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CUP: Ganassi Looks To Make History
Chip Ganassi is the only car owner to win the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 in the same season...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted July 20, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Team owner Chip Ganassi (Left) celebrates with Jamie McMurray (Right) after McMurray's win in the 2010 Daytona 500. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Already this season, car owner Chip Ganassi has done something none of his peers ever has: Win the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 in the same season.

Ganassi and his NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya head to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week in search of victory in Sunday’s Brickyard 400, a race Montoya dominated last season, only to be felled by a late-race pit road speeding penalty that cost him a near-certain triumph.

If one of Ganassi’s drivers does manage to capture the Brickyard 400, it would complete the sweep of what IMS officials are calling “the Triple Crown of American racing” — winning the Daytona 500, Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same season — something that’s never been done before.

That said, while Ganassi’s teams, particularly his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates NASCAR Sprint Cup team, have had their highlight-reel moments so far in 2010, there also have been lots of struggles: McMurray is 18th in Cup points right now and Montoya 21st, having combined for nine DNFs this season. Barring a miraculous run over the next seven races, neither driver is likely to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

“At the big events, our season has been pretty good,” Ganassi said. “Obviously, with the wins at Daytona and Indianapolis, we have the big events covered. It seems to be those damn little events in between. I don’t want to say little events; everybody will get mad at me. But it’s those races in between that make up the series that we seem a bit challenged by from time to time. Obviously, if you want to win some, those are the ones you want to win.”

For his part, Ganassi said he isn’t sure why his team has fared better at the big events than at the smaller ones.

“I don’t know. I wish I could put a finger on it myself,” Ganassi said. “Our drivers get up for big events. They seem to like those places. Jamie and Juan in NASCAR both like Daytona, Dario (Franchitti) and Scott (Dixon) both like Indianapolis, Scott Pruett (Ganassi Grand Am driver) likes Daytona. So our guys like the places and they seem to be good at the places where the big races are. So many times you have drivers who are good at a particular type of track. Fortunately, our guys are good at the tracks that have the big races. Believe me, that’s a big help, and it’s no small thing.”
Chip Ganassi is searching for his first Brickyard 400 win as a team owner. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Back when he drove for Ganassi in open-wheel cars, Montoya won the Indy 500 and at last year’s Brickyard 400, he led 116 of 160 laps. Clearly, IMS is a track Montoya has got down pat.

“I think I know what makes him good (at IMS),” said Ganassi. “The thing I like about Juan and what I think makes him good is that he drives every lap. He races every lap. Having said that, there are certain tracks, ... there are certain things guys like. If you were to, say, look at Jamie’s career, you’d say, ‘Boy, great speedway guy.’ You’d look at Dario’s career, and you’d say, ‘Hey, the guy loves street races.’ Everybody’s got something they like. And for some reason, Juan gets around Indianapolis well.”

All of which leaves Ganassi fired up about the chances of another big victory on Sunday.

“Drivers are always looking for particular feel in a car, and they get that feel at certain tracks and they take off,” said Ganassi. “So what does that for Juan at Indianapolis? I don’t know. But he and Jamie like that place, so I’m excited.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.

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