By alley - Oct 16, 2014, 1:16 PM ET

Dan Wheldon memories from the LAT archive

Dan Wheldon, who perished in the huge accident at Las Vegas Motor Speedway three years ago today, was a walking, talking celebration of life. Mr Positive, Mr Eloquent, Mr Energy – a devoted husband and father, a fan favorite, a racer who would never back down in a fight, a team member who could deliberately wind up his colleagues but with a smile on his face and welcoming reciprocation!

Dan was all those things, which is why he's still missed by rivals, friends, fans and media members. God alone knows how much he's missed by his family on both sides of the Atlantic.

In short, Dan Wheldon was just a charismatic delight to hang out with. Here are some of our favorite images of Danny Boy.

(BELOW) 1996, and 18-year-old Dan is in Formula Vauxhall Junior, finishing the season as runner-up. (BOTTOM) Battling with Jenson Button in Formula Ford in 1998 at Snetterton. JB won the title, with Dan third.

(ABOVE) Without the money to continue on the European racing ladder, Wheldon crossed The Pond for his first season in a slicks ’n’ wings category, namely, USF2000. He won the 1999 championship.

(BELOW) In the 2000 Toyota Atlantic championship with PPI, Wheldon finished second in the title race to future IndyCar rival Buddy Rice. (BOTTOM) Graduation to Indy Lights in 2001 saw him frequently battling with eventual champ Townsend Bell.

(ABOVE) Dan made his IndyCar debut with Panther in 2002 but moved to Andretti Green Racing for 2003 (BELOW). He's seen here at Fontana battling Sam Hornish, who'd go on to win. The following race, the finale at Texas Motor Speedway, Dan scored his first IndyCar podium. He took 11th in the championship, and Autosport readers voted him Rookie of the Year. At the Awards ceremony, he received his prize from Mark Webber (BOTTOM).

(ABOVE) Leading teammate Dario Franchitti in the 2004 Indy 500. Dan started from the front row, but would have to wait a year to taste glory. (BELOW) Overall, however, the 2004 season was a great one for Dan, as he scored his first three IndyCar victories, at Motegi, Richmond and here at Nazareth on his way to second in the points standings. In the latter event, he headed an Andretti Green 1-2-3, with eventual series champion Tony Kanaan runner-up and Franchitti third. (BOTTOM) DW and TK - just half of an AGR superteam that also contained Franchitti and Bryan Herta.

Dan was honest enough to admit that in his first couple of Indy 500s, while he adored the challenge of the place and the race, he hadn't appreciated the magnitude of the event's history. That would all change in 2005 when he won (ABOVE), and his love of Indianapolis Motor Speedway deepened with every year that passed. (BELOW) Post-race victory lap with Kim Green and Michael Andretti, as Bob Jenkins asks the questions. (BOTTOM) The year ended on a high, too, as Wheldon won the Indy Racing League IndyCar title, at the end of a season containing six victories.

Dan's switch from Andretti Green to Target Chip Ganassi Racing for 2006 started in glorious style with victory in Grand-Am's Rolex 24 at Daytona (ABOVE), sharing the winning car with his new IndyCar teammate Scott Dixon and Casey Mears. (BELOW) In the IRL championship, Wheldon fought a season-long duel with Penske's Sam Hornish and, amazingly, they ended the season with exactly the same points haul. But Hornish took the crown on victories, 4-2. Nonetheless, team owner Chip Ganassi (BOTTOM) was very impressed by his latest hire.

Dan loved keeping the fans happy (ABOVE) and was therefore ideal for the Indy car scene. Rivals who'd spent their formative years either in seclusion or racing in Europe, where driver/spectator interaction is nowhere near so informal, could look to DW as the prime example of how to give the paying public some lasting personal memories.

(BELOW) With friend and rival Marco Andretti, who replaced Dan at AGR when the Englishman moved to Ganassi in ’06. That was appropriate, as Dan had been the guy Michael Andretti had hired to replace himself when he finally retired from full-time racing at the end of ’02. (BOTTOM) Chicago ’08: Helio Castroneves has just won the race, Scott Dixon has just won the championship, and yet Danny Boy manages to steal the show by creme puffing his teammate by way of congratulations.…

Dan's victory at Iowa in 2008 (ABOVE) would remain his last for a while, as he left Ganassi after three seasons to join Panther for two years (BELOW). Wheldon being Wheldon, he would score several podiums, and being an ace around IMS, he scored two runner-up finishes at the Brickyard. (BOTTOM) The Indy 500 stars of the 21st century – Franchitti, Wheldon, Castroneves and Dixon. Between them, they've appeared on the Borg-Warner Trophy nine times.

There was no full-time gig for Wheldon in 2011, but old pal and former teammate Bryan Herta signed him up for his fledgling team. Taking part in only its second IndyCar race, Bryan Herta Autosport won thanks to slick pit work, smart tactics and Dan's innate ability at IMS. He kept the car in the top six all day, racing against far bigger teams with far bigger budgets, and was ready to pounce when JR Hildebrand struck the Turn 4 wall in his Panther machine on the final lap. Dan's infectious joy (BELOW) remains unforgettable. (BOTTOM) DW's relationship with Honda was always close, and T.E. McHale of Honda Performance Development became almost like a second father to Dan. There were shared tears of joy on May 29, 2011.

(ABOVE) The morning after. Susie, Oliver and Sebastian were all able to participate in Dan's joy, after one of the finest David vs. Goliath stories in motorsports this century. (BELOW) With friend and rival Dario at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. (BOTTOM) Marshall Pruett captured this moment, days after Dan's death, at the V8 Supercars' Gold Coast 600, when his fellow British Racing Drivers Club team members gathered to pay tribute to their fallen compatriot. From left to right, Andy Priaulx, Richard Lyons, Darren Turner, Marino Franchitti, Oliver Gavin and Richard Westbrook.