emmy Awards. The 2005 IndyCar champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner passed away in a tragic accident at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011.

Wheldon was involved in a 15-car wreck and was the worst affected. His No. 98 Honda flew cockpit-first into the concrete catch fence after being airborne for 325 feet and caught fire immediately. The 33-year-old Briton succumbed to "unsurvivable injuries" in the hospital. His sons Sebastian and Oliver were merely two years and seven months, respectively, when they lost him.

Dan Wheldon's wife, Susie, has raised their children as a single mother. 'The Lionheart' brings archival footage from Wheldon's career and his family's present-day life together in an inspiring story woven by director Laura Brownson. It also focuses on Susie's inner conflict as her sons pursue the same racing path that infused their family with life, but took what was most precious to her.

The documentary, which premiered on HBO in March 2024, was nominated for five Sports Emmys, the biggest of which was in the Outstanding Long Documentary category. It will compete against Amazon Prime Video's ChiefsAholic: A Wolf in Chief’s Clothing, Giannis: The Marvelous Journey, ESPN Deportes' Las Amazonas de Yaxunah, and Netflix's Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa.

The documentary's nominations in other categories include Outstanding Camera Work – Long Form, Outstanding Editing – Short Form, Outstanding Music Direction, and Outstanding Audio/Sound – Post-Produced. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will bestow the award on May 20 at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in Manhattan, New York.

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'The Lionheart' director Laura Brownson connected deeply with Dan Wheldon's story

Susie Wheldon with Laura Brownson at "The Lionheart" Premiere - 2023 Tribeca Festival - Source: Getty

Documentary director Laura Brownson stumbled upon Dan Wheldon's story when her associates presented her with an article about him 10 years after his untimely death. Being a mother to two sons herself, Brownson connected with his widow Susie's outlook toward life and family and got her to open up for an authentic look into the Wheldon family's life.

In a 2024 interview with Moviemaker, she revealed how many filmmakers had approached Susie, but all story variations had Dan Wheldon's death as the climax. It was Brownson's approach to follow Wheldon's legacy through the rising careers of his sons in the present day that won Susie over.

Elaborating on the relationship she built with Susie through the course of production, Laura Brownson said:

"Susie’s also kind of uniquely vulnerable, or at least she was with us, with me. She really went deep, and there’s a lot of sadness just kind of under the surface for Susie. But she, I guess, trusted us enough to tell her story in a dignified way. And I feel really lucky that she was willing to go there."

'The Lionheart' also features Dan Wheldon's former IndyCar teammates and rivals, including champions Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti, and Scott Dixon, who speak highly about his humorous and loving nature and his fierce racing on track. The documentary was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival and won awards at the Heartland International Film Festival and the Key West Film Festival

Wheldon's sons are part of Andretti Global's driver development programs, whose IndyCar team he drove for three years and won his maiden championship with in 2005. Older son Sebastian has signed with PREMA Racing for the Italian F4 championship in 2025.