hearing SABCO owner Felix Sabates(#’s 40 and 42) and CART championship team owner, Chip Ganassi are getting close to forming some sort of partnership that would bring a Ganassi team (an Andy Graves) to the Cup series for 2001(5-9-2000) UPDATE: Chip Ganassi, who has won four consecutive championships as a team owner in CART, may be on the verge of entering NASCAR. Ganassi is negotiating with Felix Sabates to become a part-owner of Team Sabco. If there’s a partnership with Ganassi, it wouldn’t begin until next year(Dallas Morning News) UPDATE 2: On Thursday’s ESPN2 RPM2 Night, Robin Miller reported that the Ganassi-Sabates is a done deal with Ganassi owning 80% and Sabates owning 20% with Ganassi talking to Jeremy Mayfield and Bobby Hamilton as part of a two car team to run in 2001. Target is the rumored sponsor(RPM2 Night). Note: Mayfield is signed with Penske-Kranefuss thru 2002 and Hamilton with Morgan-McClure thru 2001(5-11-2000) UPDATE 3: See the story at SpeedNet: Ganassi to join NASCAR, source says, no drivers mentioned like on RPM2 Night but the story adds: “According to a source in Charlotte, who requested anonymity, Ganassi will become a majority owner of Felix Sabates’ operation and run a two-car effort starting in 2001 with Dodges.” No mention of what would happen with the current drivers, Sterling Marlin or Kenny Irwin, on RPM2 Night it sounded like a deal in addition to Sabates current teams, but the story sounds more like a partnership. Three of the drivers have contracts at least thru the 2001 season, Marlin has the option to leave at the end of the 2000 season(5-12-2000) UPDATE 4: Felix Sabates says he and Chip Ganassi have “agreed to agree” on a transaction that could bring Ganassi aboard as majority partner in Sabates’ NASCAR racing organization(SABCO). Such a deal, Sabates said, would likely happen in the next 30 days. SABCO, fields the #40 Coors cars(Chevys) for Sterling Marlin and the #42 BellSouth car for Kenny Irwin. Sabastes says they have not discussed drivers and that any deal must be done in the next two or three weeks. Reports last fall had said Ganassi would link with Pontiac, which may be in need of teams with the defections to Dodge of Petty Enterprises and Bill Davis Racing. More recent rumors, however, pointed Ganassi in Dodge’s direction(in part from SpeedVision)(5-17-2000) UPDATE 5: According to CNNSI.com motorsports insider Marty Snider, Felix Sabates has agreed in priniciple to the sale of 80% of SABCO to Chip Ganassi, who will take over day-to-day operation of Team SABCO on July 1. Sabates will continue to own 20 percent of the team. The three SABCO BGN teams will be disbanded at the end of the 2000 season. Target will join both the #40-Marlin and and #42-Irwin teams as an associate sponsor after July 1.(CNN/SI)(5-19-2000)
