INDYCAR: Honda after Ganassi

Honda and Chip Ganassi made their mark in American open-wheel racing together back in the 1990s when Ganassi's team reeled off four consecutive CART championships (1996-'99) and tacked on another one in 2013 in IndyCar (pictured above) after engine competition had returned.

And that formidable combination could be getting back together. RACER has learned that American Honda/Honda Performance Development is seriously pursuing Ganassi for 2017.

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"We would be remiss if we neglected to explore any option which could strengthen our program in either the short or longer term," said Art St. Cyr, president of HPD. "This is the time of year when we are talking to all the teams in the paddock, but that doesn't necessarily mean that anything is imminent.

Ganassi, whose team captured the IndyCar title in 2013 for Honda with Scott Dixon and was Honda's anchor team, switched to Chevrolet in 2014 and Dixie made a late rally to pip Team Penske's Juan Pablo Montoya for the 2015 championship. Along the way, Ganassi – which delivered Honda's first IndyCar championship in 1996 – scored the brand's 200th IndyCar win at Pocono 2013, and at that same event, Honda powered Ganassi to its 100th win (pictured below, Marshall Pruett photo).

When asked on Sunday if he would be open to switching back to Honda, Ganassi sarcastically replied: "Yeah, and I'm switching to Toyota in NASCAR too. I have no idea where this stuff starts."

Ganassi is also powered by Chevrolet in NASCAR, where Kyle Larson scored his initial win last week at MIS and ended a 99-race dry streak for the Target Sprint Cup squad. But his sportscar team also won GTE Pro class last June at Le Mans with Ford power.

However, because Target is leaving Ganassi after 27 years of sponsoring his IndyCar team, it could be perfect timing for Honda to step in, snatch Dixon and try to restore the balance of power in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Since the debut of aero kits in 2015, Chevy-powered teams have won 22 of 30 races.
And Dixon will likely be paired with another winning teammate in Tony Kanaan, Josef Newgarden or Montoya. None of that trio have a deal signed yet for 2017 and it's believed Ganassi is talking to all three. Montoya won the 1999 CART crown for Ganassi and followed that up with a victory in the 2000 Indianapolis 500.

Charlie Kimball and rookie Max Chilton are expected back in 2017 for Ganassi's four-car armada.