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Chip Ganassi, owner of IndyCar Series, World Endurance Championship and former NASCAR Cup Series team Chip Ganassi Racing, is reported to be involved in an accident which resulted in him running over IndyCar driver Devlin DeFrancesco's pet dog.
Canadian racing driver DeFrancesco is grieving the loss of his beloved Golden Retriever puppy, Lucky, after an unfortunate incident in the lead-up to the recent Rolex 24 at Daytona race. The news was shared by DeFrancesco on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, January 28.
Following up on the unfortunate news, journalist Jenny Fryer has revealed that Chip Ganassi, the former NASCAR team owner, acknowledged accidentally running over DeFrancesco's furry friend. Fryer tweeted:
"Chip Ganassi has confirmed to me that he accidentally hit Devlin's dog, says he did stop his car and is 'terribly sad about it.' He says he spoke to four different police officers on site that evening. He said his multiple attempts to call the DeFrancesco's have gone unanswered."
The details surrounding the incident remain clouded, with conflicting accounts from both parties. Fryer further revealed:
"It was imperative for me to speak to Chip before I could responsibly give more details because it is my understanding this was a wildly chaotic scene, and very different versions from both sides about the moments after Lucky was struck."
Why did Chip Ganassi sell his NASCAR team?
After purchasing 80% of the total ownership interest of NASCAR Cup Series team Team SABCO in 2001, Ganassi formed Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.
Multiple ups and downs later, which included a 5-year alliance with Teresa Earnhardt's Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and the retirement of former co-owner Felix Sabates, an unexpected offer from former Xfinity Series driver Justin Marks' prompted Ganassi to make the tough decision to part ways with the NASCAR operation. The team was sold at the end of the 2021 season, resulting in the formation of Cup Series outfit Trackhouse Racing.
Clarifying his stance behind the sale of the NASCAR team, Ganassi told The Associated Press (via NEXTpittsburgh):
"He made me a great offer that required my attention. The team wasn’t for sale. I’m not out of racing, I’m just out of NASCAR. I still have an IndyCar team. I still have an IMSA sports car team. I still have a Formula E team. I had an offer that I was required to consider."
Most recently, Ganassi's IMSA team saw it's No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R team competing at the 2024 Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Despite leading for a significant portion of the race with drivers Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon, Alex Palou, and Renger van der Zande, the team encountered a punctured tire, failing to complete the race.
