Target team shelves Dallara chassis

All three drivers to use Panoz at Indy

source:  irl.racing-live.com

Target Chip Ganassi Racing has returned Scott Dixon to the Panoz chassis for qualifying for the 89th running of the Indianapolis 500, but that does not mean it will keep its Dallara chassis under cover for the remainder of the month.

Mike Hull, team manager for TCGR, said they could still pull out one of the Dallaras during next week's practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, noting they have not written off the experiment with the chassis.

Since entering their first Indy 500 under IRL specifications in 2000 with Juan Pablo Montoya, TCGR had used the Panoz (former referred to as the G-Force) chassis. In April, TCGR switched driver Scott Dixon to the Dallara chassis for the IndyCar Series race at Motegi.

The two other TCGR drivers, Darren Manning and rookie Ryan Briscoe, continued using the Panoz. Dixon qualified in the back of the field for the race and was collected on lap 1 in an accident by rookie Jeff Bucknum, meaning the team did not get much of a chance to study the Dallara in race conditions.

When practice opened for veterans at Indianapolis on Tuesday, Dixon remained in the Dallara chassis where he managed just the 31st fastest speed. On Wednesday, Dixon returned to the Panoz and turned in the third fastest time of the day.

"We are not finished with the project (the Dallara) yet," Hull said. "You might see it again next week. We still have quite a lot to learn about it. We have so much experience with the Pamoz."