The day Chip Ganassi talked Juan Montoya into running NASCAR, many things in his organization changed. Credit: Autostock

Conversation: Ganassi

Team co-owner surprised by scope of buzz over Montoya signing

Chip Ganassi didn't realize the hysteria he created with the signing of Formula One driver Juan Montoya to drive for his Nextel Cup team until he arrived at Iowa for a test session.

Sitting in the stands were fans from Colombia.

Not Columbia, Mo., or Columbia, S.C.

Bogota.

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The anticipation of Montoya's arrival into NASCAR's premier series in 2007 has created a worldwide buzz. Reporters from foreign countries that never acknowledged stock car racing are calling for credentials to tracks where Montoya is running in the Busch Series.

The sale of Montoya's Cup merchandise has crossed borders never crossed before in the sport.

Ganassi even has added a Spanish translation to his website.

The co-owner of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates recently spent some time talking about his hopes for Montoya in the No. 42 Dodge next season.

Q: What's been the most eye-opening thing you've seen around this Montoya fever?

Ganassi: Seeing with my own two eyes, people coming to a racetrack in Iowa from Colombia. Certainly, we've seen the [increase in] Web hits and our Spanish Web site.

But boy, for people to come from Colombia to a track in Iowa, that was surprising. People from Bogota, Colombia. That blows me away.

Q: Do you have plans to test 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon in Cup or Busch this year?

Ganassi: We often talk about it. Dan knows that if he ever wants to, the opportunity is there for him to do it. He's one of the people that has a keen eye on Montoya to see what happens.

I know Dan has some goals he still wants to achieve in open-wheel racing. When he accomplishes those goals, we'll take another look at it.

Q: Montoya said there is a perception in open-wheel racing that Nextel Cup is easy. Is he changing minds on that?

Ganassi: It's a tough question. Juan has been in three races now. He's learned a tremendous amount of information. The learning curve is steep. If you call each one of these races a step, you could say yes he's made solid steps.

He's got to make eight or nine more solid steps before he's where he needs to be. Did he make three solid steps? Absolutely. Was I happy with the steps he made? Absolutely. Does he have eight more than he's got to make? Absolutely.

So we're not by any stretch of the imagination there yet. A lot of steps to make.

Q: Did you have any preconceived ideas when you came to NASCAR from open-wheel racing that it would be easy?

Ganassi: No. None. I knew it was difficult. I was racing week-in and week-out with Roger Penske [in open-wheel] and I knew the effort he put into it and that it wasn't exactly a layup for him.

Q: When was the first dose of reality that it was tougher than you thought?

Ganassi: I would say if you look at it like the sweet spot of a tennis racquet, the sweet spot in open-wheel racing is four of five inches and there are a couple of three teams in it. In NASCAR, the sweet spot is the size of the whole tennis racquet.

	Credit: AP
	Inside the Numbers Juan Montoya's two Busch Series starts Track Start Finish Memphis 9 11 Texas 10 28 Average 9.5 19.5

Here's what gets me, in other forms of racing if you have a good car with good engineering you're 90 percent of the way there. If you have a good car and good engineering in NASCAR that's about 40 percent. You've still got to get out of the pit, have some luck. It's just a more complex group of moving targets.

Q: You won a lot of races and championships in IRL and Champ, but you've only won five races since 2001 in Cup and none since 2002. Are the struggles in Nextel Cup difficult to swallow?

Ganassi: No. Not at all. I love the challenge. The challenge is what it is for me. Sure it's difficult. I've never been one to take the easy street. I don't look at it that way at all.

We're still in the building process. A lot of these teams, it took a long time for them to become championship material. I'd like to think we're moving forward. We don't seem to be going backwards like I've seen a lot of teams do.

Q: So do you favor open-wheel racing or NASCAR now that you've experienced both?

Ganassi: I don't favor either one. Fans look at racing from year-to-year. But when you're in the business you can't look at it in a short period of time. You've got to look at it in five- and 10-year chunks.

Q: Would you rather win the Daytona 500 or Indianapolis 500?

Ganassi: Well, the Daytona 500 since I've won at Indianapolis a couple of times. I need a Daytona.

Q: If you hadn't won at Indy, would that make it a tougher decision?

Ganassi: If people had wings, would they fly? I don't know.

Q: Do you put more focus on NASCAR or open-wheel?

Ganassi: No. I stay involved with both.

Q: Can Montoya be the guy to win you a Cup title?

Ganassi: Some day, sure. Obviously, you don't bring a guy into your team because you think they're going to lose. We want to win championships, sure.

Q: Can he get you there quicker than somebody from another NASCAR series?

Ganassi: When I look at who the picks were out there, across the board, all the drivers that are available, you'd have to be foolish if you passed on Juan Pablo.

Q: Who else do you see jumping ship from open-wheel in the future?

Ganassi: I don't want to tell anybody. When the other owners start giving me driver picks, I'll start giving them driver picks.

Q: Have you brushed up on your Spanish with the arrival of Montoya?

Ganassi: Si.

Q: What's it like working with Felix Sabates on a weekly basis?

Ganassi: He is the best, the best. The sad thing to me is not a lot of people know Felix Sabates like I know him. He's a gem of a guy.

Q: He hasn't been very visible on the whole Montoya deal. Has that been by design?

Ganassi: He's in front of it as much as he wants to be. He's not in the back by any stretch.

Q: You were once the minority owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates in your hometown. Was baseball your first passion?

Ganassi: I used to go to baseball games with my father. I really got involved in the ownership at a time when the team was thinking about leaving the community. I feel being involved in your community is important. It was a good fit.

Q: Do you ever see yourself in that again?

Ganassi: You never know. I never say never. If an opportunity comes along like that again, I'll certainly look at it.