Panther Racing confirmed Monday that driver Dan Wheldon will return to the team next season.Panther said that sponsorship details for the team's No. 4 car effort, which was backed this year by the U.S. National Guard, will be released in the coming weeks.
“What I can tell you is that we're going to be fighting tooth and nail to improve,” team owner John Barnes said. “We've got a group here that we really like, and I've made clear in the last two weeks what my expectations are for our team and driver.”
Wheldon's first year of his second stint with the team for which he first broke into the IndyCar Series followed stints at Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Green. His season was highlighted by a second-place finish at the Indianapolis 500, although other promising showings convinced the Briton that the team is poised to improve.
“I'm excited for next season, honestly,” Wheldon said. “I feel like we made some progress towards the end of the season after some struggles that show we're heading in the right direction.”
Wheldon wound up 10th in the point standings with three top five finishes.
“My goals are to win races,” Wheldon said when asked of his expectations for next year. “Obviously we haven't achieved everything we wanted for the season, so for next year I'd like to build on the momentum that we've created this year and make it a winning season.”