Ganassi to BGN? Stewart to the #01? Wally in the #01? Target? UPDATE: Dodge sources say Ganassi Racing visited Kentucky Speedway and tested the new Intrepids that will be driven in the Busch Series next year. Stedman Marlin, who finished 19th in the Busch race at Michigan, reportedly will drive one of the cars and share the Coors Light sponsorship on father Sterling’s Cup car. AND Another Ganassi rumor: Jason Leffler will join Stedman Marlin in the Busch ranks, and Tony Stewart will move into the #01 Cup car in 2002 with sponsorship from Target(Sporting News)(8-20-2001) BUT back in June it was reported: Tony Stewart held a team meeting last week to tell his crew he had no plans to leave for the Chip Ganassi operation(Winston Salem Journal) and Stewart is signed with Joe Gibbs Racing thru 2004(6-9-2001) and sources say he is committed to Home Depot and the Joe Gibbs operation through 2004 AND hearing a BGN team is set up to give Leffler more seat time in 2002. Target comes in and sponsors the BGN team AND a Winston Cup team. Driver? Wally Dallenbach. Why Dallenbach? Two reasons. One, the NBC hook. Target likes what they have seen. Two – Dallenbach runs the full Winston Cup season AND a double on Memorial Day Weekend: The Indy 500 and the Coca Cola 600(8-20-2001) UPDATE: Rumor has it that Target might be wanting to get into Winston Cup and Busch Series racing with Chip Ganassi. The word around the garage is that the company might tap Wally Dallenbach to run the full season, along with the Indy 500 in May. Jason Leffler would get some seat time in a Target-sponsored Busch car. Leffler raced full-time in 2000 before jumping into Winston Cup in 2001. Ganassi lost Cingular Wireless as sponsor of the No. 01 Dodge last week to Richard Childress Racing, opening the door for a possible Target entry. Target has been the longtime backer of Ganassis CART powerhouse. Ganassi has ran the Indy 500 in each of the last two seasons with Target on those cars as well.(NASCAR.com Buzz)(8-20-2001)
