DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) Renowned car owner Chip Ganassi will serve as grand marshal for the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway later this month.
Ganassi will give the command, “Drivers, start your engines,” before the twice-around-the-clock endurance race at Daytona International Speedway. The road-course race begins Jan. 27 and ends the following day.
Ganassi says “this is a really big honor for me to be recognized by a race that has meant so much to me over my career, both as a driver and an owner.”
We're excited to announce that @GanassiChip will be the Grand Marshal for the 2018 #Rolex24! pic.twitter.com/xMDql92efM
— Daytona International Speedway (@DAYTONA) January 5, 2018
Chip Ganassi Racing entered the IMSA series in 2004 and captured its first overall victory two years later. That 2006 triumph was the first of seven victories in the series opener, with subsequent wins coming in 2007, ’08, ’11, ’13,'15 and `17.
Ganassi also fields race teams in NASCAR’s Cup Series, NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, the IndyCar Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship.