Snohomish driver Kevin Hamlin was not affected by Tuesday’s announcement that Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Racing would be shutting down Dario Franchitti’s No. 40 NASCAR Sprint Cup program for the remainder of the season (CLICK HERE).
Hamlin, a developmental driver with CGFSR, was at home when the news broke. Hamlin said he called the shop and was informed his job was not in jeopardy, “at least not yet.”
Although he won the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar series title in 2007, in his first NASCAR season Franchitti has struggled, ranking 41st in the driver standings with a 22nd at Martinsville as his best finish.
Ganassi let driver David Stremme go at the end of the 2007 season, in part due to a lack of sponsorship. He had hoped — in vain — that Franchitti, who is married to the actress Ashley Judd, would attract more sponsors.
The entire No. 40 team was shut down, which resulted in 71 layoffs that included managing director of operations John Fernandez, Ganassi told the Associated Press.
The CGFSR testing program wasn’t affected by what Hamlin termed the “restructuring,” and he expects to continue a schedule that has had him on the road testing every other week for the past two months.
Hamlin said he is happy to be doing it.
“People tell me all the time ‘Quit and go some place where you can be driving full time,’” Hamlin said by phone from his North Carolina home. “I’m lucky to be getting a paycheck each week and having a job in racing. People don’t understand that.”
Hamlin added that the cost of running a Cup series car for a race weekend can be as high as $350,000. With limited sponsorship this season, Ganassi was paying about two-thirds of that expense from his own pocket.
Unlike Franchitti’s No. 40, Ganassi’s other two Sprint Cup teams are inside of the top 35 in points, meaning they are guaranteed a starting spot in each race.
The No. 42 of Juan Pablo Montoya, in his second NASCAR season is 20th; the No. 41 of Reed Sorenson, who’s in the final year of his contract, is 32nd.
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