1on1: Chip Ganassi

Chip Ganassi is unquestionably one of the more notable figures in North American motorsports, based on the championships and significant races that his teams have won.
In NASCAR, Ganassi owns three Sprint Cup teams: The No. 40 Dodge for driver Dario Franchitti, the No. 41 for Reed Sorenson and the No. 42 for Juan Montoya. He owns two cars in the Nationwide Series: the Nos. 40 and 41 that are driven by a combination of Franchitti, Sorenson and development driver Bryan Clauson.
Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates has won Rolex Sports Car Series driver and team championships, and three consecutive editions of the Rolex 24 at Daytona -- North American sports-car racing's signature event.
Chip Ganassi facts
2001
Purchased majority interest in Team SABCO
5
Indianapolis 500 starts as a driver (1982-86, best finish eighth)
5
Open-wheel championships
3
Highest finish in standings (Sterling Marlin, 2001)
3
Consecutive Rolex 24 victories (2006, 07, 08)
2
Former open-wheel drivers in Cup (Juan Montoya, Dario Franchitti)
1
Indianapolis 500 win (Juan Montoya, 2000)
Ganassi Racing has five open-wheel championships -- including four consecutive in CART, the forerunner of the Champ Car World Series, from 1996-1999 -- and won the 2000 Indianapolis 500 with Montoya.
Both of those disciplines regularly contend for race wins and championships, so it's in NASCAR where Ganassi, who transitioned from a driving career that went from local Formula Ford racing in the SCCA all the way to the Indianapolis 500, has found his biggest challenge.
Ganassi came to NASCAR in 2001, when he purchased a majority interest in Team SABCO from Sabates, and he made an immediate impact. Lead driver Sterling Marlin was third in the 2001 Cup championship and, until he was injured in the fall of the next season, led the standings for more than two-thirds of the season and appeared on his way to a coveted series title.
Since then, Ganassi has expanded his Cup and Nationwide operations, as well as maintaining an active driver development program.
As 2008 opens, Ganassi has the potential to get into the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the first time as Sorenson and Montoya, who won the 2007 Cup rookie of the year award, continue to develop.
Q: What are your expectations for this year?
Ganassi: I think when you look at Dario I think we are looking for a season that would parallel Juan's season from last season. I think when you look at Reed and Juan you say 'OK, it's time for those guys to take the next step up -- get to the next rung up the ladder.' It's either close or damn close to the Chase.
I would have been in the Chase twice [with Jamie McMurray in 2004 and 2005] if they would have been in the top 12 before that, right -- or if they hadn't taken 25 points from me at Bristol.
Q: Do you think there's a misperception of how Juan Montoya is, and do you wish people could see him as just someone who loves to race and be around racetracks?
Ganassi: That's what I've been saying all along. That's what I said the day we announced him in Chicago. I still stand by that. I was just at a sponsor function and they were saying that they couldn't believe that he was the last one -- you know Felix has a boat down [at Daytona Beach marina] -- [Montoya] was literally the last one off the boat.
I mean, this wasn't late or anything. It was like 7 p.m. or something and they had a dinner to go to, but he was the last one there. So, what does that tell you about the guy? It's not a story that he enjoys NASCAR. He's enjoying the racing, enjoying the series, enjoying the busy life.
Q: You have two open-wheel guys in your Sprint Cup cars, Juan Montoya and Dario Franchitti, and another in development, Bryan Clauson. So do you feel you have an affinity for open-wheel drivers?
Ganassi: I have an affinity for being at the front. That's my affinity -- being at the front. It doesn't have anything to do with where drivers come from. I don't care if they come from Mars.

Q: What's your take on the way Reed Sorenson early this season?
Ganassi: I think we've seen a maturation process in that guy over the winter and he's stepped up. I think part of that is having Juan as a teammate last year has helped him step up. I think bringing Dario on has helped him step up.
He's stepping up. He's doing what we've asked him and what we want him to do. He's doing exactly what we want him to do. We couldn't be happier.
Q: Why do you think Reed has matured?
Ganassi: That's a good question. I don't have the answer to that. I don't know what it was, because if I knew what it was I would have done it a lot sooner I can tell you that. Or I would have given it to him a lot sooner, whatever it was.
Different people are on what I call the performance treadmill. People are just on different angles and different speeds with their treadmill. They all get there eventually, some sooner than others. I'm just happy to see that Reed had a good offseason in that regard.
Q: What shows that on the track?
Ganassi: You never know. I was talking to Reed the other day about this and a lot of times you could say that he's the same guy and our cars have gotten better. You'd be surprised; when you have a good car it's a hell of a lot easier to look good.
Good cars make people look good, but just in his driving style I've seen some moves that I haven't seen before -- or a level of, I don't want to say aggressiveness, but a level of determination that I haven't seen before."
"I think you should be able to grow $100 bills in your garden, but I don't know what that means."
CHIP GANASSI
Q: You've won championships in several forms of racing, except NASCAR. So is that a testament to how difficult it is, and is it one of your goals to be the first to succeed in North America's three main forms of racing?
Ganassi: I certainly see it as a goal. Yes, I certainly want to be the first to do it. Yeah, that's a goal."
Q: Does all the attention given to Hendrick and Gibbs eat at you a little bit?
Ganassi: No, I think it's kind of good because it takes the focus off. I'm glad that it takes the focus off of us and you can let us get some work done and not have the scrutiny of you [media] guys.
You're over there talking to those guys and you might not be looking at us that close. That's fine. I'm glad. It's fun to work when the spotlight is on you, but it's easier to work when it's on someone else. You'll focus on me at the appropriate time I'm sure.
Q: Does it matter to you when NASCAR makes the move to the new chassis in the Nationwide Series?
Ganassi: It's going to be interesting this year to see how it pans out. For the last few years it seems like the Nationwide Series was a test for the Cup Series because the cars were similar. You're going to see this year that with the cars being so different how that works.
Is the Nationwide Series going to be as interesting as it was in the past? Some drivers looked at that like they were here on Saturday already, and it was a learning experience for Sunday. Some drivers looked at it as a way to put some extra money in their pocket. Some drivers looked at it as a way to get their own little team started.
It's going to be interesting to see if the Nationwide Series is ever going to be more than a Saturday warm-up for Sunday. Can it break off on its own? Again, these are questions to ask NASCAR.
Q: Can you convert your fleet to a new chassis by next year or would you like to see it phased-in, as it was in the Cup Series?
Ganassi: We're in a period now where sponsorship is tight, so I don't think the owners are looking for any more projects that they have to swallow like a COT Nationwide. You can't swallow those kinds of things easily.
It's no coincidence that the announcement of COT in Cup and the injection of outside money into the sport [came at the same time]. That's no coincidence.
Q: Where are you on getting a full season of sponsorship for Dario Franchitti's No. 40 Dodge?
Ganassi: We're piecing it together. We are happy where we are and what we've accomplished in a difficult market. We have every intention of being there and running it, so we're probably a third to a half of the way there right now.
Q: Is NASCAR still a good buy for sponsors?
Ganassi: One of the things that my sales people are telling me is the difference is, we are not losing sponsors to other teams -- we are losing them to them not being in the sport. We're not losing them to Hendrick or Roush or anybody.
I'm not the sales guy so it's hard for me to talk about that, but I can tell you that it's a difficult sales market right now.
Q: Where are you with bringing international sponsors into the sport?
Ganassi: It's a building-block process. Any time you are talking about the kinds of numbers that we're talking about in Cup these days -- you're talking about big numbers. The bigger the numbers the longer the time it takes to put a deal together. That's just a fact of life. You know, we're not talking about $500,000 sponsorships
Q: Felix Sabates is pretty outspoken about NASCAR franchising. Where do you stand on that issue?
Ganassi: I'm sure that in due time NASCAR will do what is best for everybody or what they think is best for everybody. I used to get caught up in all that stuff and I'm happy to do what I do and take care of the team and leave the politics to everyone else. That's why I have a partner that's good at that.
Q: Do you think there should be some equity for someone that has been around for a certain number of years?
Ganassi: I think you should be able to grow $100 bills in your garden, but I don't know what that means. I don't know what everybody else thinks of that, but that's what I think.
Fast Facts
What
UAW-Dodge 400
When
3:30 p.m. ET Sunday
TV
FOX
Radio
PRN / Sirius Ch. 128
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Q: To what degree were you consulted on the re-unification of open-wheel racing?
Ganassi: There can't be five people on the planet that [didn't] want it to happen. The only consultation I had was I got a phone call one day that said if we get this thing back together we might need a car. I said, 'no problem.'
It's probably like the 1994 baseball strike. The work really begins once you get all of the problems behind you. It would be nice to get all of the issues in one place. Get all of the rules-makers in one place. Get all of the promoters in one place. Get everybody at one table instead of two. It would certainly end a lot of confusion in the marketplace.
Q: What are your thoughts on all the talk about Hendrick and Gibbs being the dominant teams?
Ganassi: You know, I was pretty happy in the [Gatorade Duel] 150s when it was Hendrick, Gibbs, Hendrick, Hendrick and us. I can't speak for other teams in where they are in their program.
I just think that we made some moves over the winter and our team has stepped it up a little bit. Whether it's our drivers, our engine program [or] our COT program -- I think everything can come up a step and I'd like to think that we've moved up a notch on the ladder. What that means for other teams I have no idea.
Every winter every team works in the offseason. Every team wants to work better. For our team, where we are in the pecking order, we need to work harder. I'm thinking that we've made a step or two up the rung. In terms of the other guys, I can't say where they're at. I wish them well and here we go.
It's just like that Super Bowl. Everybody thought that the Patriots were going to win and wanted the Giants to win, right? That's why they play the game. You just can't hand the trophy out. They have to have a race first.
You still have to execute. You still have to do pit stops. You still have to have luck on your side. Your engine still has to get to the finish. You can't get caught up in a crash. There are a lot of things that can happen. Look at all the talk about the Patriots -- they still had to play the game.