Chip Ganassi Racing on Wednesday announced that 2007 Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti will drive the No. 40 Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series next year. Franchitti, from Scotland, will become the first European driver to compete full time at NASCAR’s highest level. He will make his stock-car debut in Friday’s ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. Ganassi initiated discussions with Franchitti last year, but with the signing of Montoya for the 2007 season, he had no seat available for Franchitti. That changed when Ganassi opted not to renew the contract of David Stremme, the current driver of the No. 40 Dodge.
Reed Sorenson will likely be the only American driver competing in the Nextel Cup Series next season with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. David Stremme, who has driven the No. 40 Dodge for Ganassi, since the 2006 season, will not return to the team next season. Earlier this week, Ganassi officials announced sponsor Coors Light would not be returning to the team. Likely set to replace Stremme is current Indy Racing League points leader Dario Franchitti, Franchitti, a native of Scotland, is looking to lock up his first IRL championship in Sunday’s season finale at Chicagoland with Andretti Green Racing. Ganassi already fields former Formula One star and Colombia native Juan Pablo Montoya in the No. 42 Dodge. Reached by phone on Friday, Ganassi said he was working on several new options for the No. 40.
Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and Coors Brewing Company announced Wednesday that Coors Light will not return as a primary sponsor on the team’s No. 40 Dodge in 2008. The announcement will end a string of 14 years that Coors Light has been the primary sponsor or partial primary of the No. 40 car (seven with CGRFS). The relationship began in 1994 when Sabates’ Team SABCO and the Coors Brewing Company started their first partnership as Coors Light became the primary sponsor of the No. 40 with Bobby Hamilton behind the wheel.
Juan Pablo Montoya will race in his final Busch Series event next week at Watkins Glen, then the team will stop competing. Chip Ganassi Racing officials said Wednesday the No. 42 Busch program was formed only to help Montoya adjust to NASCAR after six seasons in Formula One.
He drove the car to a win in March on the road course in Mexico City, and will try for another one in Watkins Glen, N.Y., next Saturday. After that, Ganassi will stop operating the team because the remainder of the schedule isn’t a good fit with Montoya’s Nextel Cup season.
Add Chip Ganassi Racing to the list of teams that are interested in Kyle Busch. Team owner Chip Ganassi said he is interested in talking to the driver. Ganassi said he is not in the position to add a team since the best of his three drivers is Juan Pablo Montoya, who ranks 21st in the points.