Is Ganassi on Target?
Amid ongoing speculation about his relationship with retail giant Target, Chip Ganassi has moved swiftly to make it clear that Dario Franchitti will not be participating in the Indy 500.
The way things are going this year, he might want to reconsider.
Earlier this week, “persistent rumors” (thanks, Jayski) indicated Target’s unhappiness with all things Ganassi, especially the struggling Target-sponsored #41 and driver Reed Sorenson.
Target VP Steve Eastman vehemently denied any acrimony between Target and Chip et al. But you’ve got to wonder.
After its season-opening 5th place at Daytona, the 41 team’s performance has headed straight south.
Once considered a can’t-miss young gun, Sorenson is looking more and more shell shocked. And unless you’re counting wrecker time, Target cannot be happy with the frames of TV exposure the team is generating.
Like other big time sponsors weathering small time performance (see: Caterpillar), especially in this tough economic environment, Target has got to be dotting i’s and crossing t’s when it comes to recovering its investment in Ganassi.
What does this haveto do with Dario? Just everything, potentially.
We all remember Dario. Struggling Sprint Cup wannabe. Charming Scottish accent. Insufferable wife. Oh, and defending Indy 500 champion.
Let’s see if we’ve got this straight: Chip Ganassi Racing, aka “the artist formerly known as Target Ganassi Racing,” has a bit of a track record in that Indianapolis 500 thing, yes? A couple of very visible drivers piloting a couple of very visual open wheel rockets, usually with great results. That’s the pattern, anyway.
You might even say Chip Ganassi has built some brand equity for Target over in Indy Car.
Can anybody else envision this: Defending champion Dario Franchitti slips into another Target Ganassi machine for the month of May? Huge headlines. Major buzz. With Target right in the middle of the story.
But Chip would rather have Dario spend Memorial Day weekend flogging around the back of the Coca-Cola 600? If he makes the race?
What’s up with that?
My guess (rampant speculation alert): A driver contract problem. I don’t know a thing, not a thing, about Dario’s separation from Andretti. But it wouldn’t surprise me at all to find out that there’s some kind of provision that precludes Dario making a return to Indy in a bright red Target firesuit. Just speculating. But that Mikey’s a pretty sharp guy.
