Franchitti returns to IndyCar in 2009, will replace Wheldon at Ganassi
Quote selected text Published September 2nd, 2008 in NASCAR News
Target Chip Ganassi Racing announced Tuesday that 2007 IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti will return to open-wheelers in 2009 with the Indianapolis-based team. He’ll replace Dan Wheldon in the team’s No. 10 car alongside Scott Dixon.
After competing for more than a decade on the American open-wheel scene, Franchitti joined the Ganassi organization this year in pursuit of a NASCAR stock-car career. Although he had some promising runs in the Nationwide Series, Franchitti failed to make the all-important Top 35 in Sprint Cup owner points and struggled to qualify on occasion. The 35-year old Scot’s efforts suffered an additional setback in late April when he broke his left ankle when his Nationwide car was hit broadside at Talladega Superspeedway.
Franchitti was thought to have the inside track for Ganassi’s No. 41 Sprint Cup entry for 2009 but elected to come back to the unified IndyCar Series.
“Part of the reason that I signed with Ganassi last year was because of how many options that Chip has at his disposal for a driver,” Franchitti stated. “You can do almost any form of racing that you want and with unification and the new schedule having more road and street courses it made me think about this more and more.
“I have really enjoyed this last season in stock cars and have not completely closed that chapter of my professional career, but the opportunity that arose was just something I could not pass up,” he said.
- Wheldon not moving to NASCAR in 2008
- Ganassi says Wheldon will stay in IndyCar
- Ganassi looks to expand to four cars, Wheldon to move from IRL?
- Target to return as sponsor to Ganassi
- IndyCar star Wheldon says no to NASCAR
Any idea where Wheldon may end up?
TheTru7h wrote:
AGR is full and Penske is not looking to expand so options for him are limited. He might do somewhat of a part time IRL thing and do the full ALMS schedule, or he may jump to NASCAR.
Congrats to Dario on finding a new ride, sorry to see him leave NASCAR, but it is what it is…now all Chip Ganassi racing needs to do is either add a third indy car or buy into a raceteam for a new ride for Juan Montoya.
Isn’t it interesting that Ganassi Racing looks to be on their way to a championship in the Grand-American Series and the a championship with Dixon in the IndyCar Series and yet nothing big here, what’s next?
Bye Bye Dario, dont let the door hit you on the way out. As far as Dan, I hope he dont give NASCAR a try. Chip needs to leave NASCAR and stay in INDY.
RACEDRIVEN
Do you think JPM would really go to IRL. I mean dont you think he might take that as a slap in the face cause lets face in the world of open wheel F1 is the pinnacle, and for him to go to IRL i think he might be a little shameful of that. Although he did say the main reason he left F1 was because there was no “racing” you had to be on one of the top 2 now 3 teams to compete, and he didnt like that. I would love to see JPM go to a better team in the cup series, i would love to see what he is fully capeable of, afterall F1 are the best drivers in the worl and he did good there, I would love to see how he does against the true races of cup but he needs to be on a team to do it.
Howie
I sorda agree with ya, and I sorda disagree. I agree with the fact of bye bye Dario, he came here tried and failed miserably. What I disagree is these open wheel guys have an arrogance about them that they are the best, that I dont like, personally I would love to see all the open wheel guys come over to cup and fail, just to prove to them that this isnt as easy as it looks and the cups guys deserve more respect then they get in the racing world. With that said I hate IRL its boring in my opinion but I love F1 not for the racing but just for what those are capeable of, and the drivers to be able to control one of those F1 cars now is simply amazing even more now since they have taken traction control away. With that said NASCAR is my favorite, and personally I love to see open wheelers come over and fail. So I say come on Wheldon
ROWDY BUSH wrote:
Im not a dario fan but i wouldnt really say he failed,he was in junk equipment and didnt run that many races so he really didnt have a chance,it would have taken at least a year in decent cars to see if he would amount to anything or not.
LEE88-20
You know what thats a good point, cause he didnt do that bad in the nationwide seires, i guess mediocre at best. Why don they let him take over Sorensons car thats empty.
Wheldon should have never left AGR for Ganassi. I can’t believe Ganassi wouldn’t expand to a three car team in the IRL to accomodate Dixon, Wheldon, and Franchitti. Maybe Wheldon will end up in the 41 Cup car.
ROWDY BUSH wrote:
After reading the whole story, maybe his thinking was the 41 hasnt had any success in years so it wouldnt be much better I dont know.
I dont what Chip thinks this is but its not musical seats. I wish he just leave.
48wolfpacker wrote:
It was announced awhile ago that Wheldon is leaving Target-Ganassi racing at the end of this season.
^I usually keep up with IRL news, but I must have missed that. Anyway, foxsports says he’s signed with Panther Racing (#4).
A slight update for this story, well the part of this story involving Dan Wheldon. I just saw that it has been confirmed today that Dan has signed a multiyear deal with Panther Racing (one of the teams Casey Mears was rumored to be in talks with before he decided to stick with NASCAR). However with Dan going back to Panther that now leaves Vitor Meira without a ride for next year.
Thanks for the update Fisha
That really is ashame, I believe Vitor Meria has done a phenomenal job this year, but then again
Panther sees Wheldon as a championship winning driver who is sure to attract high paying sponsors…
sounds a lot like Champ Car.
As for Howies comments- Dario did his best with what he had, which wasn’t much.
As I pointed out earlier on my NASCAR blog, it is difficult for a veteran to set up the new car,
let a lone a relative novice when it comes to stock cars.
I also see Almendinger going back to IndyCar, being replaced by Scott Speed. Red Bull won’t sponsor a 3rd car
and wouldn’t want another company sponsoring one of its cars.
THETRUTH
you know what i forgot all about allmendinger, I dont like him at first but he has made huge strides in that car, it seems ever since Skinner helped out, that team along with himmy ellidge have come along way, and i was glad to see him qualify 2nd and the follow it up with a good run. Scott speed I love this guy hes a lil crazy and off the wall, wasnt he the one who punched his crew chief or team member in F1?
TheTru7h wrote:
Yeah no problem, there are articles over on the IRL and ESPN sites about it.
As far as sounding like Champ Car, it sounds like racing in general over the past 5 or so years. Either a driver brings a sponsor or a sponsor brings a driver, there is not much room/resources for drivers to race without sponsors anymore.
TheTru7h wrote:
Not to mention the fact that AJ and Scott don’t get along at all. I think Red Bull would be open to letting an outside company sponsor one of their cars, however I think the list of companies they would allow is a very very very small list.
As far as AJ going back to the IRL, I’d like to see it, but I don’t think it’s going to happen (unless it’s a fully backed Red Bull ride, and I don’t think there is a high chance of that happening). I think AJ may end up at CGR IF he can find a sponsor, because remember he had some good runs in a CGR Nationwide car in the past.
I think the main problem within NASCAR right now is one that was created by NASCAR and it’s fans, and in a way the Open-wheel split. For a little more then the past decade NASCAR has been the place where everybody wanted to be, and teams/companies were accepting of that and fully supported it. But now AOW is unified, Grand-Am and ALMS are establishing themselves as long-term major league motorsports series, and on a global market more and more companies are becoming owned by the same parent company. It’s getting to the point now where there are more high profile drivers in NASCAR then there are teams/sponsors, because the teams are spreading out in the 4-5 other major North American series, and the sponsor situation is 80 companies trying to sponsor as many cars across the world as 500 companies used to.
He’s seriously better off.. he couldn’t do much with the junk he was riding in. Go where you can win.
Looks like Panther are trying to find sponsorship for a second car for Meira…
however…
Looks as though Davidson, who remember drove for Honda in F1 as a test driver and for their satellite team Super Aguri,
is potentially moving to IRL, having been a guest of Panther Racing and an organized test session.( that was canceled due to
a shoulder injury)
Ashame for Meira- he has the talent, but not the sponsorship dollars which has sadly become the most important factor when hiring a driver-
Do they bring a lot of money?
Your points about the presence of other racing series is also true and only adds to the necessity for NASCAR
to keep on their toes. A unified open-wheel series could really do damage to NASCARS mostly unchallenged monopoly
on motorsports ratings for the past years
Dario’s Cup deal should make all the open wheelers think before they jump ship. I can’t believe Dario will still be diving for the Chipster. I wouldn’t trust the guy. And we didn’t get to see much of Ashley Judd either. Damn it!
Dario must’ve hit his head really hard when he broke his ankle. No one in their right mind would drive for Floyd after the NASCAR fiasco. It must have something to do with affirmative action.