Chip Ganassi: Lunatic Or Genius?
Monday, July 10th, 2006 6:16am EDT
By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.
[thumb:367:l:s=1:l=x]As soon as the announcement was made Sunday at Chicagoland as to whom would be taking the wheel of the #42 Dodge in 2007, one would assume the press would be all over the story. Yes and no. Some of us had to let this one sink in, as pretty much the entire racing world was caught off guard by the announcement. The jaws dropped, and it took a little time to get them off the floor and back into position.
Sunday, as you most likely have already heard, Chip announced that none other than F1 star Juan Pablo Montoya would be piloting the #42 Dodge next year after Casey Mears departs for the #25 of Hendrick Motorsports.
Let the jokes roll. I’ll get it started.
My name is Juan Pablo Montoya. You kill my father. Prepare to die.
Ok now that that is out of my system, I’m left wondering if Chip’s off his rocker or if he’s in a state of genius at the moment. Juan is definitely an accomplished driver. However all that success has come in the open wheel ranks. The question is, can he carry that over to a stock car?
On the “genius” side of things he’s not only “stolen” one of F1’s stars right out from under their noses, he’s made quite the media impact as well as helped out Nascar’s diversity program all in one swoop. Mike Helton attended a private meeting with Ganassi, as well as the announcement. It’s that big of a deal.
On the side of “lunacy”, one can only wonder what in the heck is going through Chip’s mind. Let’s take a guy with virtually no stock-car experience, and throw him to the wolves against the best stock car drivers in the world. Insane, to say the least. Sure there are drivers out there that have made the switch. They also didn’t jump straight into a Cup ride either. Then again, between two of those drivers, they also have 6 Cup titles to be proud of.
I can’t help but to be amazed, yet left scratching my head at the same time as well. I fully understand and respect not only the talent Juan brings to the table, but the impact it will have on the community as well. It is significant. At the same time I think it’s ridiculous to jump him straight to Cup, and more of a PR stunt by an organization that needs press coverage and has nothing to lose. While there’s always the chance it might just be crazy enough to work, history has proven time and time again that even rookies with plenty of stock car experience still tear up a ton of equipment. Not all the time, but more times than not. There are exceptions to every rule, and even the sun shines on a dog’s…
I personally think Chip’s being a little selfish on this one. Granted they said it was a multi-year deal so that Juan can get used to the cars, but if push comes to shove Juan’s going to be kicked out quicker than Leffler was in Joe Gibbs’ ride in 2005.
The real losers here are the guys that bust their humps day in and day out, with little thanks. The team. Also, Juan as well. He’s not honestly being given the proper tools to succeed, and the team is going to be building and rebuilding a lot of cars. At least Chip’s giving them some “job security” I suppose.
In the end, it’s anybody’s guess as to what’s going to happen. If he fails, Chip’s got an out in saying it was a lack of experience. If he succeeds, Chip will look like a hero and a genius. While the odds are on the previous, stranger things have happened. Even those two with the 6 titles between them tore up their fair share of equipment. However, they had the support and time to mature into the driving forces they are today. Hopefully Juan will be given the time he needs, and he can adjust to the difference in cars.
As long as he keeps his nose clean, he should be fine in the long run. If he comes out of the garage like a bat out of hell, and tradin’ paint with the wolves, he’ll be in for a lot of conversation time with Mr. Fence.
Filed Under: Damn Good Points, Nascar, Nextel Cup
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