Ganassi can’t find sponsorship for Karam, cuts him loose

Sage Karam – another American out of a ride as IndyCar contracts

Young American Sage Karam is no longer under contract with Chip Ganassi Racing reports racer.com.

"The team allowed his option to expire, and they are still very high on Sage, but the opportunities for the team are unknown and the budget for the 8 car is also unknown, so they didn't want to keep him bound with nothing to offer," said Mickey Ryan, who also managed Dario Franchitti and Dan Wheldon.

As IndyCar contracts because of the low TV ratings from NBCSN teams and drivers are unable to find sponsors so there is a good chance Karam will not have a ride next year.

"He's no longer under contract, but we'd like to see if we can put together an Indy 500 program, and to explore other options in the family with Chip for Global Rallycross or sportscars," Ryan told racer.com.

"Sponsorship is hard to find, and Sage is only 20. There isn't an open IndyCar seat right now, but Chip is a big believer in him, and 2016 might be a bridge year where we wait to see what opens up in '17."

"At the moment, we're exploring all options and it isn't limited to any team in any series," he said. "I know the Ganassi organization wants Sage racing, from a development standpoint. In this sport, if you're not in a car, you're forgotten pretty quickly. If the [Ganassi] team can put something together, across various platforms, I know he'd love to be there.

"And if he isn't there in 2016 in IndyCar, I think they'd embrace the idea of him continuing to develop himself elsewhere until something comes along. They've been great to Sage, and I know they want to keep working with him. We'll keep working at it until we get somewhere."