Chip Ganassi

Floyd "Chip" Ganassi, Jr (born May 24, 1958) is a former American racing driver and a current team owner. He has been involved with the North American auto racing scene for over 30 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners.

He is currently the owner and CEO of Chip Ganassi Racing which operates teams on the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and Tudor United SportsCar Championship. His NASCAR operation was formerly under the banner Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, after a partnership with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. in 2009.

Racing driver

Ganassi attended the Bob Bondurant Driving School in 1977. He won his first auto race in a Formula Ford at the age of 18. He began his CART (Champ Car) racing career in 1982 upon graduating from Duquesne. Though a broken camshaft kept him from completing his first CART race at Phoenix, Ganassi qualified with the fastest speed, 197 mph, and competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times, with a best finish of 8th in 1983. He was voted the Most Improved Driver in 1983, and took 9th position in the CART standing. During that season, he took Patrick Racing’s Wildcat onto the podium twice, the first at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, then again at Laguna Seca. The following season, he would go on and finish a career best second in to 1984 Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland, however, his career was cut short in his next race, by a big crash that injured him at Michigan.