Dan Wheldon is a “been there, done that” kind of race car driver.
Which makes his appearance at Saturday’s SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway as a member of Panther Racing at least a little peculiar.
“It’s been a tougher transition that I thought,” said the 2004 Richmond winner. “I mean, I would say the economy has certainly affected Panther Racing. I don’t think we’re quite working on the budget that certainly we thought we’d be working with, and that’s made it difficult, I think, from a development standpoint and an organizational and logistic stand point. It’s been tough.”
Defending IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, Wheldon’s teammate at Ganassi from the 2006-08 seasons, says don’t count out Wheldon just yet.
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“If there’s anyone that can get the most out of people or equipment or a team, it’s Dan, no matter where he is,” Dixon said. “Having raced against him at the highest levels now for five or six years—and three years as my teammate—I know Dan is so infectious with his positive attitude toward moving forward and winning. I think you’d be foolish to ever count a guy like him out.”
Wheldon, for his part, remains focused on getting himself firmly in the title picture.
“Am I happy with where I am in the standings or with the performance? No, not at all. But at the end of the day we’ve got to make it right.”
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