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MILLER: Money or NASCAR Swayed Wheldon?
Written by: Robin Miller
Indianapolis, IN – 12/2/2005 Dan Wheldon - IRL (Photo: Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
So Dan Wheldon just decided to change teams because he welcomed a new challenge. That's the party line he delivered without so much as a stutter or horse laugh earlier this week when explaining why he left Andretti/Green Racing for Chip Ganassi.
What, his new challenge is to still be speaking to Ganassi by May?
Of course the gullible media seemed to buy this ridiculous reasoning and few, if any, pressed 'ol Danno for why he really walked away from the most dominant team in the Indy Racing League for one that's been dominated the past two seasons.
Now I respect Wheldon's right to avoid the truth, it's perfectly acceptable in big-time motorsports press conferences and obviously he didn't chose to discuss money. But we will because it's probably one of the main reasons he switched.
First off, his base salary at AGR for 2005 is believed to have been $500,000 (not including bonuses, incentives, etc.) in what was the last of his three-year contract. Was the 27-year-old Brit a bargain at that price? Hell yes, he was a steal with six wins (including Indianapolis) and the IRL championship.
Did he deserve a healthy raise? Absolutely. Did he get the money he was looking for? Or the extras? Or the guarantees? Evidently not from AGR.
"We talked with AGR, we just weren't able to put something together," was all Wheldon would say on that subject.
Now you must remember that Kim Green took something of a flyer on Wheldon in '03, although he'd won the 1999 F2000 title and been runner-up in Indy Lights and Toyota Atlantics so it wasn't like he lacked potential.
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Kim being in my corner," he admitted.
But loyalty is only worth about 10 cents on the dollar these days. Drivers have to get as much as they can as fast as they can because this is a very nasty business that eats its young.
Like Juan Montoya and Dario Franchitti, Wheldon has high-powered agent Julian Jakobi to do his negotiating. AGR claimed it made a very reasonable offer but supposedly it was rejected for the final time at Fontana in October.
Naturally, the thought of Michael Andretti making a rational judgment about a driver's worth is intriguing, to say the least. Mikey once made $8 million at Newman/Haas but now he's on the other side of the equation.
Anyway, Jakobi also shopped his man to Formula One and claims to have had one serious offer before they opted to stay here.
Its likely Ganassi, saddled with Toyota the past two years, first got interested because he saw a way to get back on the Honda bandwagon by getting Wheldon. That's now a moot point since everyone will have a Honda in 2006, but Scott Dixon and Wheldon certainly figure to be competitive next year.
Still, if the money was close (I hear both salary offers were in the $3 million neighborhood), then what would make a champion go elsewhere? Can you say NASCAR? Sure it's speculation, but Wheldon is clever enough to know the future of open wheel racing is far from secure and what better backup than a ride in a series that makes everyone rich. How about a clause in his contract that provides an option to go stock car racing in 2007?
For a team that hasn't won a Nextel Cup race in two years.
So Wheldon is right. That really would be a challenge.
PATRICK AFTER PANTHER
Longtime Indy-car owner Pat Patrick says he's trying to buy Panther Racing and keep it a two-car team for 2006.
"It could happen, it's probably 50/50," said Patrick, who began fielding Indy cars in 1969 and won the Indianapolis 500 three times with Gordon Johncock (twice) and Emerson Fittipaldi. "There are a lot of variables but I'm trying to buy that team (Panther Racing) and I'd like to run Tomas Enge and Vitor Meira."
Enge drove for Patrick in the final two races of 2004 and teammed with Tomas Scheckter at Panther in 2005. Meira, who is thought to have John Menard sponsorship, ran for Rahal/Letterman last season but does not have a deal for 2006.
Panther, twice IRL champs with Sam Hornish Jr., has laid off more than half of its 53-man crew after losing Pennzoil as title sponsor.
Patrick sold his CART team after 2003 but then emerged in 2004 with Al Unser Jr. in the IRL, only to see Unser retire midway through a very dismal campaign.
"I miss running the Indy 500 and it's the real reason I want to come back," said Patrick. "Plus, I didn't want to leave like we did in 2004. That was no fun."
SOME IRL SPECULATION
The wildest rumor has Tomas Scheckter joining Vision Racing as a teammate to Tony George's step-son, Ed Carpenter. George can count and knows he needs to run at least two cars in '06 for his depleted series......A little TV birdie tells me Paul Page will replace Todd Harris as the IRL's play-by-play announcer. Go ahead, you can let out a little cheer.
MILLER: Money or NASCAR Swayed Wheldon?
Written by: Robin Miller
Indianapolis, IN – 12/2/2005 Dan Wheldon - IRL (Photo: Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
So Dan Wheldon just decided to change teams because he welcomed a new challenge. That's the party line he delivered without so much as a stutter or horse laugh earlier this week when explaining why he left Andretti/Green Racing for Chip Ganassi.
What, his new challenge is to still be speaking to Ganassi by May?
Of course the gullible media seemed to buy this ridiculous reasoning and few, if any, pressed 'ol Danno for why he really walked away from the most dominant team in the Indy Racing League for one that's been dominated the past two seasons.
Now I respect Wheldon's right to avoid the truth, it's perfectly acceptable in big-time motorsports press conferences and obviously he didn't chose to discuss money. But we will because it's probably one of the main reasons he switched.
First off, his base salary at AGR for 2005 is believed to have been $500,000 (not including bonuses, incentives, etc.) in what was the last of his three-year contract. Was the 27-year-old Brit a bargain at that price? Hell yes, he was a steal with six wins (including Indianapolis) and the IRL championship.
Did he deserve a healthy raise? Absolutely. Did he get the money he was looking for? Or the extras? Or the guarantees? Evidently not from AGR.
"We talked with AGR, we just weren't able to put something together," was all Wheldon would say on that subject.
Now you must remember that Kim Green took something of a flyer on Wheldon in '03, although he'd won the 1999 F2000 title and been runner-up in Indy Lights and Toyota Atlantics so it wasn't like he lacked potential.
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Kim being in my corner," he admitted.
But loyalty is only worth about 10 cents on the dollar these days. Drivers have to get as much as they can as fast as they can because this is a very nasty business that eats its young.
Like Juan Montoya and Dario Franchitti, Wheldon has high-powered agent Julian Jakobi to do his negotiating. AGR claimed it made a very reasonable offer but supposedly it was rejected for the final time at Fontana in October.
Naturally, the thought of Michael Andretti making a rational judgment about a driver's worth is intriguing, to say the least. Mikey once made $8 million at Newman/Haas but now he's on the other side of the equation.
Anyway, Jakobi also shopped his man to Formula One and claims to have had one serious offer before they opted to stay here.
Its likely Ganassi, saddled with Toyota the past two years, first got interested because he saw a way to get back on the Honda bandwagon by getting Wheldon. That's now a moot point since everyone will have a Honda in 2006, but Scott Dixon and Wheldon certainly figure to be competitive next year.
Still, if the money was close (I hear both salary offers were in the $3 million neighborhood), then what would make a champion go elsewhere? Can you say NASCAR? Sure it's speculation, but Wheldon is clever enough to know the future of open wheel racing is far from secure and what better backup than a ride in a series that makes everyone rich. How about a clause in his contract that provides an option to go stock car racing in 2007?
For a team that hasn't won a Nextel Cup race in two years.
So Wheldon is right. That really would be a challenge.
PATRICK AFTER PANTHER
Longtime Indy-car owner Pat Patrick says he's trying to buy Panther Racing and keep it a two-car team for 2006.
"It could happen, it's probably 50/50," said Patrick, who began fielding Indy cars in 1969 and won the Indianapolis 500 three times with Gordon Johncock (twice) and Emerson Fittipaldi. "There are a lot of variables but I'm trying to buy that team (Panther Racing) and I'd like to run Tomas Enge and Vitor Meira."
Enge drove for Patrick in the final two races of 2004 and teammed with Tomas Scheckter at Panther in 2005. Meira, who is thought to have John Menard sponsorship, ran for Rahal/Letterman last season but does not have a deal for 2006.
Panther, twice IRL champs with Sam Hornish Jr., has laid off more than half of its 53-man crew after losing Pennzoil as title sponsor.
Patrick sold his CART team after 2003 but then emerged in 2004 with Al Unser Jr. in the IRL, only to see Unser retire midway through a very dismal campaign.
"I miss running the Indy 500 and it's the real reason I want to come back," said Patrick. "Plus, I didn't want to leave like we did in 2004. That was no fun."
SOME IRL SPECULATION
The wildest rumor has Tomas Scheckter joining Vision Racing as a teammate to Tony George's step-son, Ed Carpenter. George can count and knows he needs to run at least two cars in '06 for his depleted series......A little TV birdie tells me Paul Page will replace Todd Harris as the IRL's play-by-play announcer. Go ahead, you can let out a little cheer.
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