00:00:00
Speaker 1: There's nothing like the magnitude of the Indianapolis five.
00:00:02
Speaker 2: Hundred and one.
00:00:03
Speaker 1: Guy that knows that and more. He is a driver in five Indianapolis five hundreds. He has also been part of the ownership of seven different Victory Lane swigs of milk. Chip Ganassi of chip Ganassi Racing, Me joining me on chip Kannassi Racing, joining me on the program. Chip.
00:00:19
Speaker 2: How are you great? Jake? How man?
00:00:21
Speaker 1: I'm good. I'm ready to go. Man, I'm fired up, me too. It's going to stay dry at least, this is what we're saying. Right. I want to know this first and foremost, and that is with all of the obligations, all of the sponsorships, the dinners, the luncheons, everything that happens. I always feel like around now is kind of when you can take the deep breath and the race is the fun part. Now I'm not I don't have money involved in it and ownership and everything else. What about for you? At what point does it become you know, hey, now the easy part comes because it's it's just another race, so to speak.
00:01:00
Speaker 2: Well, it's hard. Yeah, you could hardly say that going five hundred miles around Indianapolis is the easy part. But certainly yes, you know, we look forward to getting the race underway. That's what we do best. But hey, let's face it. You know, all the things that go on around the Indianapolis five hundred make it the great event that it is. You know, whether it's the Hall of Fame dinner tonight. You know, we have sponsors who are all starting to arrive and they're excited to be a part of the greatest spectacle in racing. You know, all these things that go along with him make it the Indianapolis five hundred. It would be great to turn it into you know, some people would like to see us just turn it into another race, but it's not just another race. Let's face it.
00:01:43
Speaker 1: You have two drivers, you know, obviously you have three. Kiffin Simpson, I think has really emerged into solid young driver that has kind of sponged everything that you guys have given him right by sevens, right and right. And then you have two obviously in Scott Dixon and and Alex Palo that at least from the outside ship they appear to be unflappable. But what about from the inside. What is it about for all three of you drivers? But certainly with the accomplishments of Scott and Alex Plow. What is it from what you have been able to see that make them different?
00:02:18
Speaker 2: Well, I think you know, let's face it, there are lots of drivers out there that can win races, but there are very few drivers that are champions, and I think that's a different thing. You know, drivers that are champions come on to a team and they lift everyone. They bring out the best. You know, people say, well, they're the best driver, but you know what, the fact the matter is, they bring out the best in the rest of the team. People like Scott and Alex make us all stand up a little straighter, make us all work a little harder, be a little more dil and uh that type of thing. They they bring out the best in the people around them. That's what makes them champions.
00:03:08
Speaker 1: You are someone and you can offer I think from an ownership standpointship CANASSEI you know a perspective that many of your colleagues or competitors have, but not all of them, and that is that you can relate to what it's like to being a driver. You know, like I said, you started five eighty five hundreds from you know, back in the first half of the eighties. Were you more nervous going into a race morning as a driver or an owner?
00:03:33
Speaker 2: Great question. Yes, it probably an equal amount of nervousness, just in a different area. I mean I think, uh, you know, as a driver, you're focused on that day. Uh, and you're nervous about the uh you know, the out you want to do your best. You you know, you're you're on the dance floor and you know when that green flag drops, it's times of dance and uh, you know, But as an owner, you're your your nervousness is uh is let's just say it's more modulated over an entire season of of of trials and tribulations and ups and downs, and you just hope them to moderate them as best you can.
00:04:15
Speaker 1: Over the course of the practice itself and going into qualifying. Have you ever chipped? Do you guys ever feel like you have going into a RaSE the perfect car and the perfect setup or is it a constant chase?
00:04:30
Speaker 2: It's a constant chase, Jake, I mean, you know, you you're these cars today are so sickle that you know the speeds you're going, You're constantly tuning the car for the condition. Uh, you know, the these things today, the the the engines are such a high performance uh tool that you know when the sun goes behind a cloud, uh, you know, just that wan or one degree change in the ambient temperature can affect the engines. So it's you know, you're constantly tuning for the condition that the cars are in. You never feel like you're there, and the minute you do, you're going to find yourself sadly disappointed in an outcome because you know it's the same with strategy and then with tuning the car. You're constantly tuning for that moment in the condition.
00:05:29
Speaker 1: Do you have superstitions.
00:05:32
Speaker 2: I don't know that I have superstitions, But I have a few things that I do that I that seemed to become become a habit on a race morning or a race day or yes, But I don't think I'm very superstitious. I try to. I try to avoid that kind of thing because I don't want to jinx anything.
00:05:50
Speaker 1: Give me one of your habits, Give me one of the things that makes you peculiar.
00:05:55
Speaker 2: One of the things that make me peculiar. I have lots of those.
00:05:59
Speaker 1: You want to start, as you say, I looked up and I thought, well, the show's over at three, I might be in trouble here.
00:06:04
Speaker 2: Right, how much time you have?
00:06:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, okay, give me one thing that when on race morning, though, that you do make certain of, you know, like you know what I'm going to go about doing this, because It's worked out well for me in the past.
00:06:16
Speaker 2: Well, I try not to suffer any fools on race morning. You know, there we have lots of people here and we're entertaining lots of people. But the fact of the matter is I'm focused on on the time of the things at hand. And you know, it's almost as a team owner, it's out of your control. The closer you get to the green flag, really, you know, as the after the last practice, I mean, after the last race meeting, the last debrief, things are out of my control. And then it's hard to have an effect on anything. You know, the team takes over and you know, we have a low We have one hundred and one hundred and fifty plus team members on site here and and you know, you're just hoping that everybody has a clean day. We like to have an uneventful day. If you have an uneventtal day, you're going to have a good race.
00:07:11
Speaker 1: Chip I would be remiss if I didn't ask you about this with the Indy five hundred coming up, obviously, but there was as you know, I'm sure you're aware of this and Racer, and I've talked with Sage Careen about this in the past and I've always appreciated his transparency. But there were a lot of headlines made yesterday because Sage did, you know, a pretty big interview with Racer where he talked about just the emotional challenge for him of overcoming the nightmare of that accident that unfortunately fatally injured Justin Wilson back in Pocono, and Sage was driving for you when it happened. Just wanted your overall thoughts on that journey for Sage and in addition to that, for a really young driver at that time, your recollection of having to be there for him as a support staff, letting them know that it was an accident and not an intentional and that it's a terrible part of the sport.
00:08:07
Speaker 2: It's certainly a terrible part of the sport. And you know, we none of us, uh, none of us are ever prepared for it. I think it's all on the back of our minds that that that those things can happen, Those accidents can happen. And and you know, for Sage, you know, at such a young age to experience something like that is is is difficult and traumatic. And but he he he understands that it's it's it was an accident. And and and at the end of the day, accidents do happen. We're all everybody in this sport is aware that it had nothing to do with with Sage or his uh, his performance or or otherwise. And and and you know, the good news is he's got a good support system around him, a good family and uh and and I think they were all there for him as we were. And you know, it was just an unfortunate thing that day.
00:09:05
Speaker 1: Yeah, a year ago, you got the win with Alex Polo, he starts on pole. You've got Scott Dixon, You've got Tiff and Simpson. You've got you got three pretty good ones loaded up, man, and it's going to be a ton of fun. One hundred and tenth running. And I can speak Chip from a media standpoint and saying I appreciate your accessibility throughout the course of the year, but I think I also represent race fans in general. And just saying for you and all of the owners, thanks again to the commitment and putting on what has become and always will be the signature moment for this city in terms of the calendar year. Look forward to it and certainly wish you the best of luck.
00:09:39
Speaker 2: Thanks Jake, and thanks for everything. We'll look forward to seeing you Sunday, hopefully at the end of the race in winner circle.
00:09:46
Speaker 1: Sounds good. That's Swigham out for Chip Canassi. Appreciate it, Chip, Chip Gnassi joining me on the program
Speaker 1: There's nothing like the magnitude of the Indianapolis five.
00:00:02
Speaker 2: Hundred and one.
00:00:03
Speaker 1: Guy that knows that and more. He is a driver in five Indianapolis five hundreds. He has also been part of the ownership of seven different Victory Lane swigs of milk. Chip Ganassi of chip Ganassi Racing, Me joining me on chip Kannassi Racing, joining me on the program. Chip.
00:00:19
Speaker 2: How are you great? Jake? How man?
00:00:21
Speaker 1: I'm good. I'm ready to go. Man, I'm fired up, me too. It's going to stay dry at least, this is what we're saying. Right. I want to know this first and foremost, and that is with all of the obligations, all of the sponsorships, the dinners, the luncheons, everything that happens. I always feel like around now is kind of when you can take the deep breath and the race is the fun part. Now I'm not I don't have money involved in it and ownership and everything else. What about for you? At what point does it become you know, hey, now the easy part comes because it's it's just another race, so to speak.
00:01:00
Speaker 2: Well, it's hard. Yeah, you could hardly say that going five hundred miles around Indianapolis is the easy part. But certainly yes, you know, we look forward to getting the race underway. That's what we do best. But hey, let's face it. You know, all the things that go on around the Indianapolis five hundred make it the great event that it is. You know, whether it's the Hall of Fame dinner tonight. You know, we have sponsors who are all starting to arrive and they're excited to be a part of the greatest spectacle in racing. You know, all these things that go along with him make it the Indianapolis five hundred. It would be great to turn it into you know, some people would like to see us just turn it into another race, but it's not just another race. Let's face it.
00:01:43
Speaker 1: You have two drivers, you know, obviously you have three. Kiffin Simpson, I think has really emerged into solid young driver that has kind of sponged everything that you guys have given him right by sevens, right and right. And then you have two obviously in Scott Dixon and and Alex Palo that at least from the outside ship they appear to be unflappable. But what about from the inside. What is it about for all three of you drivers? But certainly with the accomplishments of Scott and Alex Plow. What is it from what you have been able to see that make them different?
00:02:18
Speaker 2: Well, I think you know, let's face it, there are lots of drivers out there that can win races, but there are very few drivers that are champions, and I think that's a different thing. You know, drivers that are champions come on to a team and they lift everyone. They bring out the best. You know, people say, well, they're the best driver, but you know what, the fact the matter is, they bring out the best in the rest of the team. People like Scott and Alex make us all stand up a little straighter, make us all work a little harder, be a little more dil and uh that type of thing. They they bring out the best in the people around them. That's what makes them champions.
00:03:08
Speaker 1: You are someone and you can offer I think from an ownership standpointship CANASSEI you know a perspective that many of your colleagues or competitors have, but not all of them, and that is that you can relate to what it's like to being a driver. You know, like I said, you started five eighty five hundreds from you know, back in the first half of the eighties. Were you more nervous going into a race morning as a driver or an owner?
00:03:33
Speaker 2: Great question. Yes, it probably an equal amount of nervousness, just in a different area. I mean I think, uh, you know, as a driver, you're focused on that day. Uh, and you're nervous about the uh you know, the out you want to do your best. You you know, you're you're on the dance floor and you know when that green flag drops, it's times of dance and uh, you know, But as an owner, you're your your nervousness is uh is let's just say it's more modulated over an entire season of of of trials and tribulations and ups and downs, and you just hope them to moderate them as best you can.
00:04:15
Speaker 1: Over the course of the practice itself and going into qualifying. Have you ever chipped? Do you guys ever feel like you have going into a RaSE the perfect car and the perfect setup or is it a constant chase?
00:04:30
Speaker 2: It's a constant chase, Jake, I mean, you know, you you're these cars today are so sickle that you know the speeds you're going, You're constantly tuning the car for the condition. Uh, you know, the these things today, the the the engines are such a high performance uh tool that you know when the sun goes behind a cloud, uh, you know, just that wan or one degree change in the ambient temperature can affect the engines. So it's you know, you're constantly tuning for the condition that the cars are in. You never feel like you're there, and the minute you do, you're going to find yourself sadly disappointed in an outcome because you know it's the same with strategy and then with tuning the car. You're constantly tuning for that moment in the condition.
00:05:29
Speaker 1: Do you have superstitions.
00:05:32
Speaker 2: I don't know that I have superstitions, But I have a few things that I do that I that seemed to become become a habit on a race morning or a race day or yes, But I don't think I'm very superstitious. I try to. I try to avoid that kind of thing because I don't want to jinx anything.
00:05:50
Speaker 1: Give me one of your habits, Give me one of the things that makes you peculiar.
00:05:55
Speaker 2: One of the things that make me peculiar. I have lots of those.
00:05:59
Speaker 1: You want to start, as you say, I looked up and I thought, well, the show's over at three, I might be in trouble here.
00:06:04
Speaker 2: Right, how much time you have?
00:06:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, okay, give me one thing that when on race morning, though, that you do make certain of, you know, like you know what I'm going to go about doing this, because It's worked out well for me in the past.
00:06:16
Speaker 2: Well, I try not to suffer any fools on race morning. You know, there we have lots of people here and we're entertaining lots of people. But the fact of the matter is I'm focused on on the time of the things at hand. And you know, it's almost as a team owner, it's out of your control. The closer you get to the green flag, really, you know, as the after the last practice, I mean, after the last race meeting, the last debrief, things are out of my control. And then it's hard to have an effect on anything. You know, the team takes over and you know, we have a low We have one hundred and one hundred and fifty plus team members on site here and and you know, you're just hoping that everybody has a clean day. We like to have an uneventful day. If you have an uneventtal day, you're going to have a good race.
00:07:11
Speaker 1: Chip I would be remiss if I didn't ask you about this with the Indy five hundred coming up, obviously, but there was as you know, I'm sure you're aware of this and Racer, and I've talked with Sage Careen about this in the past and I've always appreciated his transparency. But there were a lot of headlines made yesterday because Sage did, you know, a pretty big interview with Racer where he talked about just the emotional challenge for him of overcoming the nightmare of that accident that unfortunately fatally injured Justin Wilson back in Pocono, and Sage was driving for you when it happened. Just wanted your overall thoughts on that journey for Sage and in addition to that, for a really young driver at that time, your recollection of having to be there for him as a support staff, letting them know that it was an accident and not an intentional and that it's a terrible part of the sport.
00:08:07
Speaker 2: It's certainly a terrible part of the sport. And you know, we none of us, uh, none of us are ever prepared for it. I think it's all on the back of our minds that that that those things can happen, Those accidents can happen. And and you know, for Sage, you know, at such a young age to experience something like that is is is difficult and traumatic. And but he he he understands that it's it's it was an accident. And and and at the end of the day, accidents do happen. We're all everybody in this sport is aware that it had nothing to do with with Sage or his uh, his performance or or otherwise. And and and you know, the good news is he's got a good support system around him, a good family and uh and and I think they were all there for him as we were. And you know, it was just an unfortunate thing that day.
00:09:05
Speaker 1: Yeah, a year ago, you got the win with Alex Polo, he starts on pole. You've got Scott Dixon, You've got Tiff and Simpson. You've got you got three pretty good ones loaded up, man, and it's going to be a ton of fun. One hundred and tenth running. And I can speak Chip from a media standpoint and saying I appreciate your accessibility throughout the course of the year, but I think I also represent race fans in general. And just saying for you and all of the owners, thanks again to the commitment and putting on what has become and always will be the signature moment for this city in terms of the calendar year. Look forward to it and certainly wish you the best of luck.
00:09:39
Speaker 2: Thanks Jake, and thanks for everything. We'll look forward to seeing you Sunday, hopefully at the end of the race in winner circle.
00:09:46
Speaker 1: Sounds good. That's Swigham out for Chip Canassi. Appreciate it, Chip, Chip Gnassi joining me on the program
