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Season Preview: Target Chip Ganassi Racing:


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Not too many teams would be unhappy finishing second and fourth in the standings, but for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, which started the 2007 IndyCar Series season with a win at Homestead-Miami Speedway and ended sputtering out of fuel less than a mile from the championship, the goal is to do more in 2008.

The team returns championship-caliber drivers Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon in the familiar red and white cars. Dixon won the IndyCar Series championship in 2003, finished fourth in 2006 and was runner-up last year. Wheldon won the title in 2005, finished second due to a tiebreaker in 2006 and was fourth in ’07.

“I think with how it ended up last year, it does make you extremely aggressive for the season just because we came up so short,” said Dixon, who won at Watkins Glen, Nashville, Mid-Ohio and Infineon. “It came right to the wire, and it hurt even more so that it came down to a fuel race.

“I think we definitely feel that as a team coming runner-up the last two years we’ve definitely got some unfinished business. Even with Dario (Franchitti) gone, it’s not going to be any easier. With unification, there’s going to be a lot more drivers out there. You’ve still got a lot of great competitors who maybe didn’t have the best of runs last year. We’ve got to try to keep it together, but there’s going to be so many people trying to beat us.”

For Wheldon, whose two victories in 2007 came in the first four races, the key is to maximize performance each race weekend.

“It’s just a case of everything coming together and the whole No. 10 side working as one unit and extracting the most out of the weekends,” Wheldon said. “Not always are you going to win. If for whatever reason you have a third- or fourth-place car and you can bring it home second without putting it in harm’s way, that’s pretty good. That’s the most important thing. The wins are great, but I think where you win a championship is when you’re having a difficult weekend, getting the most out of that.”

Target Chip Ganassi Racing Capsule Car Numbers: 9 (Dixon); 10 (Wheldon) Drivers: Scott Dixon, 27, Auckland, New Zealand; Dan Wheldon, 29, Emberton, England Managing Director: Mike Hull Team Managers: Barry Wanser, Scott Harner Chief Engineers: Eric Bretzman (9), Chris Simmons (10) Chief Mechanics: Ricky Davis (9), Kevin O’Donnell (10)

2007 Review Starts: 34 Victories: 6 Top 5: 19 Top 10: 27 Poles: 3 Laps Led: 896 Best Start: 1st (Homestead-Miami, Iowa, Nashville) Best Finish: 1st (Homestead-Miami, Kansas, Watkins Glen, Nashville, Mid-Ohio, Infineon) Running at Finish: 27 *** 2. Of Note: Andretti Green Racing co-owner Michael Andretti will be the grand marshal for the Festival of States Night Parade on April 3 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Through an association with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Andretti will be joined by IndyCar Series drivers...Indianapolis radio listeners have another source for racing news. WFNI-1070 AM debuts "Trackside with Cavin and Kevin" from 7-9 p.m. (ET) March 13. The show, with hosts Curt Cavin of The Indianapolis Star and Kevin Lee of the IMS Radio Network, will be broadcast every Thursday during the racing season. The program's airtime will adjust in May to accommodate "The Talk of Gasoline Alley with Donald Davidson" and IMS Radio Network programming. The show will also be available at 1070thefan.com and via Podcast. The program, featuring the IndyCar Series, will include interviews with many of the top drivers, team and league officials and industry insiders. Tony Kanaan is the first scheduled guest...Sarah Fisher will walk the runway at the Simply She 2008 Show March 14. Proceeds benefit the American Heart Association. *** The 2008 IndyCar Series season begins under the lights with the GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 2008 schedule, one of the most diverse in all of motorsports, features races on ovals, permanent road courses and temporary street circuits, all broadcast worldwide through a comprehensive, long-term agreement with ESPN. All races in 2008 will be telecast in High Definition. The 2008 Indy Pro Series season also begins on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 16-race schedule, which features eight ovals and four road/street course doubleheader weekends, will be televised by ESPN2.