While Alex Palou was driving toward last month’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES race victory at Barber Motorsports Park, his strategist on Chip Ganassi Racing’s timing stand was multitasking.

Barry Wanser was managing Palou’s race and his own pain.

Wanser is a cancer survivor, and the care continues. During a routine exam last fall, doctors found a spot on Wanser’s lung, and a recent follow-up exam revealed it had grown.

With removal necessary, Wanser used the break in racing’s March schedule to fly to Minnesota for a procedure at the Mayo Clinic. Surgery required cutting between ribs.

The mass of squamous cell carcinoma was small – about 1 centimeter by 1 centimeter – a breakoff of what had been removed from the lymph nodes in Wanser’s neck and tongue area in late 2023. While outsiders would consider that concerning, it was anticipated as a possible occurrence, and the surgery was successful.

“They confirmed it was the exact cancer, and they got it,” Wanser said. “Now we’re good to go.”

Alex Palou Barry Wanser

Wanser spent about a week recovering at home, and he felt strong enough to travel to Birmingham to work the race. Yes, coughing hurt, and the pain associated with sneezing was worse, but he didn’t overextend, and the weekend ended with a trip to victory lane. He is hopeful that his story is an inspiration to others facing their own health issues.

Wanser has worked with the team’s No. 10 car since 2004, leading its strategy on race weekends since team owner Chip Ganassi moved to Scott Dixon’s timing stand in 2018. The 10 car has not missed a beat over the years.

From Dan Wheldon (six wins) to Dario Franchitti (13 wins and three series championships) to Tony Kanaan (one win) to Felix Rosenqvist (one win) to Palou (21 wins and four championships), the 10 car has consistently excelled. Included are three victories in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge (two by Franchitti, one by Palou).

Wanser will be the first to credit a deep and talented staff at CGR, including Ganassi, who taught him the intricacies of calling a race, and the drivers have been some of the best over the sport’s past two decades. But there’s no denying that determination such as what Wanser showed at Barber has been beneficial to the cause.

“We’re one big family, and it takes all the work of the talented people we have,” Wanser said. “That’s what helped me get through Barber as well as I did.”

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to action April 17-19 with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The 90-lap race airs live at 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday, April 19 on FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.