Ganassi regrets waiting on Wheldon
Indy Racing League team boss Chip Ganassi has confessed to long regretting not signing Dan Wheldon much earlier in his career after finally agreeing a deal with the Briton
Wheldon will join Ganassi next season after deciding to turn his back on Andretti Green Racing following his title winning campaign.
Speaking at the press conference announcing the capture of Wheldon, Ganassi admitted that one of the biggest errors he made was in not pursuing the British driver for a contract years ago.
"One mistake I've made in this business was passing on Dan in an early time in his career," Ganassi said. "Obviously, he has the history, has shown he can adapt very quickly to this formula of racing and is very comfortable racing at the front. I think it's going to be a great team.
"It's been a long time since we had two champions on this team, and I think it's something the team sorely needs. The addition of Dan gives us a good one-two punch. I'm more comfortable working with guys who know how to win."
Wheldon's new teammate Scott Dixon is excited by the arrival of Wheldon, whom he believes will give the team the impetus they need to regain the championship.
"We had some strong cars throughout the year, but it seemed we were never able to piece it together," said Dixon, looking back on 2005. "I think the big thing for next year is to carry the momentum.
"Obviously, with Dan coming to the team will be big for everyone's confidence. And Dan having the same package as he did last year will help the team learn a lot and quicken the process for myself.
"I'm just excited to start a new year and hopefully we'll be able to bring the championship back to Ganassi Racing."
Before the new season begins, however, Dixon and Wheldon could team up in the Daytona 24 Hours in late January. Dixon has also expressed some interest in driving for Team New Zealand in the A1 Grand Prix events in the United States and Mexico.
Race of Champions: Team Norway celebrate second straight Nations Cup triumph
An imperious display of precision winter driving by Oliver Solberg led Team Norway to a second consecutive Race of Champions Nations Cup at Pite Havsbad in Sweden today.
How 1:30AM burgers fuelled Maserati MSG's overnight rebuild of Guenther's car
The Maserati MSG team's miraculous turnaround to repair Maximilian Guenther's car overnight after his Friday Diriyah E-Prix qualifying crash ultimately yielded 10th on the grid on Saturday.
Tandy: Night pace could fluctuate "dramatically" in Daytona 24 Hours
Porsche driver Nick Tandy is expecting the pace of GTP cars to change "quite dramatically" when they switch to the new cold-temperature Michelin tire in this weekend's Daytona 24 Hours.
The potential-laden F1 car that Ferrari neglected
The late Mauro Forghieri played a key role in Ferrari’s mid-1960s turnaround, says STUART CODLING, and his pretty, intricate 1512 was among the most evocative cars of the 1.5-litre era. But a victim of priorities as Formula 1 was deemed less lucrative than success in sportscars, its true potential was never seen in period
Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives
It’s 30 years since Mansell won the Formula 1 world title and then headed off to do battle in America. Here are his best races – and the Briton’s memories of them
How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled
Chip Ganassi Racing team was strong again in the Indianapolis 500, with poleman Scott Dixon and reigning champion Alex Palou leading almost three quarters of the race between them. But when dominator Dixon was penalised for pitlane speeding, ex-Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson stepped up to score the biggest win of his career and seize the IndyCar points lead
Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021
In an enthralling 2021 IndyCar campaign, the series bounced back from its COVID-19 truncated year prior and Alex Palou defeated both the established order and his fellow young guns to clinch a maiden title. It capped a remarkable season with plenty of standout performers
How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential
Romain Grosjean's swashbuckling rookie year in IndyCar captured the imagination of many in 2021. But another ex-Formula 1 driver whose potential was masked by five years of toil in, at best, middling machinery also enjoyed a breakout year in 2021 - winning twice and finishing sixth in points. Here's how Marcus Ericsson finally delivered on his promise
How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best
IndyCar sophomore Alex Palou stunned by overcoming team-mate Scott Dixon and the rest of a white-hot field in 2021. He was consistently fast and crucially showed a level head, rebounding well from setbacks to put himself in a near unassailable position entering the final round
Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?
Despite appearing to have an IndyCar job for life with Meyer Shank Racing, Jack Harvey’s departure and move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing sparked plenty of debate. However, Harvey's and RLL's combined strengths could prove to be a winning combination - if they get the balance right
Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win
Saturday 16 October marks the 10th anniversary of Dan Wheldon’s death. David Malsher-Lopez pays tribute, then asks Wheldon’s race engineer from 2011, Todd Malloy, to recall that magical second victory at the Indianapolis 500
Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting
Kyle Kirkwood, the record-setting junior formula driver, sealed the Indy Lights championship last weekend. But despite an absurdly strong junior career and scholarship money, his next move is far from clear
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.