When Wickens was hurt in an airborne collision into the fence at Pocono Raceway in his 14th race, he was a promising IndyCar rookie.
At the time of the impact, he was sixth in the IndyCar standings after finishing on the podium four times that season and coming close to winning the season opener before being moved out of the way with a lap to go.
Wickens needs a wheelchair despite partially using his legs, and Bryan Herta Autosport and Hyundai worked on a plan to get Wickens back into competitive racing for more than a year. Wickens made his racing debut in January alongside Wilkins at Daytona International Speedway in his Elantra, which has hand controls.
Tim Lewis was beaten by Wickens and Wilkins, both Canadians, by 0.0374 seconds in the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce despite Lewis making a solid push on Wilkins in the last laps of the two-hour race. Wickens, who had driven for the race's first half, observed from his wheelchair close to the Herta timing stand.
In Wickens' words, "It's like a milestone win." "For some reason, maybe because I was sitting when we crossed the finish line, it's not the most emotional one I've had. With the adrenaline and everything, I believe driving is different.
Because the Alfa was so quick on the straights, he said it was "very nerve-racking" to watch Wilkins defend the victory.
"Mark did a fantastic job. I was content to hand the car to him intact and in good condition and let him handle the rest. I, therefore, didn't feel anxious.
Before the victory, the 33-year-old Wickens' best performance in the first four races was a third-place showing with Wilkins in the Daytona season opener.
Wickens' most recent professional victory occurred in 2017 while competing in the DTM touring car series in Europe at the Nurburgring in Germany.
The overall victory went to Bill Auberlen and Dillon Machavern, giving Turner Motorsports their first triumph of the year.
When Wickens took the wheel of the Hyundai with 57 minutes left, he had moved up to first place in the class after starting third.
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