According to Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star, 2005 Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon will return to Panther Racing in 2010.
The Englishman, a former IndyCar Series champion, and the team led by John Barnes will join forces once again despite having had a very disappointing 2009 season. Their undisputed highlight together came at Indianapolis, where they finished second to Helio Castroneves and Team Penske.
Wheldon had hinted that he would be exploring other options for 2010. However, fans should recall that IndyCar is a sport in which teams generate approximately $.25 of market value for every $1.00 of operating costs incurred. It is therefore likely that Wheldon's other options were in fact slim and none.
Dan had nowhere to go and actually a contract where he gets paid.
ReplyDeleteHe'll suck it up for another year, and hope to run well at Indy again. That is his 2010 season in a nutshell. Its all about Indy for both Dan and Panther. The rest of the season? If they really cared, they would get a 2nd car program.
Meanwhile, EJ Viso looks to be gone from HVM, likely headed back overseas. I'd look for Ryan Hunter-Reay to land here, since the IRL has no place else for RHR to race and they need him in a car (even one as bad as HVM's).