Here is the thing about total dominance in modern racing: everyone outside the tent thinks it looks simple, while the people inside are sweating every single detail. For the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing team, that machine has delivered a fifth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship and fourth consecutive title this season. Strategist Barry Wanser describes the outfit simply as a group of brothers.
That success is built on years of learning what makes Alex Palou tick and what he needs from a car. Wanser has worked with the No. 10 car since 2004, having previously guided legends like Dan Wheldon to six wins and Dario Franchitti to 13 victories and three consecutive titles after team owner Chip Ganassi moved to Scott Dixon’s timing stand in 2018. But Wanser sees something distinctly different in Palou, specifically pointing to the driver's relationship with race engineer Julian Robertson.
That synergy allows the team to extract extra performance, manage fuel mileage with lap times, take care of tires, and perform at the highest level. Palou’s own understanding of the machinery plays a massive role. On road and street courses, he knows what is required on both primary and alternate Firestone Firehawk tires. On ovals, he grasps the nuances between setups built for qualifying versus those built for racing, adapting rapidly despite very short practice windows.
Even a championship-winning crew faces adversity. During the 2026 season, the No. 10 team fought through strategy missteps, pit-lane speeding penalties, contact with rival equipment, and bad pit stops that threatened to derail their campaign. They kept recovering. Palou racked up 25 career victories, including six in the 2026 season alone, translating information into pure speed. Trust anchors the whole operation, forged since Palou joined Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021 through quick, honest communication.
Wanser retired from his full-time role as senior manager of racing operations after last season but stayed on as Palou’s strategist, executing a four- or five-year plan developed with Ganassi and managing director Mike Hull to mentor Blair Julian and Mike LeGallic. Having moved from Indiana to Florida during the offseason with his wife, Laurie, Wanser kicked off 2026 by winning the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg. With 29 years at the organization under his belt, keeping him on the pit stand preserves vital experience.
Ultimately, Wanser insists success belongs to everyone, noting that Ganassi and Palou deserve immense credit while he simply manages the process. That environment of mutual trust, brutal honesty, and plenty of lighthearted teasing keeps the operation rolling.
"We’re a group of brothers," Wanser said. "We’re having fun."
