Franchitti in for Wheldon

Terms of the multi-year deal were not disclosed.

Scot Franchitti, who left the IndyCar Series after winning the title in 2007 to drive for Ganassi in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series, has over 180 starts under his belt between the CART and IndyCar Series, resulting in 18 wins, 17 poles, 63 top-five and 95 top-10 finishes.

"It is going to be very exciting to have Dario in one of our IndyCars next year," team owner Chip Ganassi said.

"I have always admired his competitive spirit when he raced against us and have really grown to see more of what he is about this season while he raced in NASCAR.

"When there was a possibility of an opening on our IndyCar team, the only person I thought about was Dario."

Franchitti added: "I have really enjoyed this last season in stock cars and have not completely closed that chapter of my professional career but the opportunity that arose was just something I could not pass up.

"I am really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of one of those Target cars and be a team-mate to Scott Dixon."

Englishman Wheldon finished third in the championship last season, and left the team to pursue what he described as "a very exciting opportunity for 2009".