2008 Sprint Cup Preview- Chip Ganassi Racing
Maybe it’s all the red paints schemes on the cars. Maybe it’s the foreign intrigue that Dario Franchitti and Juan Pablo Montoya bring to the sport. Perhaps its all the young drivers in the garage. It could be Chip Ganassi’s success as an owner in open wheel racing. Whatever it is- there’s something very eye grabbing and very “new school” about Chip Ganassi Racing. 2008 should hold more of the same for Ganassi, be it for the good, or for the bad.
Juan Pablo Montoya is the face of Ganassi Racing. If you look at the description in the above paragraph, they all seem very reflective of Montoya himself. Montoya made a lot of headlines right from the get-go. In early 2007, Montoya became the first F-1 driver to defect to NASCAR, where he spent six seasons. The winner of the 2000 Indianapolis 500 showed indications of his brashness by all but skipping the lower tiers of NASCAR to compete in Cup racing. After a relatively quiet Daytona 500, the 32 year old Colombian made waves by crashing out a teammate in the Mexico Busch Series race. He made further dubious headlines for a number of in-race rubs and crashes. The most famous incident was his collision at Watkins Glen with the equally tempestuous Kevin Harvick. All the pushing and shoving didn’t amount to much, but the melee did a lot to push Montoya’s unpopularity to an all-time high, especially the more traditional NASCAR fan base. These events overshadowed Montoya’s first victory in a late surge to victory at Sonoma in June.
It can certainly be argued that as the season wore on, Montoya got the hang of the driving. It remains to be seen how his attitude will be going into 2008. Montoya’s experiences in making the adjustments from open wheel to “stock” car racing may prove valuable for Ganassi’s latest addition- Dario Franchitti. The former Indy car champion tested the water late in 2007 in the Busch Series, and apparently felt the call to go full-time in Cup racing in 2008. His development will be interesting to watch as Franchitti seemed to struggle and just plain looked uncomfortable in the heavier, boxier NASCAR rides. Nonetheless, the Scot will have his chance to try his hand at NASCAR racing free from having to worry about making the field, thanks to the top 35 owner points qualifying rule. In spite of the struggle, Franchitti has loyal fans and plenty who believe he’ll figure out the learning curve quickly, thanks to a greater commitment to the sport. Franchitti takes over David Stremme’s old ride- the #40 Dodge.
After arriving at the Cup level with great expectations in 2006, the forthcoming season may very well be hot seat time for Reed Sorenson. The youngster from Peachtree City, Georgia is still searching for his first Cup victory and some measure of consistency. Sorenson has shown promise, finishing 4th in the standings at Busch Series level in 2005. As a 17 year old in 2003, he became the youngest driver to win ASA regional rookie of the year honors. For the most part, Sorenson has shown an ability to run well on the one mile tracks, but has generally struggled in restrictor plate competition. Perhaps the most intriguing question may very well be what he thinks of the path his teammates have taken into NASCAR, as opposed to his own more traditional ascent to the Cup level.
With a crowd rooting for Sorenson, against Montoya, and studying the development of Franchitti- Chip Ganassi will NOT be a fly under the radar team. It seems this team has a Dale Earnhardt philosopy. Whether they’re cheering you or jeering, you know they’re paying attention to you.
One way or the other, Chip Ganassi is on the map.
