Danica to Ganassi?

[Hoss Ghoul]

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-danica-negotiating-to-drive-for-ganassi/

Nice. If this pans out Danica will be in a top 5 car, with a shot at not only Indy, but the overall Championship. Sure, she still needs to improve on road courses, especially qualifying, and in traffic on the 1.5 milers, but at 27 her career arc is continuing its climb...

[indycool]

Before 2010, think we'll have Danica arumors in every car imaginable in every series.

[Easy Drifter]

IC: It is clear she should go to D&R as a teamate to Milka! :erm: :rotflmao: :angel:

[DanicaFan]

I know AGR will not let her go that easy. It will be interesting to what happens the next couple months.

Danica is already in a top 5 car. She already has the talent and has proven she can win the Indy 500. She doesnt need a TCGR car to prove it.

[jimispeed]

and has proven she can win the Indy 500.

? :|

[drewdawg727]

And displace whom, the two Indy 500 and series champs?

Well if they want her, they better go for her now before NASCAR gobbles her up.

[TURN3]

I know AGR will not let her go that easy. It will be interesting to what happens the next couple months.

Danica is already in a top 5 car. She already has the talent and has proven she can win the Indy 500. She doesnt need a TCGR car to prove it.

How do you spell WHOA? C'mon now, she finished well at Indy, her best finish and as I've said before probably the best race of her entire career. Even at that, she still wasn't really that competitive, she sort of backed into 3rd on the last set of stops. I'm not taking anything away from her so don't freak. The point I'm making is that in her best EVER race, she finished 3rd. She has NOT proven she can win the Indy 500 and until she does, there is no claim that she has.

Despite her 2 recent "mysterious" good races (Indy & Milwaukee), she still has yet to prove she is a regular contender for wins and in no freakin' way is she a contender for any sort of championship. She has no guts to race in traffic and she CANNOT race on road course where skill and car control require a good driver. The fact remains despite how well she has done in 2 races, she is only in IRL because of her marketing capacity, not her racing ability. I think the Chipster is doing a Yankees/Red Sox trick and trying to drive her price up. The higher AGR goes for her, the less resources they have to hang on.

You are correct though, she is already in a top 5 car...and look where that has gotten her.

[Phoenixent]

and has proven she can win the Indy 500.

Funny I did not see her face on the Borg-Warner trophy.

[DanicaFan]

Funny I did not see her face on the Borg-Warner trophy.

You will. :)

[Dr. Krogshöj]

It would be good for the series if the most competitive current American Indy Car driver could race for one of the two real top teams in the series. Some of you may want to debate the fact that Danica Patrick is the most competitive current American Indy Car driver but I am only using the logic used by the posters above: taking a hard look at the facts, which is the the 2007, 2008 and current 2009 Indy Car points standings. :D

[beachbum]

Ah, the semi-annual (or is it semi-weekly) Danica-to- (insert team / series here) threads.

I always wonder who is starting these rumors. Is there substance to them? Are the the result of her marketing machine making inquiries? Are they pipe dreams of a few fans? Is Robin Miller looking for more controversy to take our minds off other silly stuff he has said?

This all reminds me of the last Danica-to-NASCAR round of rumors. Even the sports media were reporting her handlers were in serious talks with Roush. In a rather strange twist, Jack actually had to make a statement to the press refuting the claims. It was full of the usual PR platitudes (she would be good for the series, it would be interesting, blah, blah, blah), but the only thing he had talked to them about were some VIP passes for a race. They had a "conversation in passing" to quote Jack. Yet, there are those who still swear they were in serious talks. Some even contend it got to the level of contract talks.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/irl/2006-07-12-indy-star-danica_x.htm

http://blog.al.com/blogoftomorrow/2008/04/is_there_a_roush_fenway_ford_i.html

When the history of the Danica period in racing is written (and yes it will end eventually) IHMO it will focus on the power of marketing in shaping the career of a sports personality. She is somewhat unusual in racing as her career has been driven by PR and outside promotion and not by her racing prowess and talent, which has been mostly average. There are many myths surrounding her career and it is often very hard to separate fact from fiction. Take away all of the marketing hype, all of the pinup photos, the plethora of controversial ads, and you have a mid pack driver with some talent, but nothing else exceptional to set them apart from other drivers.

Would her leaving the IRL have an impact? Probably, but how much is the question. One of the reasons sometimes cited for the success of Open Wheel at its peak was the presence of drivers like Foyt, Andretti, Mears, Mansell, Fittipaldi and others. They were all champions and versatile drivers who excelled in many series. When they retired, the popularity of open wheel dropped.

But is Danica in that same class? IMHO, no. She is something of a curiosity, a bit more than a publicity stunt as she has some talent, but certainly not a champion with a following from some other series. Some fans would mourn her departure and others could care less about the Danica "brand". Some fans still want to match champions race.

[beachbum]

I know AGR will not let her go that easy. It will be interesting to what happens the next couple months.

Danica is already in a top 5 car. She doesnt need a TCGR car to prove it.A very accurate and realistic appraisal.

[TURN3]

I have a huge problem thinking that Chip Ganassi would run his hugely successfull operation as a sell-out. What does he gain from any of this? He certainly doesn't need her to gain success on track. He certainly could hire any driver he wants...and there are boat loads that are more skilled. All he could do is gain a large portion of funding in a depressed economy. That makes him a sell-out. Roger Penske would never hire a driver under these circumstances.

Further, what is Chip's history with drivers? He generally has only hired proven champions and winners in other series. He let Wheldon go because he couldn't compete with Dixon on road courses, and as importantly, because he didn't fit in with the "team" concept. Gee, now that would be an interesting match wouldn't it.

Chip wants to win and win period. Danica has been in a top 8 car every year except her 2nd w/ RLR when they stuck with G-Force chassis. Yes, when Danica was at RLR, She was in a top 8 car then too w/ the dominant Honda engine. Where has that gotten her? Nowhere! Wait, yes it has gotten her to where she is occasionally competitive on tracks that are mostly determined by the set-ups her engineers give her from teammates set-ups. We're talking about a driver here that has a total of what? Is it 3 podiums now? In a top 8 car pretty much her entire IRL career. The only thing she's proven is that she's "careful" enough to bring the car home regularly while attritioning her way to top 5's top 10's. That'll get her to 5th or 6th in point every year. Does anybody believe that is what Chip wants either?

People are talking already about wow she'd be with a top 2 team and have a better shot at winning! Guess what? When she went to AGR it was..."hey she's with a big 3 team now...she's got a better shot at winning". Now it is the big 2? What happened to AGR? Oh yeah, they regressed just like RLR did when Danica was there. Chip's either losing Target and needs $ to stay in biz or driving the cost of Danica up just like he did w/ TK last year. Like I said, the higher that cost goes, the less resources AGR has and the weaker they become. They've already in 2.25 years regressed from the big 3 by all accounts here.

[indycool]

Folks, this will be a LONG negotiation among dozens of teams and agents and sponsors and people that will take place. Expect her to be rumored to go here and there with every meeting that's revealed or rumored to have taken place. Danica and her new agents can afford to take their sweet time and let the pot build. They will.

[SarahFan]

bottom line is Danica is a dream fit for Target....

[Chris R]

bottom line is Danica is a dream fit for Target....

This is true - but I think Danica is already in the best car she is going to get - at the moment Ganassi and Penske are reserved for either proven "A" drivers or those with enormous potential. Danica is a decent driver - but not an "A" and she has been in the series too long to have "enormous potential"... I think she'll stay where she is - probably for her career....

[SarahFan]

This is true - but I think Danica is already in the best car she is going to get - at the moment Ganassi and Penske are reserved for either proven "A" drivers or those with enormous potential. Danica is a decent driver - but not an "A" and she has been in the series too long to have "enormous potential"... I think she'll stay where she is - probably for her career....

Motorola Paid 7mil a year for her....

what company is going to pony up that kind of dough? and does AGR have the connections at this point

penske aint happening......she doesn't fit his mold...


p://www.chipganassiracing.com/sponsors/ ... m?cid=1370 (p://www.chipganassiracing.com/sponsors/index.cfm?cid=1370)

Target gets 10 of those assocites to pony up an additional mil for some direct danica promotion and from a biz standpoint its the clear financial solution for keeping danica in AOWR




whether it happens or not is who knows at this point....

but make no mistake a Danica/Target/TCGR trio is an attractive scenerio for all involved

[Chris R]

Ken, I absolutely agree with your reasoning - I just wonder if the racer in Chip with let it get to that - I would be less surprised if a Target competitor didn't put something together for AGR for Danica. Also, she has a little bit of a "bad girl" image - I dare say her commercial image has been bordering on the "s" word - the photos of her spread eagle on a car hood are not exactly Target material.... nor are the ones of her with her hand in her shorts etc...

I also cannot help but notice that the educated professional women (such as my wife) who a place like Target goes after do not seem to have a lot of use for Danica - she has been using her sex appeal to sell to men - not to women.....

I dare say Lowes or Home Depot would do better with Danica - I can also see her being a Sears person - - I am thinking the target audience of her sponsor needs to me males unless she "cleans up" her image to appeal more to women with disposable income.....

[V12]

I would say AGR have gone backwards in recent years simply because:

Dario Franchitti is better than Hideki Mutoh.
Dan Wheldon is better than Marco Andretti.
Bryan Herta is better then Danica Patrick.

In other words, AGR have gone from having four top line drivers, to just one. Partnered by someone who's there because of his nationality, someone who's there because of his last name, and someone who's there because of her gender.

Although it wouldn't help the car count, maybe AGR would be better off if they were to trim to two cars and partner Kanaan with either a proven winner (if available) or someone who deserves a shot with a top team such as Meira (when fit), and focus all their resources on them.

[SarahFan]

Ken, I absolutely agree with your reasoning - I just wonder if the racer in Chip with let it get to that - I would be less surprised if a Target competitor didn't put something together for AGR for Danica. Also, she has a little bit of a "bad girl" image - I dare say her commercial image has been bordering on the "s" word - the photos of her spread eagle on a car hood are not exactly Target material.... nor are the ones of her with her hand in her shorts etc...

I also cannot help but notice that the educated professional women (such as my wife) who a place like Target goes after do not seem to have a lot of use for Danica - she has been using her sex appeal to sell to men - not to women.....

I dare say Lowes or Home Depot would do better with Danica - I can also see her being a Sears person - - I am thinking the target audience of her sponsor needs to me males unless she "cleans up" her image to appeal more to women with disposable income.....


fair enough.....were on the some page

[SarahFan]

I would say AGR have gone backwards in recent years simply because:

Dario Franchitti is better than Hideki Mutoh.
Dan Wheldon is better than Marco Andretti.
Bryan Herta is better then Danica Patrick.

In other words, AGR have gone from having four top line drivers, to just one. Partnered by someone who's there because of his nationality, someone who's there because of his last name, and someone who's there because of her gender.

Although it wouldn't help the car count, maybe AGR would be better off if they were to trim to two cars and partner Kanaan with either a proven winner (if available) or someone who deserves a shot with a top team such as Meira (when fit), and focus all their resources on them.


your suggesting that racing should be about winning.....

i wish it was

[Mark in Oshawa]

your suggesting that racing should be about winning.....

i wish it was


You have that right. IT is the reason all of this talk with top teams keeps swirling because the sponsors she can drag in will pay for the improvements for the whole team.

As much as I dislike Danica's personality and her double standard (use sex to sell her image, and then whine when men don't respect her on the track), she has done ok on the track. That said, for a driver on a top team, she hasn't carried her fair share of the wins or testing. TK was seen testing her car at Indy during May looking to validate setups. The princess isn't out driving TK's car you notice. I am not saying Danica isn't capable of learning the engineering side of the sport, but at this point, I don't think she has yet. I will believe she is a real race driver when she is competing for wins on the road/street courses and the ovals. Right now, she really is only a serious threat on the ovals. Her managing of getting around cars is somewhat shaky, and I have noticed her best finishes are often as a result of other's misfortune and good pit strategies. When I see her duelling for a win or great finish and beating a guy straight up, Then I will take her seriously as a race driver.

Right now, she is a marketing machine, and that makes her attractive to all but Roger Penske, but I suspect in the end, Chip will pass on her for the same reason Roger would, they like to win more than anything, and Danica has yet to show anyone that her one win wasn't a bit of a fluke. If she wins a second race this year, then maybe this changes.

[Chris R]

I would like to add that the only track Danica really seems to be a truly top notch competitor on is Indy - I suspect she would be equally good at other large ovals if there still were any on the schedule.... Not that I am trying downplay her skills - she is a decent driver - but she only really seems to absolutely shine at Indy (as have many drivers throughout history - and one could argue that Bryan Herta only really shined at Laguna etc...)

[Jag_Warrior]

When the history of the Danica period in racing is written (and yes it will end eventually) IHMO it will focus on the power of marketing in shaping the career of a sports personality. She is somewhat unusual in racing as her career has been driven by PR and outside promotion and not by her racing prowess and talent, which has been mostly average. There are many myths surrounding her career and it is often very hard to separate fact from fiction. Take away all of the marketing hype, all of the pinup photos, the plethora of controversial ads, and you have a mid pack driver with some talent, but nothing else exceptional to set them apart from other drivers.

Would her leaving the IRL have an impact? Probably, but how much is the question. One of the reasons sometimes cited for the success of Open Wheel at its peak was the presence of drivers like Foyt, Andretti, Mears, Mansell, Fittipaldi and others. They were all champions and versatile drivers who excelled in many series. When they retired, the popularity of open wheel dropped.

But is Danica in that same class? IMHO, no. She is something of a curiosity, a bit more than a publicity stunt as she has some talent, but certainly not a champion with a following from some other series. Some fans would mourn her departure and others could care less about the Danica "brand". Some fans still want to match champions race.

Quoted For Truth

[beachbum]

Has anyone even read the article? Mike Hull states they haven't even talked to Danica and she hasn't contacted them. Yet some intardnet posters have her being fitted for a seat.

Amazing.

[dataman1]

Has anyone even read the article? Mike Hull states they haven't even talked to Danica and she hasn't contacted them. Yet some intardnet posters have her being fitted for a seat.

Amazing.

Would not IMG do the talking rather than Danica? Then Mike Hull is speaking the truth yet the deal could still be taking place. Mike's way of talking out of the side of his mouth to misdirect the hounds? Just a guess on my part.

[beachgirl]

Would not IMG do the talking rather than Danica? Then Mike Hull is speaking the truth yet the deal could still be taking place. Mike's way of talking out of the side of his mouth to misdirect the hounds? Just a guess on my part.

But, but, but....this all reduces Danica to.....RIDE BUYER. Or, to be rude, is it okay with Danica but not for anyone else?

Just my $ .02.

[Mark in Oshawa]

But, but, but....this all reduces Danica to.....RIDE BUYER. Or, to be rude, is it okay with Danica but not for anyone else?

Just my $ .02.


Beachgirl, if you have a sponsor, you too can be a ride buyer. The reality is though, you go to NASCAR, you may get a ride without a sponsor, but you will get more offers when you HAVE a sponsor. No form of racing is immune from ride buying.

At least Danica gives everyone some marketing sizzle. As ride buyers go, she has a modicum of talent and isn't a threat to everyone around her out there. At Indy, she could get close to winning.....THAT would be enough in today's IRL to make her a fit for a good ride.

[beachbum]

Would not IMG do the talking rather than Danica? Then Mike Hull is speaking the truth yet the deal could still be taking place. Mike's way of talking out of the side of his mouth to misdirect the hounds? Just a guess on my part.That is an interesting spin that has been brought up elsewhere, yet there is no proof that this is the case. If IMG is doing its job, her agents are talking to everyone. That doesn't make it any more than talk.

Actually, I think it is now official. This rumor has gone viral

[Mark in Oshawa]

The more people talk about where Danica is going to go, in theory it will drive up the price. ON this...I say you go girl...

I may not have a whole heap of respect for her driving, but I can honestly say she should get as much as someone is willing to pay her.

[SUBARUTEAM]

As i read the article, IMG have a fortune 500 company linned up to sponsor her - so she is simply looking at the best team to sign with. I would say that Chips team with Scott and Dario as team mates would be the best current team. The sponsor may not be target.

If that makes her a ride buyer - so be it. But please don't compare Danica to Milka - come on.

If she was a male driver, she would not be in so many threads on this forum. She is in the top 5 of the championship standings, scoring good results on both road courses and ovals and is probably the best of the rest (excluding the 4 red cars)

i say good on her. in one of chips cars and sharing data with the 9 and 10 car - she might finally silence some of her critics. good on her.

If she uses her looks to further her career - good on her.

Personally I have never rated her as more then a decent mid pack driver - but this year she has proven me wrong. She deserves a win this year, and it may happen - although she may need a little bit of luck.

driving for chip next year - she'll win a race for sure - maybe even the big one.

[SUBARUTEAM]

one more thing - anyone that saw her driving at texas and holding out that young idiot team mate of hers must agree that that took guts and skill. I know that I couldn't drive at 215mph sitting 2 inches off the road like that.

her stocks have gone up in my eyes and the IRL need her to stick around. If that means signing with Chip, go for it. AND SHE'S AN AMERICAN DRIVER!!!

[Mark in Oshawa]

As i read the article, IMG have a fortune 500 company linned up to sponsor her - so she is simply looking at the best team to sign with. I would say that Chips team with Scott and Dario as team mates would be the best current team. The sponsor may not be target.

If that makes her a ride buyer - so be it. But please don't compare Danica to Milka - come on.

If she was a male driver, she would not be in so many threads on this forum. She is in the top 5 of the championship standings, scoring good results on both road courses and ovals and is probably the best of the rest (excluding the 4 red cars)

i say good on her. in one of chips cars and sharing data with the 9 and 10 car - she might finally silence some of her critics. good on her.

If she uses her looks to further her career - good on her.

Personally I have never rated her as more then a decent mid pack driver - but this year she has proven me wrong. She deserves a win this year, and it may happen - although she may need a little bit of luck.

driving for chip next year - she'll win a race for sure - maybe even the big one.

Dream on...Chip doesn't need this circus. Neither does Roger. She is trying to gin up a bidding war where one wont exist. That is why the Danica to NASCAR rumours keep popping up. She wont go there unless she is prepared to work in the Nationwide series, and she said she wants to go straight to Cup. THAT aint happening either.

Danica is a ride buyer of sorts, and there is nothing wrong with it if you enough talent to at least be respectable and she has that. She isn't Milka. Milka is a joke. Nice lady, but she has no business being in this sport at this level.

[chuck34]

Bringing a sponsor that is not the company you or your family owns does not make you a ride buyer.

[TURN3]

As i read the article, IMG have a fortune 500 company linned up to sponsor her - so she is simply looking at the best team to sign with. I would say that Chips team with Scott and Dario as team mates would be the best current team. The sponsor may not be target.

If that makes her a ride buyer - so be it. But please don't compare Danica to Milka - come on.

If she was a male driver, she would not be in so many threads on this forum. She is in the top 5 of the championship standings, scoring good results on both road courses and ovals and is probably the best of the rest (excluding the 4 red cars)

i say good on her. in one of chips cars and sharing data with the 9 and 10 car - she might finally silence some of her critics. good on her.

If she uses her looks to further her career - good on her.

Personally I have never rated her as more then a decent mid pack driver - but this year she has proven me wrong. She deserves a win this year, and it may happen - although she may need a little bit of luck.

driving for chip next year - she'll win a race for sure - maybe even the big one.

First off, if she was a male driver she wouldn't be driving in a top level racing series.

Secondly, scoring good results on road courses could only refer so far to her 4th at LBGP. Less we forget that she qualified 3rd to last and has been at the back of every single session on both road courses. 4th place, yes good result but, more than a 'bit' of luck was required for that to happen and it was nothing less than a fluke. It counts, don't get me wrong. She's driven 2 really good races this year and now somehow that her contract is up she's suddenly amazing and worthy of a drive at Ganassi? Come on. See my previous post about how every time she buys her way into the "next" big team, they regress and the "she'll win now for sure" comments start applying to the next year. She doesn't have it. It TOP TOP TOP level equipment, she is has been and always will be a mid to back pack driver with a few lucky exceptions and maybe a few good races like she's had recently.

Question...since she didn't actually race her way to a ride with AGR...I ask if she was at Dreyer and Reinbold, exactly where would that leave her? I mean make fun of Milka, yes she's out of her league, but exactly HOW good is Danica then? HMMM! Me thinks she finishes abouts right where Milka does.

[Mark in Oshawa]

First off, if she was a male driver she wouldn't be driving in a top level racing series.

Secondly, scoring good results on road courses could only refer so far to her 4th at LBGP. Less we forget that she qualified 3rd to last and has been at the back of every single session on both road courses. 4th place, yes good result but, more than a 'bit' of luck was required for that to happen and it was nothing less than a fluke. It counts, don't get me wrong. She's driven 2 really good races this year and now somehow that her contract is up she's suddenly amazing and worthy of a drive at Ganassi? Come on. See my previous post about how every time she buys her way into the "next" big team, they regress and the "she'll win now for sure" comments start applying to the next year. She doesn't have it. It TOP TOP TOP level equipment, she is has been and always will be a mid to back pack driver with a few lucky exceptions and maybe a few good races like she's had recently.

Question...since she didn't actually race her way to a ride with AGR...I ask if she was at Dreyer and Reinbold, exactly where would that leave her? I mean make fun of Milka, yes she's out of her league, but exactly HOW good is Danica then? HMMM! Me thinks she finishes abouts right where Milka does.

I agree with most of your assertions in part or in whole, but I think Danica has a lot more talent than Danica. The question you and I and everyone else should ask is what would Sarah Fisher do if she was handed some of the goodies Danica has had at her disposal.

I think Danica can drive at this level. How well I wont say but I don't think Dario and Scott are not lying awake worrying about her beating them in a straight up race. She however I think lacks that sense of how to set up a car, and in that, I think her performances at AGR are masking this deficiency.

Would she have a ride in the IRL if she were a guy? Immaterial. People love the idea of a great looking woman driving a race car well. We have no idea of her real ability but I think she can hang with these guys. Not beat them but hang in there. I used to think she was a freak show but I have seen too many decent finishes to believe it is total luck. That said, she isn't going to win too many races because she just doesn't have the last bit you need to win.

[SUBARUTEAM]

[quote="TURN3"]First off, if she was a male driver she wouldn't be driving in a top level racing series.

QUOTE]

With the greatest of respect, I would have to disagree with you.

Did she not finish 2nd (out of over 100 drivers) in the big formular ford meeting in the uk when she was a teenager?

Anyone who's times are within 10% of the leaders can peddle an indy car - make no mistake about that. the top guys could easily race in F1 given 1/2 a chance and a good car.

she deserves to be in this series and the fact that her name, looks, reputation (and what ever else she brings to the table) can generate funding is a bonus.

I think that there would be 1/2 a dozen drivers that would do very well in one of chip's cars - danica would be one of them. However it must be said that Chip's in it for the money and the big dollar sponsor would be paying chip to put danica in a car, and then she would take a salary from that.

I think that she cops all this critisium because she's a good looking women, and frankly its pretty poor form by a lot of people in this forum.

[Easy Drifter]

As most of you know I do not like Danica but it is her attitude that bugs me most. I believe she is reasonably competent but not great.
I do agree that she has driven well at Indy and Milwaukee and I guess at Texas. As Texas was relegated to TSN2 in Canada and despite having Bell's Satellite Sports package they only carry TSN2 as an additional station which you pay more for I did not see the race.
Anyway before I rate her too highly I want to see an improvement on road courses and street courses. Then we will see.
Her refusal to drive in A1GP without more money and apparently walking out before the end of the race at Daytona will be noted by all team owners.
Again demanding that she start in Sprint Cup will not go down well. I cannot recall one road racer adapting to Stock cars quickly in recent years except on road courses.
I doubt she can physically handle a stocker for 500 miles. Here her size will hurt her.
I may be wrong but that is my opinion.

[SoCalPVguy]

Danica is already in a top 5 car.

Finally !!! We agree on something.

Yet after being in a top-5 car now several years with AGR and being in a top-5 car for several years before that with RLR, she has one win, and that was a pit strategy victory, not a run-away.

Right now she is the 2nd best driver at AGR. Kaanan is best and he is the only driver who can set a car - Princess, Sonny boy and Hiedi Mutoh cannot set up a car to save their lives.

If she goes to TCGR, she would be the 3rd best driver on the team (as presently configured) - BUT both the existing TCGR drivers Franchitti and Dixon know how to set a car - maybe that will improve her perfromances overall as a side-benefit.

So I can see a scenario where the Princess wins at TCGR - if Franchitti and Dixon get taken out (and both the Penske cars are out too).

[SoCalPVguy]

But, but, but....this all reduces Danica to.....RIDE BUYER.

In this era of sagging economy and lack of private corporate sponsors available after the government takes over all the big business, probably every driver is going to have to become a ride buyer and get their own sponsorships. So that make the Princess on the cutting edge of auto racing's future !!!

[El Libertador]

Danica's a better driver than a lot of people give her credit for. She's also a worse driver than a lot of people give her credit for. Her maturity and calmer attitude this year have made her 10 times the driver she was in the past...but she isn't a race winner. I think Danica is good enough to win races, but conditions have to be perfect, and that's what separates her from the elite drivers in the IRL. She's ahead of TK in points, yeah...but I think it'd be impossible to make a case she's a better racer than Tony. She's more consistent this year, and there have been some times (but far too few) where she's mixed it up on the track, but she still seems to be content with just riding and fifth and blocking when necessary. I'm not sure that's what Ganassi wants. I'm sure Danica could win races with Ganassi when they get everything just right (as they so often do), but that doesn't make her the best choice if they need a driver...Justin Wilson, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Will Power, etc could all win races with Ganassi...even when they don't get everything right.

I'm not sure where Danica's going to go...she's good enough to have something better than today's AGR, but she isn't good enough to go to Ganassi or Penske.

[indycool]

Probably not Penske because of chemistry that RP demands in his organization. But Ganassi? For bucks, if he wants her, Again, speculation can happen all season and there isn't going to be any major thrust to do a deal to pee on the fire and call in the dogs until much, much later.

[NickFalzone]

Ultimately I don't think that Danica wants to leave AGR, but she's going to do what she can to get Michael to pay her more. What the Ganassi rumor says to me is that no one is really buying the NASCAR rumors she's put out there, so she's trying a different tactic. I suppose if there is anything legit to this rumor as far as her interest, maybe she DOES want to go to an IRL team that also has a NASCAR connection. Penske is not happening. Jimmie Johnson told her to run the IRL full time and do some N'wide races in the off weeks and see how she likes it. Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing could make that happen.

[Mr Jinxx]

I think Danica is a good driver, that's all. Certainly plenty good enough to be racing at the top level here

I think Chip has already demonstrated he WOULD run a 3rd car (as he was intending to do with Alex Lloyd) if he could find the budget. Danica could probably make that happen, and there would be spin-off benefits for Target etc were she driving for TCGR. And you're right, Dario and Scott wouldn't lie awake at nights, worried about the threat from within. That's assuming Dario and Scott remain next year, which is a very big assumption indeed

The downside, as I see it from Chip's point of view, is that you just KNOW that Dario and Scott would whup her (especially on road courses) and it wouldn't take more than 25 minutes before the Marco-like whingeing started ... my car's not as good as their car, I don't get the attention I need, etc etc

I don't see it happening for that reason alone. I wish it would happen - it would be interesting to see