Penske and Andretti lead tributes to Chip Ganassi

Chip Ganassi will this evening be inducted into the MSHOF in Daytona Beach, Fla., along with AMA bike legend Everett Brashear, NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, late Land Speed Record holder Gary Gabelich, NHRA commentator Dave McClelland, former all-’round racer, and subsequent writer and broadcaster Sam Posey, and 1955 Indy 500 winner and sprint car ace Bob Sweikert. For more details click here. 

Ganassi, a former Indy car driver, is the only car owner in history to have won the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500, the Rolex 24 At Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, the Brickyard 400, and earlier this month he added the 24 Hours of Le Mans to his list of conquests.

His teams have won 18 championships and 175 races. His open-wheel teams have amassed 11 championships and more than 100 victories, including five in the Indy 500. His NASCAR teams have 17 victories including wins in the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400. In addition to his recent win at Le Mans, his sports car teams have a record six Rolex 24 at Daytona victories to complement their seven IMSA sportscar series championships.

Many stars – rivals, partners, employees – have paid tribute. Roger Penske commented: “When you look back at how Chip transitioned from being a driver to a team owner and how he has built his organization into one of the top teams across all levels of motorsports – it certainly is remarkable.

“From IndyCar to NASCAR to sportscar competition, Chip Ganassi Racing has really raised the bar in all of those disciplines and the consistent performance of their teams has been very impressive over the years. We know that drive to succeed starts at the top with Chip. I am proud to call him a friend and a competitor and he is very deserving of this special honor.”

Mario Andretti commented: “I’ve known Chip since he was driving Formula Fords in the early ’80s. As he transitioned to team ownership, the motorsports world watched him reach the pinnacle of the sport by winning in all the major categories that he entered. In my eyes, that makes him an icon. His contributions to our sport are immense. He’s a tremendous competitor and also a great friend.” 

Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon added: “Chip is a great businessman and he is the definition of a racer. It doesn't matter what series, whether it's the Indianapolis 500 or the Brickyard 400, whether it's the Daytona 500 or the 24 Hours of Daytona, or Le Mans, Chip's teams will be battling for the win. It takes a great leader to accomplish the impressive victory résumé he has. Chip is a very deserving honoree."

Jim Campbell of Chevrolet, Ganassi’s partners in both IndyCar and NASCAR, praised his “incredible ability to attract talent and put people in the right positions to create team chemistry with a sole focus on winning,” before adding, “It’s a lot more fun racing with Chip Ganassi than it is against him.”

Ford Racing’s Product Development and Chief Technical Officer Raj Nair commented: “Celebrating our victory with the Ford GT at Le Mans with Chip is a moment that I'll never forget. That passion to win is what has driven him to success in every form of motorsport that he's chosen to participate in. I feel lucky to call Chip a colleague and friend.

Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO described Ganassi as “one of our most innovative and forward-thinking owners and a great ambassador,” while France’s counterpart at IndyCar Mark Miles expressed his gratitude for Pittsburgh, Penn.,-born owner’s “enormous contributions to IndyCar over the years.”

Chip Ganassi Racing’s two four-time IndyCar champions, Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti also heaped praise on their employer. Said Franchitti: As a driver, you want to drive for Chip because he gives the team everything it needs to do the job, and expects results. It’s been an absolute pleasure to drive for him.”

Dixon added: “I love Chip's competitive nature and I'm proud to have driven for the same team basically my entire career. This honor is well deserved and I hope we get to share many more trips to victory lane together in the future."

Managing director at CGR, Mike Hull summed up the attitude within the team. He said: "Chip Ganassi has taught us that the mere mortal's horizontal landscape is driven to a supersonic vertical climb when everyone in the room is reminded to act as one. His demeanor of a daily-defined priority helps us climb as one.

“The amazing thing is that it's usually accomplished by just one well-placed Chip sentence."