The man whose team fields the No. 01 Cadillac that’s been overall quickest in practice this week is used to winning.
Chip Ganassi Racing entries have laid claim to eight Rolex 24 wins. Six of those have been overall in the top prototype class, but the last came in 2015.
The boss feels CGR is overdue for another overall win and believes he has the car and driver lineup to do it in Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon and Alex Palou.
But he doesn’t want to jinx it.
“It’s like, ‘Man, we’ve got a good car, we’ve got a good group of guys, seem to be pretty fast,” Chip Ganassi said Friday. “We sure don’t wanna (mess) this up!’ If we’re there at 23 hours and one piece (breaks), that’s all it takes.”
And just how does his team get back to victory lane?
“Lots of talking, lots of just getting everybody in the same room, everybody on the same page, everybody rowing the boat in the right direction — in sync,” Ganassi said. “There’s no magic to it; it’s just do the obvious things right. There’s no pixie dust around here. It’s just good, solid blocking and tackling.
And what would it mean to the team owner to be on the top step of the Rolex 24 podium once again?
“It would feel pretty good,” he said. “I kind of miss it there, it’s been a while since we’ve won so I’m about ready.”