Andretti to take full control of AGR

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Comment by Damon on August 22, 2009 at 7:25pm

Suspense over, gang. Per Curt Cavin's twitter page:

Danica: Staying in IRL with AGR, but paperwork not done.

Danica said Michael A. convinced her team headed in right direction. (Don't know what Mike told her to convince her, but that's two years in a row he's kept drivers from leaving. The man is a motivational genius and ought to write a book.)

Danica on NASCAR: "At the end of the day, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know."

Danica said she's spent the last two days with Boost Mobile execs, including the president. She likes activation that's to come.

Comment by Jim Huntington on August 21, 2009 at 11:36am

Whatever it is, it has been pervasive throughout AGR, because no single team/driver has been exempt from the malaise. All the more amazing is that Danica has scratched and clawed for 5th place. If not for those rookie jerks that took her out of 2 races, she'd be even more comfortably in 5th.

Comment by Damon on August 21, 2009 at 11:22am

I saw that comment too and I'd be curious to hear Michael's reasons for why they've struggled.

Comment by DanicaFans on August 21, 2009 at 11:02am

This quote from Michael Andretti talking about the bad showing this season, via Robin Miller:

"There's a few reasons we're where we are but I don't want to share them," said Andretti. "Let's just say it's a fixable situation but I don't want to blame the drivers. It's not the drivers, it's another area.

"And I feel like we'll be more competitive this weekend (in Sonoma)."

Comment by Jim Huntington on August 21, 2009 at 10:41am

The "suspense" is frustrating for us because we want the best possible situation for Danica and most seem to feel that is not at AGR but we cannot want it any more than she does and she is in control. From what we know, she is in good hands with IMG and her family as advisers. Whatever she does; whatever she chooses, she will still have her legions of fans wanting her to win and excel.

Comment by Arci on August 21, 2009 at 10:38am

i would definitely be surprised if Danica stays with Andretti (aka AGR). I think she needs to move on to bigger and better things

Comment by Damon on August 21, 2009 at 7:38am

This part jumps out at me:

An announcement could come as early as next week. Her car's sponsor, Motorola, is based in Schaumburg, Ill., near Chicagoland Speedway, site of the Aug. 29 race.


Even though she's maintained through this process that she wanted to wait until the season ended, IF she's going to go back to AGR (Why would you, though?), there's no point in delaying the news, might as well get it out there as soon as it gets done.

Comment by Jeremy on August 21, 2009 at 2:34am

from the indianapolis star website

The team's name will change, but Michael Andretti hopes Andretti Green Racing will remain the same after he takes full control this fall.

Thursday, Andretti confirmed a split with AGR co-owners Kim Green and Kevin Savoree. They will own and operate the organization's promotional company, currently known as Andretti Green Promotions.



Andretti Green Promotions organizes and promotes IndyCar Series races in St. Petersburg, Fla., and Toronto, and is looking for more, preferably an event in the fall.

Andretti plans to maintain a four-car IndyCar Series team and said he expects to retain popular star Danica Patrick.

"Getting close," he said of negotiations. "We've been back and forth a lot, but they want it and we want it. We're just going through the particulars right now. I'm happy with the way things are going."

An announcement could come as early as next week. Her car's sponsor, Motorola, is based in Schaumburg, Ill., near Chicagoland Speedway, site of the Aug. 29 race.

Patrick's three-year contract expires at the end of the season, which has four races left, including this weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. AGR will be a five-car team this week with Franck Montagny driving an entry shared by AFS Racing.

AGR has Tony Kanaan under contract for 2010. Marco Andretti's one-year deal and Hideki Mutoh's two-year deal expire at the end of the season.

Andretti, who bought into the former CART team in the fall of 2002 and moved it to the Indy Racing League, said he is looking forward to running IndyCar's largest team, which employs 110 at its Northwestside shop and eight more outside the building.

"I've been learning and learning and learning, and I feel ready," he said.

Green and Savoree will have no direct role with the race team, Andretti said.

"That's going to be their baby, and the race team is going to be my baby," he said. "The reason we're doing it is, this thing is getting to be too big and too much. It was distracting both sides.

"We just wanted to be responsible. 'You do this, I'll do this.' Both companies deserve 110 percent because they're both great properties."

The companies will be renamed after the season, Andretti said. He expects John Lopes to take a larger role leading the business side of the race team.

Comment by Damon on August 21, 2009 at 12:05am

She needs to channel her inner-Usain Bolt and run away from AGR as soon as possible.

Comment by DanicaFans on August 20, 2009 at 11:57pm

At this stage of negotiations, almost everyone will say "talks are going well". This doesn't mean that Ganassi is out of the running. Talks are probably going well over there, too.

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