Danica Patrick Possibly at Target Chip Ganassi Racing?

[DanicaFan]

Robin Miller is reporting that Danica's agents are secretly talking with Target Chip Ganassi Racing for a 3rd car for Danica Patrick in 2010. This would be wild and big.

I know AGR will not let Danica go that easy so it will be interesting to see what happens the next couple months. Danica's contract expires with AGR after this year and she is free to talk and negotiate with any team or series that she desires.

Here is a link for the full article..

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...e-for-ganassi/

[Flyin Ryan]

Originally Posted by DanicaFan

Robin Miller is reporting that Danica's agents are secretly talking with Target Chip Ganassi Racing for a 3rd car for Danica Patrick in 2010. This would be wild and big.

I know AGR will not let Danica go that easy so it will be interesting to see what happens the next couple months. Danica's contract expires with AGR after this year and she is free to talk and negotiate with any team or series that she desires.

Here is a link for the full article..

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...e-for-ganassi/

They might not even need a 3rd car. Miller's rumor at Milwaukee was that Dixon would leave to go to Gil de Ferran's new team Why? I don't know, unless Honda are making them a quasi-factory effort. Dixon has been with Ganassi since coming over to the IRL in 2003.

One perk of driving for Ganassi (and Penske as well) in Indycars is they can enter you in one-off NASCAR races if you desire.

[Speedblood]

Originally Posted by Flyin Ryan

They might not even need a 3rd car. Miller's rumor at Milwaukee was that Dixon would leave to go to Gil de Ferran's new team Why? I don't know, unless Honda are making them a quasi-factory effort. Dixon has been with Ganassi since coming over to the IRL in 2003.

One perk of driving for Ganassi (and Penske as well) in Indycars is they can enter you in one-off NASCAR races if you desire.

Plus a crack team for the Daytona 24 hours.

Reading that article, it appears Alex Lloyd has left Ganassi.
If dixon does go to Gil de Ferran's team then surely it would of made sense for Alex to be Dario's teammate next year.
But oh well not any more by the looks of it.

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally Posted by Flyin Ryan

They might not even need a 3rd car. Miller's rumor at Milwaukee was that Dixon would leave to go to Gil de Ferran's new team Why? I don't know, unless Honda are making them a quasi-factory effort. Dixon has been with Ganassi since coming over to the IRL in 2003.

One perk of driving for Ganassi (and Penske as well) in Indycars is they can enter you in one-off NASCAR races if you desire.

Miller's previous rumor on Dixon did not take into account the fact that Dixon has two more years after this season on his contract with Ganassi...Unless De Ferran or Honda are going to buy out that contrct from Ganassi, Dixon isn't going anywhere anytime soon

[jab]

There's an interesting report in Autosport this week about the Danica/NASCAR rumour, suggesting "she could look for an IndyCar team that could offer her the chance to try [NASCAR] out" (as in a progressive switch from one to the other). So to me that implied that he could be going to Ganassi. So I'm not surprised at this. It adds up

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally Posted by jab

There's an interesting report in Autosport this week about the Danica/NASCAR rumour, suggesting "she could look for an IndyCar team that could offer her the chance to try [NASCAR] out" (as in a progressive switch from one to the other). So to me that implied that he could be going to Ganassi. So I'm not surprised at this. It adds up

Of course, Penske also fits that description, but Penske has repeatedly said that he doesn't want to run more than two cars full-time...otherwise, Will Power would be competing every race weekend....

Besides, I'd take Will any day over Danica if I wanted to run a 3rd car...I'll bet Penske would, too, after working with Will for 3 races this year...

[jab]

Unless of course those rumours of Penske going to F1 with Nick Wirth are genuine and they're planning on taking a couple of their existing drivers over. Briscoe in particular has plenty of F1 testing experience

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally Posted by jab

Unless of course those rumours of Penske going to F1 with Nick Wirth are genuine and they're planning on taking a couple of their existing drivers over. Briscoe in particular has plenty of F1 testing experience

The only way Penske is going to F1 is if a sponsor with a fat wallet is paying for it...He doesn't race on any of his own money...

As soon as DHL decided they couldn't pony up any more $$$ for his ALMS program, Roger pulled the plug on it, even though his 2-car LMP2 team was dominant in its two years of sportscar racing...

[Yannick]

A 3rd Ganassi car? Does that mean that Dixon and Franchitti both have long-term contracts?

[Tim Northcutt]

Dixon will have two more years on his after this season.

Dario usually does one-year contracts, but his current one may have been a carry-over from his Ganassi NASCAR contract...I'm not sure, but it is my understanding that he'll have to sing a new one to race in the IRL with Ganassi next year.

[Flyin Ryan]

Originally Posted by Tim Northcutt

Of course, Penske also fits that description, but Penske has repeatedly said that he doesn't want to run more than two cars full-time...otherwise, Will Power would be competing every race weekend....

Besides, I'd take Will any day over Danica if I wanted to run a 3rd car...I'll bet Penske would, too, after working with Will for 3 races this year...

I couldn't fathom Danica ever driving for Penske, she is so not a Penske driver. And that statement has nothing to deal with talent, it is almost all cultural.

[Flyin Ryan]

Originally Posted by Tim Northcutt

The only way Penske is going to F1 is if a sponsor with a fat wallet is paying for it...He doesn't race on any of his own money...

As soon as DHL decided they couldn't pony up any more $$$ for his ALMS program, Roger pulled the plug on it, even though his 2-car LMP2 team was dominant in its two years of sportscar racing...

So who's paying for the Grand-Am team, NASCAR? It's not Verizon. Verizon are sponsoring the #12 Cup car which they're technically not allowed to sponsor.

How about Porsche...Those are Porsche factory drivers in those cars, Flyin Ryan...

Well wouldn't Porsche pay for an ALMS team to run the readily identifiable Porsche LMP2 Spyders as well as it would pay for a Grand-Am team? Although Porsche, now officially a part of VW, perhaps didn't wish to only compete against Acura since you'd think they'd've had an idea on Audi's 2009 racing plans.

Also, the France Family has been squeezing Sprint Cup teams and sponsors to also get involved in Grand Am (Kodak, Crown Royal, Target, etc.) as a condition for being in Sprint Cup...It has been going on for a few years now...

Yes I know.

Maybe Verizon was told "Put $$$ into the Penske Grand Am team and we'll make an exception for you to show your name in Sprint Cup..."

Can't see Sprint ever going for it.

Penske doesn't race on his own dime...that is a well-documented fact and has been for nearly four decades...