Andretti’s Plans? Now that Ricky Rudd has signed his deal, the focus in the Winston Cup garage turns to car owner Chip Ganassi, who is looking for a new driver for his planned third team. Ganassi says he’s looking for youth, noting that Sterling Marlin and Jimmy Spencer are both well into their 40s. One obvious man to keep an eye on is Jason Leffler, who drove for Ganassi last year as a rookie before being pushed back to the Truck series, where he has been a hot driver this season. Another man is John Andretti, who drives for Kyle Petty but who has expressed a strong desire to add the Indy 500 to his schedule, something Ganassi can easily do. Andretti reportedly met with Ganassi this week. Andretti was pressed hard here yesterday by the media but he offered no clues as to what he might do.(Winston Salem Journal)AND Now that Ricky Rudd and Elliott Sadler have shored up their 2003 plans, the focus turns to John Andretti and whether or not he’ll be back with Petty Enterprises. Andretti has been in the #43 Dodge since 1998, but his contract is up at the end of the season. Kyle Petty, who runs the organization, has said they want Andretti back, but no deal has been reached and Andretti said he has spoken to other car owners about opportunities. “I don’t play games and I don’t run from motorhome to motorhome looking for a deal,” Andretti said. “If somebody wants to talk to me, they can call me on the phone.” But Andretti sounded as if he’s leaning toward sticking with Petty, even though it’s possible higher-profile teams like Chip Ganassi Racing could be wooing him. One sticking point in the negotiations is Andretti’s desire to run in the Indianapolis 500, which he did in 1994, but Petty refused to let him do this season. Andretti said he’s not giving up on his bid to run in the race.(Daytona Beach News Journal/AP)(8-24-2002)
