updated 5:51 p.m. ET May 30, 2005

INDIANAPOLIS - Dan Wheldon wore the flowered wreath and drank the winner’s milk. He even made a teary-eyed speech to the crowd at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Englishman won the Indianapolis 500. No fooling.

But for all the attention he got, the 26-year-old might as well have finished back in the pack. Instead, the spotlight was on the dramatic fourth-place run by rookie Danica Patrick, the only woman in the field, and team owner Michael Andretti, who finally got to Victory Lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway — thanks to Wheldon.

Not that it bothered the third-year Indy starter, who set winning at Indianapolis as his main goal while a teen-ager racing in England.

“It’s just such a proud moment,” he said. “You know what the race is from watching it on TV and seeing it in magazines. It’s very, very special, but it hasn’t sunk in yet.”

Wheldon said he felt no less excitement over winning despite the attention paid to the 23-year-old Patrick, only the fourth woman to race at Indy; and Andretti, who led more laps at Indy during his driving career than any other nonwinner of the 500 before retiring after racing here in 2003.

“I don’t care one bit,” the youngster with the movie star looks said. “It’s just very, very special day.”

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Wheldon was a virtual unknown in the United States when he was hired by the new Andretti Green Racing team in 2003. He subbed for the injured Dario Franchitti in two early season races, then replaced Andretti after his boss retired following yet another disappointment in that year’s 500.

He quickly began making a name for himself by finishing 11th in the season points and winning the Indy Racing League’s top rookie honors. Last year, Wheldon served notice that he was going to be something special, winning three races and finishing second in the standings to teammate Tony Kanaan.

Wheldon started the 2005 season with three victories in the first four IRL races and his win Sunday came as no surprise to anyone, least of all team co-owners Andretti, Kim Green and Kevin Savoree.

“Dan is very mature for his short time in IndyCar racing,” Green said.

The butt of many practical jokes by teammates Kanaan, Franchitti and Bryan Herta, who all finished in the top eight on Sunday, Wheldon said the Indy victory likely will not change a thing.

“I’m still the baby of the team,” he said. “And I love being the baby of the team. I’m sure my teammates will be cooking up something to me right now, and that’s just fine.”

Despite his hot start this season, Wheldon was virtually the invisible man at Indy this month as a media and fan frenzy developed around Patrick, who was among the fastest drivers just about every day.

He fell even further from sight when Kanaan won the pole and defending race winner Buddy Rice was injured in a crash and was replaced by former winner Kenny Brack, coming back from near-fatal racing injuries.

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Wheldon stayed well below the radar when he qualified 16th, a performance that left him angry and frustrated. He argued with his crew chief, engineers and the team owners that something needed to be changed to make the car faster.

But Andretti was the calming influence on his young driver.

“I kept telling him, ‘Don’t worry about it. Does it feel good?’ He’d say, ‘Yes, it feels good,’ and I told him, ‘Don’t worry. You don’t have to have the fastest car to win this race.’ “

Wheldon, sitting next to Andretti, smiled and nodded, adding, “The boss was right.”

And, now that he has reached his biggest goal, Wheldon wants more.

“I’m not going to be satisfied to win the Indianapolis 500 one time,” he said. “I still feel there’s a lot more to come from me. After all, this is only my second full season.”

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