You wouldn’t guess from this slapstick interview that Dan Wheldon recently survived a scare that might have seen him dropped by his team, Target Chip Ganassi, and has just slipped to fourth in the championship.
The Englishman might have found himself discussing the gap in form between himself and team-mate Scott Dixon, or the apparent near-signing of Tony Kanaan to replace him.
Instead, with Dixon adding good-natured abuse from off-screen, he jokes about dogs, marriage, the possibility of fatherhood, and the iniquities of his team-mate and interviewer.
Possibly the only point at which he gets serious is to thank fans for their continued support of the IRL “through tough times” and to predict that the series would improve further with the momentum of the Champ Car merger behind it.
But the seriousness evaporates again and he finishes by claiming to be “tickled to death” to have taken part in the interview.