Chip Ganassi Racing no longer talking Daytona, Indy with Danica Patrick
By Nick Tylwalk
Chip Ganassi Racing would have the easiest one-stop shop for Patrick’s dream finale to her racing career, but it’s pretty clear there’s no fit there.
Scratch Chip Ganassi Racing off the list of teams that might help Danica Patrick run both the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 this season before calling it quits on her racing career.
Since Ganassi has teams in both NASCAR and IndyCar, a deal with the organization could have knocked out both races pretty easily. But despite reports that Patrick and her representatives reached out, it’s been clear for a while it probably wasn’t going to happen.
Chip Ganassi Racing president Steve Lauletta confirmed as much this week on the “Dialed In” show on NASCAR SiriusXM Radio (via NBC Sports).
"“We’re not talking any longer. I think it would have made sense, and we did have conversations if she wanted to run in both races, the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500, and ultimately we couldn’t come to a solution that worked for both of us."
Lauletta seemed pretty happy with two-car teams for both races. Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray return to run for the championship in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2018, while Scott Dixon and Ed Jones will do the same in IndyCar.
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He did, however, suggest that he thinks Patrick will ultimately be successful in lining up a ride for Daytona and Indy. That task might be tougher having to do it with two different teams, which is why so many people were focused on Ganassi as a potential solution to her quest.
Time is also running short before Daytona, but one-off deals can come together pretty quickly in NASCAR for both drivers and sponsors. Don’t count Patrick out just yet, but don’t look for her in a Ganassi car next month either.