Ganassi Captures IndyCar Series and Rolex Grand-Am Wins While Finishing Second in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series

CONCORD, N.C. (April 29, 2008) - Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) and Target Chip Ganassi Racing (TCGR) celebrated a historic day Sunday by picking up two wins and a second-place finish in three different races across three different series. First, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas won the Rolex Grand-Am event at Virginia International Raceway. Then, Juan Pablo Montoya picked up a second-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, which was followed up by Dan Wheldon walking away with an IndyCar Series win at Kansas Speedway. Sunday’s results marked a team-best combined finish for the organization.

The day began with Rojas and Pruett starting their No. 01 TELMEX Lexus Riley from the back of the grid at VIR only to come roaring back through the field to pick up their third win in the first four races of the season. After teaming up with Dario Franchitti and Montoya to win the prestigious Rolex 24 At Daytona and picking up another win at Homestead Miami Speedway, Rojas and Pruett have dominated the series thus far. In their one other race of the season, they finished second at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Mexico.

Later in the day, CGRFS took to the track in Talladega, Ala. With all three cars starting from the second half of the grid, it didn’t take long for Montoya to move his No. 42 Wrigley’s ™ Juicy Fruit® Dodge into the top 10 where he would spend most of the day. Montoya would go on to tie his career-best stock car performance on an oval by leading his first laps of the season and finishing second on the final race rundown.

The day was capped off with Dan Wheldon picking up his first win of the season in Kansas. Although teammate Scott Dixon led for most of the race, Wheldon took over the lead with 40 laps remaining and never looked back with Dixon finishing third. It marked the second win for Team Target in the first four races of the season as Dixon won the season-opener at Homestead Miami Speedway at the end of March.

This also marks the second time this season Ganassi has won twice in the same day as both his IndyCar team (Dixon) and his Grand-Am team (Pruett and Rojas) picked up back-to-back wins on March 29 in Homestead.

Between Pruett, Rojas, Montoya and Wheldon, they represent four championships, two Indy 500 wins, 10 Rolex 24 At Daytona wins and nearly 100 professional victories. In addition, they represent four different countries - Pruett (United States), Rojas (Mexico), Montoya (Colombia) and Wheldon (England).

With five wins already in 2008, the team continues to add to its tally of 94 trips to victory lane. Ganassi’s teams now include two IRL IndyCars, and along with Felix Sabates he has three cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, two entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and a Daytona Prototype in the world of Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series racing. Ganassi’s IndyCar teams have amassed five Championships and 58 wins since 1994; his NASCAR teams have 12 wins and two Rookie-of-the-Year titles; and the Grand American team has won two Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Championships and are an unprecedented three-time defending Champions of the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Quote Board:

Chip Ganassi

“As a team owner, who is involved in a number of different series, you live for days like this,” said Team Owner Chip Ganassi. “I am so proud of these guys. Our Indy shop has been dominant from the first races of the season but I can tell you that I am extremely proud of the way our people are coming together in our stock car operation too.”

Felix Sabates

“Sunday was an exciting day for me and our team,” said Team Co-owner Felix Sabates. “My hat goes off to the guys on our NASCAR and Grand-AM teams as they have really rallied together to get our guys to the front of the pack in both the Sprint Cup and Rolex Series races.”