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INDYCAR: Helio Out; Penske Naming Successor this Week, says Miller
Written by: Robin Miller   
01/11/2009
Indianapolis, IN
 
Penske is set to choose between Briton Justin Wilson, American Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Aussie Will Power to replace Helio Castroneves in 2009, says SPEEDtv.com's Robin Miller. (LAT Photographic) ยป More Photos


An otherwise quiet off-season in IndyCar is about to get real loud because at some time in the next few days you'll hear:

* Team Penske announcing Helio Castroneves' replacement for 2009.
* Newman/Haas/Lanigan has signed Robert Doornbos and is trying to find sponsorship to run Sebastien Bourdais.
* KV Racing is running Mario Moraes in one of its cars.
* The Philippe family has purchased Marty Roth's equipment and will run sons Nelson and Richard as "Team France" in the 2009 season.

First and foremost is one of the most coveted seats in American open wheel racing at Team Penske.

Castroneves, the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner who has been with Penske since 2000, is facing federal charges of income tax evasion and his trial is scheduled to begin March 2. The 33-year-old Brazilian has not officially been removed as Ryan Briscoe's teammate but it's believed Penske has made a decision and will reveal it this week.

The smart money had either Justin Wilson, Ryan Hunter-Reay or Will Power taking over car No. 3 because all are winners and all are without deals for 2009 at this moment.

"That would be great if it was true but all I
know is that I don't have anything yet," said Wilson, who captured the Detroit IRL race in 2008 for Newman/Haas/Lanigan and was also a winner in CART and Champ Car. “Like any driver, a drive at Penske would be a dream come true. Right now my focus is on racing in Indycar this year.”

Power, considered one of the quickest drivers in IndyCar, won the Champ Car finale at Long Beach last year for KV Racing but his results didn't reflect his speed in his first tour through IndyCar.

"I hope I'm either with KV or Penske," said Power on Sunday evening. "But everything has been pretty quiet."

Logically, Hunter-Reay fits the Penske profile perfectly since he's an articulate American who is good with media and sponsors and knows how to win. The 28-year-old ran up front most of '08 (including a win at Watkins Glen) but currently has nothing for '09 after Ethanol dropped its sponsorship of Rahal/Letterman.

He was unavailable for comment on Sunday.

Another potential driver might be Romain Dumas, a 31-year-old Frenchman who drove Penske's ALMS Porsche the past three years. He is a favorite of The Captain and thought to still be under contract.

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