Australian Ryan Briscoe will return to Chip Ganassi Racing’s IndyCar outfit full-time next season in the wake of Dario Franchitti’s enforced retirement.
Although Briscoe had signed a deal with Panther Racing, with whom he ran a part-program last year, he has been released in order to take up the more competitive ride.
According to US news outlet Racer, Briscoe’s Ganassi deal will be announced Friday at the Performance Racing Industry trade show in Indianapolis.
Ganassi already has its existing drivers Scott Dixon and Charlie Kimball on its books, while reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan has been confirmed to join the team from KV Racing.
Which driver will slot into the Target-backed Franchitti drive alongside Dixon is currently unclear.
Briscoe made a one-off appearance in a fifth Ganassi car at Indy this year following the end of his five-year stint at Penske.
Briscoe’s first IndyCar season in 2005 had also come with Ganassi. He was dropped in favour of Briton Dan Wheldon after difficult campaign that included a horrific crash at Chicagoland Speedway.