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ALL CHANGE; A preview of the 2006 IRL season is more relevant than a review of 2005.(Special Report)
Byline: CURT CAVIN
The recently completed Indy Racing League sea-son seems like a distant memory in light of the numerous changes coming for 2006.
Missing from the lineup will be Chevrolet and most assuredly Toyota. For a while it appeared Indianapolis 500 and series champion Dan Wheldon would move on to a Formula One test ride at BMW, but Wheldon will return to the series. He won't appear in his familiar Andretti Green Racing machine, but will join former series champ Scott Dixon at Ganassi Racing.
Andretti Green thus has a seat to fill alongside 2004 IRL champion Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti and Bryan Herta. One of the options is Marco Andretti, but team co-owner Michael Andretti insists his 18-year-old son is not quite ready for the league's stressful ovals. He is probably right. AGR officials are believed to have talked to Cristiano da Matta, but the information pipeline has quieted down in recent weeks.
Almost all of the IRL teams are in some form of personnel change as the off-season takes full root. In fact Team Penske (drivers Helio Castroneves and Sam Hornish Jr.) and Hemelgarn Racing (Paul Dana) are believed to be the only two teams with set driver lineups, and Ron Hemelgarn's team is too small to have that kind of certainty.
Close attention should be paid to Cheever Racing and Panther Racing, as plans for the season opener (March 26 at Homestead) are made. Both Indianapolis-based teams lost their primary sponsors at the end of the season and will struggle to answer the bell at their preferred strength.
Eddie Cheever converted some of his team's work to developing a Grand-Am team, though he continues to seek an Indy car replacement for lost sponsor Red Bull. Panther, which lost Pennzoil as its primary backer, is trying to reorganize into a one-car team, which it was successful with in the days of Hornish's back-to-back championships (2001 and 2002). It is even possible Panther could be sold as league officials help broker a purchase for either Pat Patrick or the family of Indianapolis businessman Jonathan Byrd.
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