JUNE 15, 2002
Button's old rival moves to IRL
But it seems that Wheldon's plight is over. Pennzoil Panther Racing has just announced that it is planning to run a second car alongside IRL Champion Sam Hornish Jr. in the Indy Racing League next season. The team will start out this year however with a second car at the Chicagoland Speedway in September and in the final race at the Texas Motor Speedway. Wheldon has got the job and if all goes to plan he will become Hornish's full-time team mate next year.
To date most of the British interest in America has been in CART but with Wheldon moving up IRL will come much more into the spotlight in the UK. At the moment there is only one British-born driver in the series: Jeff Ward, the winner of the most recent race, who is (would you believe it?) from Scotland!