Ganassi Gasses Franchitti
by Chuck Abrams ~ July 2nd, 2008 @ 12:51 pm. Filed under: Chuck Checks In!.395 reads
After months of rumors swirling around Ganassi HQ, Chip finally shuts everyone up by pulling the plug on the 40 car due to lack of sponsorship money.
OK, so he did not shut everyone up, and simply opened the door for more rampant speculation.
With the 40 team closed up, this will put Sorenson in the hot seat even more. This sport is all about money right now and Ganassi is no idiot. He will not pour his own dollars into a sinkhole or drag down the other two teams to keep one afloat. Chip says he is committed to Franchitti’s transition to NASCAR soooooooo… you do the math. We’ll see just how long young Reed can remain in the 41 car the rest of the year. Granted, Franchitti has not torn up the tracks as much as he has torn up the cars, but Ganassi is an open wheel guy and I think he will remain there with his current talent base.
Since resigning a new deal with Dodge and getting Target to squelch rumors of them leaving Ganassi and NASCAR, Chip seems set for the near future, minus 70 employees. Chip is a smart racing guy and I am surprised that he has had as little success in Cup racing as he has over the years. While Montoya has improved and seems set for a career in Cup, the rest of the teams have struggled. We have seen in recent years that two-car teams are struggling whereas in the past, a two-car team was enough to keep abreast of changes in the sport and in fact stay in front of the changes. Now, it seems that you need a three- to four-car operation and a seven post machine just to stay competitive on a week to week basis. Good luck with that Chipper.
Franchitti may return to the open wheel ranks if Chip can not satisfy him or he can not show more serious improvement in the next year. And a merger with another Dodge team is not out of the question if improvements are not made. I think Sorenson is going to be looking for a job by the end of the year and I think he may end up at DEI, Gibbs or Yates.
And speaking of Yates, they still have limited sponsorship as we return to Daytona. That can not continue. There will have top be a day of reckoning pretty soon and that may mean a sell out (see Petty) or a merger. Yates will have to leave Ford or merge with the Wood Brothers as the only other major Ford operation that can accommodate more drivers.
That’s my take. And it is still early.
Drive fast, turn left and keep the shiny side up.
Let me know your thoughts at chucka@turnleftracing.com.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 11:28 am
You can’t make a blanket comment like “I think Sorenson is going to be looking for a job by the end of the year and I think he may end up at DEI, Gibbs or Yates” without providing an explanation (with substantive information provided by reliable sources, preferably) as to 1) which drivers have a strong liklihood of leaving said teams and 2) who the leading candidates are to fill the seat of the #41 Target Dodge should Reed go elsewhere at year’s end. Just another simple-minded Cup article from a simple-minded writer whose speculation is no more accurate or insightful than the everyday fan who sits at home and watches the races. Ho-Hum.