When Dan Wheldon walked away from a ride with powerful Target Chip Ganassi Racing to sign with second-tier Panther Racing for 2009 there were murmurs in the garage that he had taken a wrong turn.
That speculation just made his runner-up finish in last Sunday's Indianapolis 500 more gratifying.
"I'm incredibly proud of the Panther Racing team," Wheldon said after the race. "In my IndyCar Series career there's not many races where I've honestly left the track feeling that we've executed everything perfectly, and I have to say I thought they did an absolute phenomenal job. The pit stops were just first class (and) I didn't have to do too much work on track because they kept making me spots."
Still, it was surprising when the 2005 Indy winner and series champion with Andretti Green Racing decided to leave Ganassi, which won last year's 500 and series title with Scott Dixon, for Panther.
That team was once a powerhouse, too, with Sam Hornish Jr. winning championships in 2001 and 2002. But without a win since Tomas Scheckter reached Victory Lane at Texas in 2005, those days were little more than a memory for a team trying to beat big, well-funded outfits like Ganassi, Penske Racing and AGR.
Wheldon, who drove briefly for Panther in 2002 as he was starting his IndyCar career, had a so-so season in 2008 by Ganassi standards.
The English driver won twice, had 10 top-five finishes, but wound up fourth in the points, making him the likely odd-man-out if Ganassi made a driver change.
Mike Griffin, co-owner of the Panther team, said it was Wheldon who contacted the team about a possible ride.
"His manager called and asked if (co-owner) John (Barnes) would be willing to talk about a ride for 2009," Griffin said. "We thought he was talking about an Indy Lights driver and said, 'Sure.' Then it was Dan who called."
Wheldon said he told Barnes how impressed he was with what the team was doing with its limited resources.
"I could see they had a lot of talent and a lot of energy," Wheldon said.
So far, the move has been good for both the driver and the team.
Since a disappointing 14th-place finish in the season-opener at St. Petersburg, the 30-year-old Wheldon has finished fifth at Long Beach, 10th at Kansas and second at Indy. He goes to Milwaukee this week seventh in the season standings.
"I really am enjoying racing with this team," Wheldon said. "Being a one-car team, there's a lot of responsibility on me, and I like that part of it. I'm looking forward to really growing and being a big part of the team.
"Everybody on this team wants to get back into Victory Lane. They won championships and races, but it's a team that hasn't been that strong for a couple of years. Now, everybody is ready to get back on top."
Griffin said the team has been very impressed with what Wheldon has brought on board.
"It's been awesome. He's the leader," Griffin said. "He's definitely the guy and everybody has stepped up. This is a team that has a whole lot less resources than some of the other teams, but everything is going in the right direction."
After Wheldon's brief debut with Panther, he spent the next three seasons with the Andretti team before moving to Ganassi.
"They're all very, very different," Wheldon said of the three teams. "Panther is obviously a smaller operation, being a one-car team, and some people say it's more of like a family type atmosphere. But, what some people tend to miss is that the people at Panther are incredibly driven.
"There's a hunger, a lot of motivation, and I thrive off that."
A win or two this season would be a big boost for both driver and team.
"I have no doubt that this team is capable of winning races, and the team believes we can win," Wheldon said. "We just have to show people we can get it done."
