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economist suntribune wheels thursday aug 8 2002 25 hes the big man with an even bigger heart a warrior a schemer a spender a dreamer and just how big are chip ganassis dreams these days step inside his suburban pittsburgh pa office located down on the left side of woodland drive just off powers run road at the mouth of the allegheny river and the dreams grow larger by the tro phy case the open lobby with its glass walls and glass windows glass trophies and glass treasurers carries a collection of awards big enough to make the neighbouring nfl steelers jealous sixtyone trophies line the showcase wall in every vari ety size shape and colour on the opposite side of the room just past the ganassi gift shop is another case completely empty just waiting to be filled says a receptionist at ganassis racing headquarters known as tcgr you just never know what mr ganassis going to bring home after a weekend you never know her words linger over the phone line the message is ailtoo clear chip ganassi the onetime racer and fulltime owner is a racing mystery wrapped in an enterprise everywhere he goes he wins every circuit he tries he seems to conquer and hes quickly running out of tracks this year competing in the indy racing league irl nascar and championship auto racing teams cart its conceivable his teams could actually win titles in all three series and he hasnt even turned 50 yet i guess im just trying to stay busy ganassi said at a june nascar stop in michigans irish hills busy ganassi aside from dividing time between all six of his racing teams aside from a first foray into the irl aside from every thing he has his hands in from racing to telecommuni cations to the board of governors in pittsburghs infamous rivers club he is still just a racer at heart hes a guy who was unable stay in it long enough to taste his own glory as a driver so hes creating it as an owner a penske wannabe but hardly a chip off any old block someone recently said to me when are you going to have some fun and my answer just rolled out of my mouth im having more fun than ever racing is racing and i just love it racing has always just been racing it was that way when chip then 12 was a pennsylvania kid serving dinner to nascar founder bill france sr at family gettogethers ganassi began racing at age 5 after his father a con tractor in the asphalt business paved a gocart track for a customer then found out the customer couldnt pay the reward three gokarts given in trade which gave chip a quick start in a sport he instantly loved by 19 he was attending the bob bondurant driving school then quickly working his way through the formula ford and super vee series by the time he turned 23 ganassi had entered his first indycar race received his degree from duquesne university in pittsburgh and qual ified as the fastest rookie for the indianapolis 500 all within a 10day period he once said race by race he worked his way through the ranks by hauling it and riding the wind all too soon it would come to a crashing end one season after he was voted the most improved driver by his peers ganassi went out and scored a careerhigh secondplace finish then went out for good after tangling with al unser jr later that summer he was seriously injured two years later he was serious ly out of racing for good you never know racing is all i ever wanted to do ganassi says and i knew i had to stay involved in some way and he would stay involved by slowly and surely becoming dominating combining his family business sense his driving experience and his spirit to never run out of gas or the will to win chips not always the easiest person to get along with former ganassi cart driver jimmy vasser said during qual ifications for the 2002 indy 500 he can be a stern guy to work with but hes a great manager hes a great leader and hes a great winner as a team owner that part was obvious right from the start ganassis first year as an owner after purchasing a part of patrick racing in 1 988 led to two cart wins with driver emerson fittipaldi an indy title followed then four race wins and the championship a year later two more years down the road with the sponsorship of the target retail chaine he had his own race team his own titles then another and another winning an unprecedented four consecutive cart championships from 1 996- and becoming one of the most successful teams of the late 90s a whirlwind he says and it has hardly let up two years ago ganassi jumped into nascar hiring topnotch people to run felix sabates fledgling team then became one of only two owners penske was the other to pull off a win on two different cir cuits on the same day this year he has even added the irl as a possibility with jeff ward as his driver the hard part deciding which race to attend sometimes he tries to do all of them on the same day everybody has a tool box i think its my job to give everybody the tools they need in their toolbox it makes everyones job easier if they have the right tools so why does he always seem to have the right ones sponsorships are bread and butter and he has made a healthy diet of securing the best ones cocacola honda target he has also stayed on the cutting edge of technolo gy he has hired the best he has hardly settled for less he has found the equation and hes still dreaming in this business he says we can win but we can never rest you never know n jason stein is a feature writer and the editor of wheelbase communications raceweek racing page he can be reached at jsteinwheelbasecomcom wheelbase communications supplies automotive news and features to newspapers across north america ready for summf r how about your car maintenance package 39 lube oil and filter 15 point inspection including coolant tires wipers hoses and belts tire rotation brake inspection top up fluids set tire pressure includes an electronic battery test brake maintenance service m 59 95 front or rear disc brakes clean debris corrosion lubricate and adjust brake pads knuckles caliper slider pins and backing plates includes a road test front brake pad replacement starting from 139 light duty trucks replacement of front pads with gm approved durastop parts brake fluid top up limited lifetime warranty on pads machining of rotors extra if required ask for our suspension inspection to ensure youregetting the best tire traction braking performance and overall vehicle control m m qf oodwrench semce rightontime at your gm dealership goodwrenchgrricanadacom 1800gmorive limited time only plus tax participating gm dealerships may set individual prices 10f includes up to 51 of gm premium motor oil offer valid on most gm vehicles offer available to retail customers only see service advisor for offer conditions and more details or call 1800gm drive durastop is a registered trademark of acoeico an official trademark of the province of ontario used yvith permission