IndyCar News
Ganassi Hoping it's as Easy as ‘One-Two-Three-Four’ with Titles on the Line
September 21, 2009
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The NASCAR Sprint Cup, IndyCar and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series are all in the stretch runs of their seasons and Chip Ganassi has four cars competing for three titles as the racing world prepares to crown its 2009 champions.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing sits one-two in the IndyCar Series point standings with drivers Scott Dixon (first) and Dario Franchitti(second, -5) after the duo finished nose-to-tail with Dixon winning the Indy Japan 300 last weekend. The win was the ninth in 16 races for the team this season – one away from TCGR’s record 10-win season of 1998 with Alex Zanardi and Jimmy Vasser. The IndyCar season wraps up at Homestead-Miami October 10th, where Dixon is the defending racewinner. Dixon (2008) and Franchitti (2007) are also the last two IndyCar Series champions.
TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates finished third in last weekend’s Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race in Utah with Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, putting the No.01 TELMEX Lexus-Riley 10 points out of the standings in third place entering the season finale in Homestead-Miami October 10th. The defending Daytona Prototype champions have two wins on the season and are defending racewinners at Homestead.
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and Team Target driver Juan Pablo Montoya finished third at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sunday, boosting Montoya from 11th to fourth in the standings with nine events to go in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Montoya and the No. 42 Target Chevrolet qualified for NASCAR’s Chase for the first time ever two weeks ago and head to Dover International Speedway this weekend.
To date, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams have won nine championships including two in 2008 (IndyCar Series and Rolex Grand-Am) and are no stranger to winning big races. Ganassi’s teams have 114 wins over open wheel, stock car and sports car racing (1990-Present) including two Indianapolis 500s and three Rolex 24 At Daytonas.
Of the nine championships, seven have been decided in the final race of the season, proving the teams are historically no strangers to performing under pressure.
