INTERVIEW: ROB WIDDOWS
Floyd Ganassi Jr, better known aS ‘Chip’, is quite simply one of the most successful team owners in the sport. He came to motor racing as a driver and raced at Indianapolis before deciding he’d be more successful out of the car.
His team, Chip Ganassi Racing, has won all there is to win including 14 open wheel titles (10 IndyCar and four Champ Car). It’s accumulated a total of 242 race wins including the Indy 500 five times, Grand-Am five times, Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans. And they are still going with teams in IndyCar, IMSA, WEC and Extreme E. Today, Ganassi has his own chapter in American racing history. But, as he tells us from his base in Indianapolis as heads into a new IndyCar season with four cars for Scott Dixon, Alex Palou, Marcus Ericsson, and rookie Marcus Armstrong, he’s not done yet.
Motor Sport: How far has IndyCar come in recent years? Is the sport in better shape since Roger Penske took control?
Chip Ganassi: I guess it’s all about your perspective. Somebody coming in during the last year or two might not think much of it but for me, after 35 years in the sport, it’s been a great thing. We are stewards of the sport, of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, these are national assets, so when you look at the Speedway, for example, this is a regional if not a national treasure and the same could be said of IndyCar itself.
Who owns a sport?
