Chip Ganassi Racing President STEVE LAULETTA is leaving the organization but will remain as a consultant for the remainder of ’18. Lauletta, who announced the decision internally this morning to the team and its partners, is looking to pursue a new challenge outside of motorsports after more than 10 years with the organization and more than two decades in racing. The team will still be able to draw on his expertise throughout the rest of the year, but the agreement to stay on as a consultant does not preclude him from taking another job this year. CGR is not immediately announcing a replacement for Lauletta, but it may have been laying the groundwork for his departure earlier this year when it named former Hendrick Motorsports GM DOUG DUCHARDT COO. Lauletta has helped CGR transition from having Target as the team’s major primary sponsor for nearly decades through the retailer’s exit, and the team now has other sponsors who have stepped up to fill the void. He joined CGR in '07 and oversaw its NASCAR operation near Charlotte and the IndyCar operation in Indianapolis, as well as more recent ventures into Red Bull Global Rallycross and sports car racing. Lauletta has also been an active leader of the RTA, the coalition of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams that was founded in July ’14.
