Southold Parents Proud of Crew Chief Son's Daytona 500 Win

NORTH FORK, NY- When Mike Wheeler, crew chief for Denny Hamlin, who won the Daytona 500 Sunday, celebrated the victory, his proud parents, Southold’s Dick and Laureen Wheeler, were glued to the television.

“It’s mind-boggling,” Dick told Patch Monday. “I got goose bumps. It’s hard to believe. We’re so excited.”

Dick said his son, 37, has loved cars since he was four years old. “I had a race car years ago and he’d come over and check it out,” he said.

His son, Dick said, went to college for engineering.

As he and his wife watched the race, Laureen was optimistic, he said. “My wife had good vibes all day long that he was going to do well,” he said.

Laureen said her mother’s heart swelled with pride when she saw the victory. “I’m excited for him,” she said. “This was his dream come true. This was like winning the Super Bowl of racing,” she said.

Mike, she said, has worked for Joe Gibbs Racing since 2002.

On December 31, 2014, he married his bride, Amy; the couple has one son, James, she said.

Her son’s passion was born early, she said. “We spent our lives at Riverhead Raceway. Our son was in the stands at Riverhead Raceway at two years old, on my lap. Every Saturday night, my husband raced. My husband and son worked on race teams there.”

After graduating college, her son headed south, Laureen said. “This is a lifelong dream for him. He always wanted to be there, working with those cars. And now he’s accomplished that dream. It’s wonderful. When your kids are happy, you’re happy.”

Two weeks earlier, the team one the Sprint Unlimited, Laureen said. “They’re a team; they’re all one. They experience the agony of defeat and the thrill of the win together.”