Target Tandem Strikes Fear in Field

Here is a blast from the past. Think back to 2000 when Chip Ganassi brought reigning CART series champion Juan Montoya to the Indy 500, who turned the brickyard into his own personal butcher shop as he carved the competition into pieces.

That same sequence of events could take place yet again this year in the 92nd Running of the Indianapolis 500.

Same Team. Different Drivers. Same Results.

It has been eight years since the successful Montoya experiment. Montoya and teammate Jimmy Vasser combined to lead a mind-boggling 172 of 200 laps as Montoya became the first rookie since Graham Hill in 1966 to win the 500.

This year, the combination of 2005 Indy winner Dan Wheldon and 2003 IndyCar series champion Scott Dixon will be the team to beat as they strive to bring home a second Indy 500 win for owner Ganassi.

Wheldon and Dixon are off to a superior start of the 2008 IndyCar season. Each have scored a race victory and are coming off one of the most dominating performances in IRL history.

In the race leading up to the Indy 500 – the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 – Dixon and Wheldon were unmatchable. Wheldon started from the pole but it was Dixon who took the early lead. Dixon led 145 of the first 151 laps but an ill-timed pit stopped forced him to a third place finish. Wheldon picked up where Dixon left off to lead the final 49 laps for the win.

Dixon was also dominant at the Indy Japan 300 by leading 101 of the 200 laps but had to settle for a third place finish.

Dixon seems to dominate everywhere EXCEPT at Indianapolis. Since joining the IndyCar series in 2003, he has racked up 11 wins to accompany his 10 poles. On the other hand, the Indy 500 has not been as generous to Dixon; six starts, 32 laps led, 1 top-5 finish, two DNFs due to accidents.

Despite his previous track history, Dixon will be driving one of the more reliable and faster machines, which makes him one of the drivers to beat.

Wheldon is no stranger to success at Indianapolis. He drove from a sixth-row starting position in 2005 to battle with Danica Patrick in the final 20 laps on his way to Victory Lane. The victory was the first for Michael Andretti as a car owner.

Despite joining Ganassi Racing in 2006, Wheldon was still strong during the Month of May. He led a race-high 148 laps, but some late race setup changes went south and settled for fourth place.

WHY A GANASSI CAR WILL WIN:

Simply put, Chip Ganassi hates to lose. If a driver is not pulling his weight, he will replace him with somebody who will. He has deep pockets with a financially dominant sponsor that allows him to purchase the best drivers money can buy.

Ganassi is a long-time Indy 500 veteran car owner. He was co-owner with Pat Patrick of Emerson Fittipaldi’s first Indy 500 win in 1989. He started his own team in 1990 with rookie Eddie Cheever as his driver. Others to drive for Ganassi at Indianapolis include Arie Luyendyk, Michael Andretti, Jimmy Vasser, Juan Montoya, Tony Stewart, Bruno Junqueira, and Tomas Scheckter; in other words, the best of the best.

Ganassi will win this year’s Indy 500 because of two words: Wheldon & Dixon. They are the two hottest drivers in the series with a wealth of success and experience. All they need is a little luck.