Chip Ganassi Racing is exploring the possibility of a merger with another NASCAR Sprint Cup team. "We're talking to a lot of different people," co-owner Felix Sabates tells ESPN.com. "We're keeping our options open. Obviously, the way things are going today with sponsors, unless you have the sponsors you can't run." DEI Inc. and Petty Enterprises have been mentioned as possible merger targets.

Ganassi was forced to close down Dario Franchitti's Sprint Cup team due to a lack of sponsorship earlier this season. The team currently has partial sponsorship for the No. 41 and No. 42 teams for next year. Dale Earnhardt Inc. only has sponsorship for the No. 1 car with partial sponsorship for the No. 8 entry while Petty Enterprises is looking for sponsors for the No. 43 and No. 44 cars. The stumbling block to any potential merger is the manufacturer situation. DEI currently runs fields Chevrolets while Chip Ganassi runs Dodge.

"Everything is up in the air," said Sabates. "We're just talking in theory. We don't know what is going to happen. We don't have anything concrete with anybody. And I'm not saying we will do anything."