What was expected to be a very promising season for Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 NASCAR Xfinity Series program – didn’t even get to a chance to get the season-opening race.
On Friday afternoon, the Concord, N.C.-based team announced it would cease operations of its Xfinity Series program effectively immediately citing lack of sponsorship for the approaching season.
“Due to a lack of sponsorship funding, we will cease operation of the No. 42 Xfinity team in 2019,” said team owner Chip Ganassi in a statement. “This was a difficult decision for me to make and it comes with much anguish as this is a championship caliber team (having won six races and finished second in the owners’ championship) and more importantly because it affects a number of good people’s livelihoods.
“Running a car without proper funding is difficult to do.”
The team’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series program will not be affected as Kyle Larson and Kurt Busch will remain in the No. 42 and No. 1 cars respectively.
In Nov., Ganassi along with driver Ross Chastain and DC Solar CEO Jeff Carpoff announced a full-season slate for the Alva, Fla. native in 2019, however, in late December, there were multiple reports that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted raids on the home of Jeff Carpoff in Martinez, Calif. and the company’s headquarters in nearby Benicia, Calif.
Carpoff and wife, Paulette, also owns an independent minor league baseball team in the state.
Chastain, 25, after spending the season driving for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller made his first start with Chip Ganassi Racing for a three-race stint at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. In his
second appearance at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway in Sept., Chastain with sponsorship from DC Solar dominated the race en route to his inaugural Xfinity Series win.
In his third and what appears to be final start with CGR at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, he finished second to winner Christopher Bell.
Chastain has been unavailable for comment.
DC Solar entered NASCAR in 2015 with driver Brennan Poole. The two split at the end of the 2017 season when DC Solar expanded its sponsorship involvement with CGR to the Cup Series with drivers Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray in 2018.
Poole though filed a lawsuit in June 2018 against CGR and the former agency that represented him, stating that the two “conspired” to terminate his association with sponsor DC Solar so the company could sponsor Kyle Larson’s Cup car.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
