Photo taken from INDYCAR website
By Dominic Feo
When former IndyCar driver Chip Ganassi’s professional racing career hit the brakes in 1984, he knew his time around the track was not over.
Forty-one years later, the now businessman has created Chip Ganassi Racing, one of the most dominant racing teams that IndyCar has ever seen.
“I’m too lazy to work and too nervous to steal, all that was left was racing,” Ganassi joked during the Chip Ganassi Racing a press conference on Feb. 28.
Since the current sanction began in 2008, the self-titled team has won 11 of the last 17 NTT IndyCar series championships.
Ganassi believes that consistency has been the most contributing factor to maintaining his team’s success.
“You have to redefine the mission every year and take a look at your vision, you regroup, you reacclimate, and go forward,” he said.
Chip Ganassi drivers Kyffin Simpson, Scott Dixon and Álex Palou are behind the wheel for the series opener at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Simpson is currently the youngest IndyCar series driver at just 18 years old. Going into his second season, he’s committed to learning from his more experienced teammates.
Photo by Kendall Bulkiewicz | The Crow’s Nest
“You catch little things that they say, how they talk to engineers, how they portray their feelings about the cars, all these little things help push me to be the best that I can,” Simpson said.
It is hard to find anyone more experienced than Scott Dixon, who at 44 years old, has only gotten faster since his championship-winning debut in 2003. He has gone on to win five more in 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2020.
Photo by Kendall Bulkiewicz | The Crow’s Nest
Approaching his 25th season, Dixon credits his consistency to the changes made by himself and Chip Ganassi every offseason.
“The offseason for [Chip Ganassi Racing] has been huge in the fact of diving in deep and understanding what we need to do,” Dixon said.
While he has long been the face of Chip Ganassi, Palou is on track to take over that title.
Photo by Kendall Bulkiewicz | The Crow’s Nest
Palou’s five seasons with IndyCar have been generational, winning three of the last four championships for Ganassi. He will have a chance to pull off the first three-peat for Ganassi since driver Dario Franchitti in 2011.
If Palou wants to etch his name in the history books, it will have to start with a solid outing in St. Petersburg.
“St. Pete has been a place that myself has personally been struggling in the past so hopefully we can start the year off strong,” Palou said.
After a thrilling qualifying session on March 1, Dixon will start from 6th on the grid, Palou will start in 8th and Simpson will start in 15th. They’ll join 24 other drivers to compete for the first NTT Indycar victory of the 2025 season.
