Kanaan: Reports didn't alter decision

Shortly after reports broke that the Brazilian was lining up a deal with Ganassi, he signed an extension to his AGR contract. But he says the rumours going public didn't affect his decision.

"It created a little bit of a problem for me because my bosses almost had a heart attack," he said. "But we were so close to signing (with AGR) that it wouldn't have made any difference.

"I'm a man of my word and I had shaken hands with them. I was not going to back down from that.

"It might have taken us until Monday to sign the deal (without the news report), but I don't think so. It shook everyone up and we were like 'let's stop this rumour before it goes crazy'. It might have sped it up, but it didn't change anything."

Dixon, who last night claimed pole position for this weekend's race at Kentucky, says he was out of the loop on negotiations between Ganassi and Kanaan, but would have welcomed the opportunity to work with him.

"I was away in London so I didn't catch much of what was going on until I spoke to everybody today," Dixon said. "Whether it was a real deal or not, I don't know. You'd need to talk to Chip.

"There are a few drivers I'd like to work with and TK is definitely on the list. He's on the throttle the whole time and very aggressive. I definitely could have learned a few things from him."

Ganassi claimed that he had an agreement in principle with Kanaan on Wednesday, but Kanaan changed his mind Thursday and put his name on a five-year retainer with AGR worth an estimated $15 to $20 million.

The proposed switch didn't bode well for Briton Dan Wheldon, who is in the final year of his contract with Ganassi and likely would have been out of the team next season had the deal with Kanaan gone through.

Wheldon is fifth in the IndyCar standings and has won two races this year, while Dixon has won five and is leading the title chase. But Dixon defended his teammate, saying things just haven't gone his way consistently this season.

"Things go in cycles," Dixon said. "Dan was definitely quicker than we were in '06, we were even in '07, and now we're a little better this year. It's the same thing I was fighting in the '06 season.

"You're just learning and getting into ruts here and there. There are things out of your control that don't give you the best speed.

"Dan's still the same driver he was in '06. He's just not getting everything lined up in a row and having things go his way. In a series this competitive, that's what you need."