You can file this under "the rich get richer", but ultimately there's nothing wrong with keeping this talent in the league - even if there isn't a car ready for him.
Chip Ganassi Racing announced the addition of (Alex) Lloyd to the team's Driver Development Program, which most likely will include a combination of IndyCar Series races, Rolex Grand Am Series races and testing. He will join a team featuring 2005 IndyCar Series champion Dan Wheldon and 2003 champion and '07 championship runner-up Scott Dixon.Since this is a "driver development" deal I'm obligated to work the phrase "shake it like a Polaroid picture" into the post. Hey ya!
"I can really learn the traits of the IndyCar Series and grow within the team. I feel that although I won't be doing a full season next year, the races that I will be doing I will be in one of the best cars out there with a team I've admired for years way before I came over (to the United States from England). For me, that's actually a more exciting thing than saying I'll be doing a full year in a mid-field car.
"I'm happy they have given me this opportunity to be able to drive for them, and get some races in and see how that progresses in the future. I'm sure over the next four to eight weeks we'll have a clearer idea what our plan will be. I'm looking forward to get going in whatever aspect that might be." (MORE from IndyCar.com)
Chippy is obviously grooming him for the N-Word.
Pressdog,
Rather than grooming Alex for NA$CAR, could it be possible he's grooming Alex for Well-done's seat if Danny Boy wants to move to the tin-tops with Dario Turncoatti and Whine Pablum Destroyer? Looking at it objectively, we know The Chipster has Danny Boy signed through 2008. Danny Boy wants to race in NA$CAR and word on the street (OK, http://crimsonrace.blogspot.com/) is he's PO'd The Chipster passed him over for Turncoatti. The big Q is does Danny Boy go to NA$CAR driving for The Chipster or someone else, or does he fly to another team in the IRL? If he goes south to NA$CAR with TCGR depends on how The Chipster feels about Reed Sorenson over the next year or so. We need our resident tin-top commentator Johnny to give us an update on how solid Reed's contract at TCGR is.
Makes more sense than sending Alex to the tin-tops.
Actually I heard a little buzz today that the Chipster was losing some patience with Sorenson, but that it might be an "East Coast guys running a Vegas casino" type deal where he has to keep at least one local yokel on the team to appease the natives. Time will tell. The conventional wisdom is that due to the Franchitti signing and JPM's success, Dodge may be throwing some more love TCGR's way and that could lift Sorenson.
Of course the other strong possibility is that IRL'ers to NASCAR is the new trend and another team gets interested in Wheldon. It's a pretty open market for those guys right now.