Danica to NASCAR? to stay in IRL? Roush Fenway?

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Danica Patrick to sign with Ganassi? Chip Ganassi is supposedly working on a deal at the moment that would not only keep open wheel racing's biggest name away from the clutches of NASCAR, it would likely advance her ascention in Indy cars. Ganassi is considering signing Danica Patrick for a third car on the Target team for 2010, joining Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. Ganassi didn't return phone calls Wednesday but his veteran lieutenant acknowledged adding a car for Patrick could be possible. "We've always entertained having a third driver if we could get the comparable funding that Target provides us," said Mike Hull, managing director of Target/Ganassi. "If Danica has something and wants to talk to us, that would be great because I think she's ready to take that next step. But I can tell you we haven't spoken to her." Patrick's three-year contract with Andretti-Green Racing, which was sponsored by Motorola to the tune of $21 million, expires at the end of this season. And, if she wanted to test the waters in NASCAR down the road, Ganassi could slide her right into one of his seats on the team he shares with Teresa Earnhardt.(Robin Miller/SPEEDtv)(6-11-2009)

~Jayski

Ganassi ? If she's really interested in coming to NASCAR she can do way better then Ganassi. ~JMO

^ That is true, but this deal could be only for the IRL Series.

EGR will only be a one-car team soon IMO. Bass Pro Shops and Truex are supposedly leaving the #1 after this season.

Juan Pablo has been running fairly well for EGR this year. I think they'll be able to hold together as a 2 car team.

Maybe at the start of next season, they might. But without any sponsorship for the #1 (if BPS leaves), I wonder how much longer that will last.

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UPDATE:Danica Patrick will be in NASCAR next season. If NASCAR executives can pull it off. George Pyne -- the former NASCAR Chief Operating Officer, and thus one of the top officials in stock car racing, and now head of IMG sports and entertainment, the high-buck talent marketing agency – and key NASCAR executives are together working the entire Sprint Cup garage trying to put together a package for Patrick to run NASCAR next season. Finding sponsorship is quite likely not the big issue, as hot a property as Danica Patrick is. (mikemulhern.net)(6-15-2009)

Danica would bring so much money to NASCAR; I certainly understand why NASCAR would be after her.

For sure.
I just hope it's not with Hendrick. That team doesn't need another big money maker driver.

Hendrick can't hire Danica, they've already got a full stable. Three drivers who run up front every week, and the other being the most popular driver in NASCAR? I don't think so.

I'd like to see her at Roush ... I'd pull for her!

RacingDude wrote:

Hendrick can't hire Danica, they've already got a full stable. Three drivers who run up front every week, and the other being the most popular driver in NASCAR? I don't think so.

Oh I think if Hendrick wanted her they would make it happen. Martin has another year and Keselowski wants to run in Cup next year. Keselowski I could see in a 3rd car at Stewart Haas car. Danica running in N'wide next year with 12-14 cup races. Then she would take over the #5 in 2011. That way she has Martin around all next year as a mentor.

I didn't even think of that... but I doubt Hendrick would want her. But then again... I never thought I would see Jr there either!

Mark Martin may race 3 or 4 more years before he retires. He said Sunday that he wanted to drive this car "forever." Who knows, he might race until he's 60...

Who knows, he might race until he's 60... OMG I hope not.

TeamBlueOval wrote:

I'd like to see her at Roush ... I'd pull for her!

On Trackside today Jack said he was interested in Danica

This sounds good...

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Danica to Roush? Danica Patrick will be in a Jack Roush NASCAR Ford next season, bank on it. Well, don't bet the ranch, but there is a growing sense that that is the momentum on the issue, if the sexy Indy-car star does make the leap into stock car racing, as she has hinted. And in the NASCAR garage here at Infineon Raceway Roush himself pondered the Danica option Friday. Patrick herself has been talking around the NASCAR possibility for several weeks now but insists she won't be making any announcement of where she'll be racing next season until this fall [after the IRL's finale in Oct]. Last weekend Geoff Smith, head of Roush Fenway Racing, talked about the Danica Patrick option. What does Roush himself think about her as NASCAR stocker? "I don't know enough about her to know how much time she'd have to spend in the Nationwide series or Truck series," Roush said. "I'd say, as a minimum, two years in the Nationwide series would be required…and at the same time she could run six or seven Cup races, to maintain her rookie status. It just depends on how badly she wants it," Roush says of any Patrick move into NASCAR. Patrick has some big advantages, Roush points out: "I don't know of any problems with Danica Patrick. If a female is going to make it in NASCAR in the foreseeable future, it will be Danica Patrick.(mikemulhern.net)(6-20-2009)

~Jayski