USA Today Sits Down With IRL, NASCAR Team Owner Chip Ganassi

Ganassi Discusses Owning Race Teams In Both NASCAR And IRL

In a Q&A with USA TODAY’s Seth Livingstone, NASCAR and IRL team owner CHIP GANASSI said of his emergence in the racing industry, “I got into car ownership when my driving stopped. I started off with seven employees and a $4[M] budget. Today I think we have 375 employees, about 250 on the NASCAR side. I hate to say this — but it’s a $100[M] business.” When asked about his “secret” for attracting and keeping sponsors like Target, Coors Light, Fuji Film, Energizer and Lone Star Steakhouse without many wins in NASCAR, Ganassi said, “I never say no to them. Start with that and having open and honest communication.” Ganassi, on the difference between team ownership in NASCAR and IRL: “In NASCAR, the quality teams run a little deeper today than they do in any other series of racing. The quality of the drivers is deeper. I wouldn’t say they’re better, it’s just that there is more depth.” When asked about his relationship with FELIX SABATES, who owns 20% of Ganassi’s racing business, Ganassi said, “Felix and I have had one argument since we got together (in 2000) and that was over a dinner check. Our relationship is more important to me personally than from a business point of view. The paperwork may say 80/20 on it, but Felix is as strong a confidant as I have in the sport” (USA TODAY, 8/4).