09/03/2008 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series champion Dan Wheldon will return to Panther Racing six years after he made his series debut with the team.
Wheldon, who made his first IndyCar start with Panther at the Chicagoland Speedway in 2002, has signed a multi-year contract to drive the No.4 car. He'll replace Vitor Meira, who has been with the team since 2006.
"I'm very excited to be joining the entire Panther Racing crew," Wheldon said. "I know that we'll be fighting for outright victories, the Indianapolis 500 title and the league championship."
Target Chip Ganassi Racing announced Tuesday that Dario Franchitti will replace Wheldon in the team's No.10 car, starting in 2009. Franchitti, the 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner and IndyCar Series champion, will return to the open-wheel ranks after spending one season in NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series competition.
Wheldon signed with Panther originally in June 2002 under a testing agreement. He drove for Andretti Green Racing from 2003 to 2005. After winning a series- record six races, including the Indy 500, and capturing the points title in '05, Wheldon left AGR for Ganassi the following year. His current teammate, Scott Dixon, recorded his sixth win of the season last month at Kentucky.
Wheldon, currently fourth in points, has two wins this season -- Kansas and Iowa. His 15 career victories rank him third all-time on the IndyCar wins list.
"Its hard to describe the level of excitement and emotions all of us at Panther have knowing that Dan has come back to drive for us," team managing partner John Barnes said. "I remember watching him drive for the first time in the Indy Lights series years ago, and I knew he was going to be a special talent. Since then hes become one of the best open-wheel drivers in the world, and for him to make his return to our team at the height of his racing career is a tremendous compliment to our team. I know hes excited about getting into the No.4 car for the first time, and we've got a tremendous future ahead of us."
Wheldon will drive the car for the first time in the October 26th Nikon Indy 300 exhibition race at Surfers Paradise in Australia.
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Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Steelers signed tight end
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McHugh spent the past three seasons with the Detroit Lions and over 24 games
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<< Upset specialist ECU hosts West Virginia in Greenville
Greenville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The East Carolina Pirates will try to knock
off a Top 25 opponent for the third straight time, as they entertain the
eighth-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium this
weekend.
In arguab
<< Bulls and Knights meet in Orlando
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The UCF Knights put their seven-game home
winning streak on the line this weekend, as they collide with the 17th-ranked
South Florida Bulls at Bright House Networks Stadium.
Coming off one of the best seasons i
<< Aggies go Duck hunting in Eugene
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aiming for their second straight win to open the
2008 campaign, the 19th-ranked Oregon Ducks entertain the Utah State Aggies in
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Spain remains on top while Italy jumps to second >>
Nyon, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's rankings were
released on Wednesday and they saw Spain maintain a comfortable lead over the
rest of the table, while Italy regained the second spot by edging out Germany.
The
Curbishley resigns as West Ham boss >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alan Curbishley has become the Premier
League's first managerial casualty of the season after resigning as West Ham
boss.
The former Charlton manager had only been in charge at Upton Park sinc
Lee named AL Pitcher of the Month >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Indians left-hander Cliff Lee
was named the American League's Pitcher of the Month for August, posting
a perfect 5-0 record with a 1.86 earned run average.
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Fulham goalkeeper Niemi forced to retire >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran Fulham goalkeeper Antti Niemi has
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Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
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