7:40 AM
fashion star
Indy Car: An unknown young driver then, Ganassi was trying to decide whether to spend $85,000 for a new Eagle chassis from Dan Gurney or $70,000 for a used Penske car. He purchased neither but still gained a valuable lesson in a phone call with a man who already was an auto racing magnate.
"Roger said, 'Whether you buy a used Penske or a new Gurney, the hotel rooms cost exactly the same,'" Ganassi said. "It sounds like a 'no,' but it's a really powerful statement. Compared to so many fixed expenses, the variable costs of the car are minuscule. It was some of the best business advice I've ever gotten."
Thirty years later, that conversation could be looked at as the template for how the twin powerhouses have dominated and guided the Izod IndyCar Series.
Sunday's World Championships at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will mark the fourth consecutive season finale in which Target Chip Ganassi Racing will battle Team Penske for the crown.
Since Ganassi scored its first win in 1994, the teams have been in a statistical dead heat in several categories. Ganassi has 85 victories, 431 top-10 finishes and eight titles. During the same span, Penske has notched 80 wins, 421 top-10s and four championships.
But while their relationship might be defined by their rivalry, it's also grounded in a stewardship of the sport that is symbiotic. As their teams have battled fiercely on the track, Ganassi and Penske have banded together off it to form a united front on the major issues facing IndyCar.
"We've tried to lead," Penske said. "He and I have stayed consistent on what we think is best for the series.
"Like Jerry Jones in the NFL and others in these big sports, owners have to lead because we're making the investment. Sometimes there's short-term thinking in the sanctioning bodies because they're not spending the money. If we're going to be good, we need to have the continuity of our sponsors, and that's where Chip and I are connected at the hip. We need to keep the Targets, Verizons and Shells in the sport."
Among the causes that have connected them:
When the Indy Racing League absorbed Champ Car more than three years ago, Ganassi and Penske were among the key players in the backroom discussions that led to peace between the warring series.
IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard has credited Ganassi and Penske with this year's adoption of double-file restarts after both watched how it energized NASCAR. Ganassi thought the change would help casual fans familiar with NASCAR relate to IndyCar, and Penske thought it would enhance competition.
"I said to Randy, 'If I wreck a couple of cars, that's my guys' fault,'" Penske said. "We're making it tougher on ourselves, but Chip and I were right together and typically thinking of the big picture. That's a good example of giving back to the series."
The two pushed for a switch to carbon brakes, which meant higher short-term costs but more durability, and they have endorsed the series' push to restrict testing.
Ganassi said he speaks with Penske at least a few times a month. As in their first telephone call, the topic is often cost containment.
"A lot of our competitors don't see it that way," Ganassi said. "When the bigger teams make suggestions, the smaller teams always think they're looking for an advantage. But it's really to save all of us money. It's hard to get across that paying more for an expensive part now can save money later. It's on those things that the bigger teams show leadership, and Roger and I have done that for the betterment of the sport."
Sometimes they help each other.
It still is somewhat of an odd coupling. Aside from a passion for winning, they share few similarities.
Penske, 74, has become synonymous with Detroit while building a multibillion-dollar empire around the auto industry, and his teams (replete with black slacks and starched shirts) reflect his buttoned-up business acumen.
Ganassi, 53, is a life-long Pittsburgh man who operates his businesses with more of a blue-collar savvy and a sometimes-gruff exterior.
The geographic divide of their teams (Ganassi is based in Indianapolis, Penske in Mooresville, N.C.) has precluded much personnel crossover, and the owners cut each other little slack despite their shared vision for the sport.
"The main thing is we respect each other," Penske said. "When the race starts, he watches every move we make. If we step out of line, he's letting (IndyCar officials) know, and vice versa."
Said Ganassi: "Our teams do a lot of keeping each other honest. Roger would be the first to call it in if we run over a hose in the pit lane. But, conversely, he's also the first to congratulate you. Getting an attaboy or pat on the back from him is a pretty good feeling."
There have been more of those congratulations recently as Ganassi has won the last three championships (two with Franchitti, one with Scott Dixon).
Penske still might be more renowned by virtue of having won a record 15 Indianapolis 500s (vs. Ganassi's three).
"I like when Penske is called the best, because it makes it that much sweeter when we beat him," Ganassi said with a chuckle. "I'm happy to give him that title, but we'll take the wins.
"Through his guidance and setting the bar high for so many years, he's made it possible for people like me to make a living at the sport. I hope I'm still enjoying it as much as he does in 20 years."
"Roger said, 'Whether you buy a used Penske or a new Gurney, the hotel rooms cost exactly the same,'" Ganassi said. "It sounds like a 'no,' but it's a really powerful statement. Compared to so many fixed expenses, the variable costs of the car are minuscule. It was some of the best business advice I've ever gotten."
Thirty years later, that conversation could be looked at as the template for how the twin powerhouses have dominated and guided the Izod IndyCar Series.
Sunday's World Championships at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will mark the fourth consecutive season finale in which Target Chip Ganassi Racing will battle Team Penske for the crown.
Since Ganassi scored its first win in 1994, the teams have been in a statistical dead heat in several categories. Ganassi has 85 victories, 431 top-10 finishes and eight titles. During the same span, Penske has notched 80 wins, 421 top-10s and four championships.
But while their relationship might be defined by their rivalry, it's also grounded in a stewardship of the sport that is symbiotic. As their teams have battled fiercely on the track, Ganassi and Penske have banded together off it to form a united front on the major issues facing IndyCar.
"We've tried to lead," Penske said. "He and I have stayed consistent on what we think is best for the series.
"Like Jerry Jones in the NFL and others in these big sports, owners have to lead because we're making the investment. Sometimes there's short-term thinking in the sanctioning bodies because they're not spending the money. If we're going to be good, we need to have the continuity of our sponsors, and that's where Chip and I are connected at the hip. We need to keep the Targets, Verizons and Shells in the sport."
Among the causes that have connected them:
When the Indy Racing League absorbed Champ Car more than three years ago, Ganassi and Penske were among the key players in the backroom discussions that led to peace between the warring series.
IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard has credited Ganassi and Penske with this year's adoption of double-file restarts after both watched how it energized NASCAR. Ganassi thought the change would help casual fans familiar with NASCAR relate to IndyCar, and Penske thought it would enhance competition.
"I said to Randy, 'If I wreck a couple of cars, that's my guys' fault,'" Penske said. "We're making it tougher on ourselves, but Chip and I were right together and typically thinking of the big picture. That's a good example of giving back to the series."
The two pushed for a switch to carbon brakes, which meant higher short-term costs but more durability, and they have endorsed the series' push to restrict testing.
Ganassi said he speaks with Penske at least a few times a month. As in their first telephone call, the topic is often cost containment.
"A lot of our competitors don't see it that way," Ganassi said. "When the bigger teams make suggestions, the smaller teams always think they're looking for an advantage. But it's really to save all of us money. It's hard to get across that paying more for an expensive part now can save money later. It's on those things that the bigger teams show leadership, and Roger and I have done that for the betterment of the sport."
Sometimes they help each other.
It still is somewhat of an odd coupling. Aside from a passion for winning, they share few similarities.
Penske, 74, has become synonymous with Detroit while building a multibillion-dollar empire around the auto industry, and his teams (replete with black slacks and starched shirts) reflect his buttoned-up business acumen.
Ganassi, 53, is a life-long Pittsburgh man who operates his businesses with more of a blue-collar savvy and a sometimes-gruff exterior.
The geographic divide of their teams (Ganassi is based in Indianapolis, Penske in Mooresville, N.C.) has precluded much personnel crossover, and the owners cut each other little slack despite their shared vision for the sport.
"The main thing is we respect each other," Penske said. "When the race starts, he watches every move we make. If we step out of line, he's letting (IndyCar officials) know, and vice versa."
Said Ganassi: "Our teams do a lot of keeping each other honest. Roger would be the first to call it in if we run over a hose in the pit lane. But, conversely, he's also the first to congratulate you. Getting an attaboy or pat on the back from him is a pretty good feeling."
There have been more of those congratulations recently as Ganassi has won the last three championships (two with Franchitti, one with Scott Dixon).
Penske still might be more renowned by virtue of having won a record 15 Indianapolis 500s (vs. Ganassi's three).
"I like when Penske is called the best, because it makes it that much sweeter when we beat him," Ganassi said with a chuckle. "I'm happy to give him that title, but we'll take the wins.
"Through his guidance and setting the bar high for so many years, he's made it possible for people like me to make a living at the sport. I hope I'm still enjoying it as much as he does in 20 years."
