Filed under: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Chase for the Sprint Cup, FanHouse Exclusive, Indianapolis 500

INDIANAPOLIS -- A still-smiling Chip Ganassi stared down at the scene on the ground as the private jet we rode in ripped toward the sky at such a steep incline it was as if his beloved Indianapolis Motor Speedway below was tugging him back for more.

Less than an hour earlier, a massive crowd of some 400,000 had witnessed the Target Chip Ganassi Racing team win its second Indianapolis 500 in three years, and from the sky, the traffic looked like a maze flowing from the legendary speedway. Fans were still partying in the parking lots, fully satisfied they'd gotten their money's worth with Sunday's thrilling race and historic finish.

Less content was the 52-year-old Ganassi, who had just settled into his seat for the 56-minute plane ride toward the day's next order of business: the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race outside Charlotte, N.C. -- 600 more miles of competition 429 miles away.

Earlier, in the moments after his driver Dario Franchitti claimed racing's most sought-after checkered flag, Ganassi walked down Indianapolis' pit road for an overwhelming offering of congratulatory handshakes, hugs and pats on the back. Among the first to greet Ganassi was his great rival, Roger Penske.

With this victory, Ganassi had become the first race team owner in history to win the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500 in the same year -- a feat not even the sport's standard-bearer, 15-time Indy winner Penske, could claim.

And yet even before the significance of this historic accomplishment could set in -- before he'd tasted a drop of the Indy winner's milk -- Ganassi stopped outside victory circle, leaned over and shouted to me above the celebration, "We're going to Charlotte! I've got a new boost of energy and we've got another race to win.''

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments