History of Chip Ganassi Racing in Timeline

Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) is an American auto racing organization founded in 1990 by Chip Ganassi. CGR competes in the NTT IndyCar Series, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Formerly, they participated in NASCAR, Global Rallycross, Extreme E, and the Rolex Sports Car Series. Ganassi established the team using assets from Patrick Racing to enter the CART IndyCar World Series, marking the beginning of a successful and diverse racing program.

1984: Career-Ending Crash

In 1984, Chip Ganassi's IndyCar World Series driving career was cut short due to a career-ending crash at Michigan.

1986: Al Holbert's back to back wins

In 2007, Ganassi won the race again, this time with Pruett, former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya, and Salvador Duran, making him the first owner to win it in back to back years since Al Holbert in 1986–87.

1989: Partnership with Pat Patrick

In 1989, Chip Ganassi joined Pat Patrick as co-owner for Emerson Fittipaldi's Marlboro IndyCar team. Patrick planned to retire at the end of the year, handing the team completely to Ganassi.

1989: Chip Ganassi Racing Formed

In 1989, Chip Ganassi officially took over the remaining assets of the team (including the 1989 Penske chassis) and renamed it Chip Ganassi Racing. He signed Eddie Cheever and raced full-time in the IndyCar World series with Target as the primary sponsor.

1989: Team SABCO Established

In 1989, Felix Sabates' Team SABCO NASCAR team was established, marking the beginning of its operations.

1989: Penske Chassis Fleet

In 1989, Penske supplied Patrick with a fleet of Penske chassis as part of the deal, and Fittipaldi took the Marlboro sponsorship to Team Penske.

1990: Chip Ganassi Racing Founded

In 1990, Chip Ganassi, a businessman and former racecar driver, founded Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) using the assets of Patrick Racing to compete in the CART IndyCar World Series. The newly formed team, also branded as Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, began its journey in auto racing.

1990: Alfa Romeo IndyCar Effort

In 1990, instead of retracting the sale of the team to Ganassi, Patrick restarted his team by taking over the upstart Alfa Romeo IndyCar effort.

1991: Rick Mears Wins Indy and Michigan

In 1991, Rick Mears won the Indianapolis 500 and the Michigan 500 in the same year.

1992: IRL Entry

Chip Ganassi Racing ran from 1992 to 2002 before moving into the Indy Racing League full-time.

1992: Expansion to Two-Car Effort

In 1992, Ganassi expanded to a two-car effort for the Indy 500, adding Arie Luyendyk for the Indy-only entry. He also debuted rookie Robby Gordon in selected events.

1993: Luyendyk Replaces Cheever

In 1993, Arie Luyendyk replaced Eddie Cheever full-time. Luyendyk won the pole position for the Indy 500 and finished second to Fittipaldi.

1994: Andretti Joins and First IndyCar Victory

In 1994, Michael Andretti joined Chip Ganassi Racing after returning from Formula One in 1993. He secured Ganassi's first IndyCar victory at Surfers Paradise.

1996: CART Championship Win

In 1996, Chip Ganassi Racing began a streak of CART championships with Jimmy Vasser, marking the first of four consecutive wins.

1996: CART Series Championship with Jimmy Vasser

In 1996, Chip Ganassi Racing won the CART series championship with Jimmy Vasser.

1997: CART Series Championship with Alex Zanardi

In 1997, Chip Ganassi Racing won the CART series championship with Alex Zanardi.

1998: CART Series Championship with Alex Zanardi

In 1998, Chip Ganassi Racing won the CART series championship with Alex Zanardi, marking a consecutive win.

1999: CART Championship Win with Juan Pablo Montoya

In 1999, Chip Ganassi Racing secured another CART championship, this time with Juan Pablo Montoya, marking the fourth consecutive win for the team.

1999: Montoya Wins Championship

In 1999, Juan Pablo Montoya won the championship in his rookie season with Chip Ganassi Racing.

2000: IRL Entry in Indianapolis 500

In 2000, Chip Ganassi Racing entered the Indy Racing League (IRL) with Juan Pablo Montoya and Jimmy Vasser in the Indianapolis 500, which was won by rookie Montoya.

2000: Return to Indianapolis 500 and Dominant Victory

In 2000, Ganassi became the first CART organization to return to the Indianapolis 500 after the open-wheel split. Juan Pablo Montoya secured a dominant victory, foreshadowing the team's permanent switch to the IRL (now IndyCar Series).

2001: Return to Indy with Multiple Drivers

In 2001, Chip Ganassi Racing returned to Indy with Jimmy Vasser, Bruno Junqueira, Nicolas Minassian, and Tony Stewart.

2001: Entry into NASCAR

In 2001, Chip Ganassi bought a majority stake in Felix Sabates' Team SABCO NASCAR team, which had operated since 1989, marking his entry into that championship as Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and inheriting that organizations history, while also partnering to compete in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.

2002: Full-Time Jump to IndyCar Series

In 2002, Ganassi made the jump to the IndyCar Series full-time with Jeff Ward driving one car, and added Kenny Bräck and Bruno Junqueira at Indianapolis.

2002: Ward Wins at Texas

In 2002, Jeff Ward won one race at Texas in one of the closest finishes in IRL history.

2003: Dixon Wins Series Championship

In 2003, Scott Dixon won three races and the IndyCar series championship for Chip Ganassi Racing.

2004: Darren Manning Drives

In 2004, Englishman Darren Manning drove for Chip Ganassi Racing, after Tony Renna was killed in a testing crash at Indianapolis.

2004: Ford's full-factory entrant in Formula One

In 2016, Ford returned to international automobile road racing as a full-factory entrant since 2004 Formula One season but under Jaguar Racing F1 Team banner after eleven-year absence, with Chip Ganassi teams racing their GT and achieving podium wins in the FIA GT manufacturer's category.

2005: Dan Wheldon Wins Indianapolis 500

In 2005, Dan Wheldon won the Indianapolis 500.

2005: Series has Multiple Engine Manufacturers

In 2005, IndyCar series had multiple engine manufacturers.

December 20, 2006: Chip Ganassi Racing announces Indy Lights team

On December 20, 2006, Chip Ganassi Racing announced that it would field an Indy Lights team for the first time in 2007, with drivers Chris Festa and Pablo Pérez.

2006: Chip Ganassi Racing wins the 24 Hours of Daytona

In 2006, Chip Ganassi Racing won the 24 Hours of Daytona with drivers Dan Wheldon, Scott Dixon, and Casey Mears, driving the 01 Lexus-rebadged Toyota-Riley car.

2006: Dixon and Wheldon Join Ganassi

In 2006, Ganassi scaled back to two cars, with Scott Dixon returning along with 2005 Indianapolis 500 Champion Dan Wheldon, whom Ganassi signed away from Andretti Green Racing.

2007: Chip Ganassi Racing's first Indy Lights season

In 2007, Chip Ganassi Racing fielded an Indy Lights team, but Pablo Pérez was severely injured. Chris Festa finished 10th in points. Alex Lloyd was signed at the end of the season. The team partnered with Integra Motorsports in 2007.

2007: Chip Ganassi Racing wins Daytona 24 again

In 2007, Ganassi won the Daytona 24 again, this time with drivers Scott Pruett, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Salvador Duran.

2007: Dixon and Wheldon Wins

The 2007 IndyCar Series season showed promise for Ganassi, as Scott Dixon took 4 wins and Dan Wheldon took 2 additional wins.

2008: IndyCar Series Championship

In 2008, Chip Ganassi Racing began a streak of IndyCar Series championships with Scott Dixon, marking the first of four consecutive wins.

2008: Partnership with Integra Motorsports

In 2008, Chip Ganassi Racing continued its partnership with Integra Motorsports, fielding development drivers like Marc Williams and Jonny Reid.

2008: Chip Ganassi Racing wins third Daytona 24 and Grand-Am Championship

In 2008, Chip Ganassi Racing won a third Daytona 24 in a row. Also in 2008, Chip Ganassi Racing won their 3rd Grand-Am Championship, with drivers Scott Pruett, and Memo Rojas.

2008: Dixon Wins IndyCar Season

The 2008 IndyCar season was even stronger for the team with eventual champion Scott Dixon taking wins at Homestead, Indianapolis, Texas, Nashville, Edmonton, and Kentucky, and teammate Wheldon finishing 4th overall.

2009: Merger with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

In 2009, Chip Ganassi partnered with Teresa Earnhardt, owner of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., to merge their NASCAR operations into Ganassi's shop, running under the banner of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

2009: Franchitti Joins Team

In 2009, Dario Franchitti replaced Dan Wheldon as Scott Dixon's teammate. Franchitti teamed with Dixon for the non-championship race at Surfers' Paradise at the end of 2008.

May 30, 2010: Franchitti Wins Indianapolis 500

On May 30, 2010, the Target Chip Ganassi car driven by Dario Franchitti won the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500.

2010: Switch to BMW-Riley and Grand-Am Championship win

For the 2010 Grand-Am season, the team switched from Lexus-Riley to BMW-Riley. Rojas and Pruett won 9 out of 12 races and won the Grand-Am championship.

2011: Series Engine Supplier Standardization

From 2006 to 2011, all IndyCar teams changed to Honda engines and Dallara chassis due to series engine supplier standardization.

2011: Alex Palou becomes the third Ganassi driver to win the IndyCar Series championship since 2011

In 2011, Alex Palou became the third Ganassi driver to win the IndyCar Series championship since the team joined the IndyCar Series and the first one other than Dixon since 2011.

2011: Fourth Consecutive IndyCar Series Championship

In 2011, Chip Ganassi Racing secured their fourth consecutive IndyCar Series championship.

2011: Expansion to Four Cars

In 2011, Ganassi expanded to add an additional 2-car team for Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball housed in the race shop of NHRA drag racer Kenny Bernstein.

2011: One-Two Finish in Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona

In 2011, Ganassi's Grand-Am Series team started the year by earning a one-two finish in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race. Scott Pruett defeated Scott Dixon by a small margin.

May 27, 2012: Franchitti and Dixon Top Two at Indianapolis 500

On May 27, 2012, the Ganassi cars driven by Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon came in first and second in the Indianapolis 500. It was Franchitti's third Indianapolis 500 win and his second win with Ganassi.

2012: Honda Engines for All Cars

In 2012, Ganassi announced that all 4 cars would be powered by Honda engines after the series decided to have multiple engine manufacturers for the first time since 2005.

2013: Kimball's First Win and Dixon's Third Title

In 2013, Charlie Kimball secured his first win at Mid-Ohio, and Scott Dixon added four wins to claim his third IndyCar title for Chip Ganassi Racing.

2013: Tony Kanaan Wins Indy 500

In 2013, Tony Kanaan won the Indy 500.

2014: Switch to Chevrolet Engines

In 2014, Ganassi switched to Chevrolet engines. Tony Kanaan joined the team to drive the No. 10 Target car, while Ryan Briscoe and NTT Data signed on for a full season in the No. 8 car.

2014: Earnhardt Name Dropped

In 2014, the NASCAR team dropped the Earnhardt name, with Ganassi revealing that Teresa was never truly involved with the team.

2014: Interest in Global RallyCross Championship

In late 2014, Ganassi attended the Global RallyCross Championship's season-ending race in Las Vegas, and as a result, expressed interest in fielding a GRC team.

March 18, 2015: Ganassi Announces Global RallyCross Team

On March 18, 2015, Ganassi announced the creation of a team that began competing in the GRC in 2015. The team hired former JR Motorsports NASCAR driver Steve Arpin and 13-time X Games medalist Brian Deegan to run the No. 00 and 38 M-Sport Ford Fiestas, respectively.

June 2015: Ford's return to Le Mans

In June 2015, Ford announced its return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016 with a four-car effort operating as Ford Chip Ganassi Racing.

2015: Riley-Ford Daytona Prototype in United SportsCar Championship

In 2015, CGR fielded a Riley-Ford Daytona Prototype in the United SportsCar Championship with Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, winning three races. Rojas was later replaced by Joey Hand, and the team fielded an "all-star car" at Daytona with IndyCar and NASCAR drivers.

2015: Rob Kauffman Purchases Stake

In 2015, Rob Kauffman, chairman of the Race Team Alliance, purchased a stake in Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR team.

2015: Dixon's Fourth Title

In 2015, Scott Dixon claimed his fourth title in a tiebreaker with Juan Pablo Montoya on the strength of three wins at Long Beach, Texas, and Sonoma.

2016: Dixon Wins Twice

2016 was a down year for the team, with Scott Dixon winning twice at Phoenix and Watkins Glen.

2016: Arpin earns first win at Daytona

In 2016 Arpin and Deegan were back full-time. Arpin earned the team's first win at Daytona.

2016: Ford's Return to Le Mans and Podium Wins

2016: FIA World Endurance Cup Results and Pole Positions

In 2016, Ford secured 3rd place in the FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Manufacturers. Car #67 finished 2nd and Car #66 finished 4th in the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Pro Teams. S. Mücke & O. Pla ranked 4th and A. Priaulx, H. Tincknell ranked 5th in the World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers. The #66 Car (Mücke, Pla) achieved pole position at the 6 Hours of Fuji and the #67 Car (Priaulx, Tincknell) at the 6 Hours of Shanghai. Scott Dixon set the fastest lap at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

2016: Move to GTLM Class with Ford GT

In 2016, the team moved to the GTLM class with the Ford GT, disbanding the Daytona Prototype program. Joey Hand partnered with Dirk Müller, while Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook were hired for the second GT. For Daytona, the Riley DPs were brought out one last time.

2017: Chip Ganassi Racing fields 4 cars since 2017

In 2017, Chip Ganassi Racing expanded to 4 cars for the first time since 2017 with Jimmie Johnson driving the road and street courses in the No. 48 car. For the ovals, they have former driver Tony Kanaan.

2017: Ed Jones Rookie of the Year

In 2017, Ed Jones was named Indycar Rookie of the Year.

2017: FIA World Endurance Cup Results and Pole Positions

In 2017, Ford secured 2nd place in the FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Manufacturers. Car #67 finished 2nd and Car #66 finished 7th in the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Pro Teams. A. Priaulx, H. Tincknell ranked 3rd in the World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers. The #67 Car (Priaulx, Tincknell, Derani) achieved pole position at the 6 Hours of Silverstone. Andy Priaulx set the fastest lap at the 6 Hours of Silverstone and Olivier Pla at the 6 Hours of Shanghai.

2017: Shutdown of Global RallyCross Program

In 2017, Ganassi announced he would shut down the Global RallyCross program to focus on other series. The team's assets were acquired by Loenbro Motorsports.

2017: Return to Honda and End of Target Sponsorship

In 2017, Ganassi switched engine suppliers back to full-works Honda and retained their four drivers, earning full-factory support from Honda. Also, 2017 marked the end of Target sponsorship in Indycar.

2018: Downsize to Two Cars and Dixon's Fifth Title

In 2018, Ganassi downsized to two cars. Scott Dixon remained in the No. 9 and won his fifth IndyCar title. Ed Jones drove the No. 10 car.

2018: Pole Position at 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps

In 2018, the #67 Car (Priaulx, Tincknell, Kanaan) achieved pole position at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

2019: Dixon Wins, Rosenqvist Rookie of the Year

In 2019, Scott Dixon secured victories at Detroit and Mid-Ohio, while Felix Rosenqvist earned Rookie of the Year honors for Chip Ganassi Racing.

May 2020: CGR Joins Extreme E Series

In May 2020, CGR joined the Extreme E electric racing series for its inaugural season in 2021.

2020: Return of No. 8 Entry

In 2020, Chip Ganassi Racing saw the return of its No. 8 entry, driven by Marcus Ericsson.

2020: Felix Sabates Retires

In 2020, Felix Sabates retired from his ownership role in Chip Ganassi Racing.

2020: Dixon's Sixth Championship

In the delayed 2020 season, Scott Dixon won the first three races and ultimately secured his 6th Indycar championship for Chip Ganassi Racing. Rosenqvist scored his first win at Road America.

January 2021: GMC Sponsorship and Rebranding

In January 2021, GMC announced a sponsorship deal with CGR, rebranding the team as GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing and styling the Spark ODYSSEY 21 as the Hummer EV for the 2022 season onwards.

2021: Alex Palou wins IndyCar Championship

In 2021, Alex Palou replaced Felix Rosenqvist on the team. Jimmie Johnson drove the No. 48 car on road and street courses, while Tony Kanaan drove on ovals. Palou won at Barber, Road America, and Portland, securing his first IndyCar championship. Ericsson took wins at Detroit and Nashville. Dixon had only one win.

2021: Sale of NASCAR Operation to Trackhouse Racing

In 2021, Chip Ganassi accepted an offer from Justin Marks to sell the entire NASCAR operation to Marks' Trackhouse Racing Team, finalizing the deal after the season.

July 7, 2022: First Extreme E Victory

On July 7, 2022, CGR's Extreme E team picked up their first series victory with Sara Price driving a race-winning car.

2023: CGR leaves Extreme E

In 2023, CGR left Extreme E after the 2023 season.

2025: IndyCar and Indy NXT Series Teams

In 2025, Chip Ganassi Racing is set to field the Nos. 8, 9 and 10 Dallara-Hondas for Kyffin Simpson, Scott Dixon, and Alex Palou full-time in the IndyCar Series, and the No. 9 and 10 Dallaras for Jonathan Browne and Niels Koolen in the Indy NXT Series.