TUSC: Chip Ganassi to run 2 cars in organization’s first-ever 12 Hours of Sebring

By Mar 5, 2014, 3:08 PM EST
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In a quarter-century as a team owner, Chip Ganassi’s teams have competed in pretty much every major NASCAR, IndyCar and sports car race you can think of — except the 12 Hours of Sebring.

The formidable multi-team owner can soon scratch that legendary race off his bucket list, as Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates will field not one but now two Prototypes for this year’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship’s 12 Hours of Sebring on March 15 at the central Florida road course.

Ganassi had previously announced he would enter the No. 01 Telcel Ford EcoBoost Riley with 2013 and 2010 LMP2 American LeMans Series champ Marino Franchitti (Dario’s brother), Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas splitting driving duties.

Wednesday, CGR announced a second team that will pilot the No. 02 Comfort Revolution/Big Machine Records Ford EcoBoost Riley. Sharing driving duties will be three-time and reigning IndyCar Series champ Scott Dixon, Target IndyCar Series teammate and reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan and reigning Indy Lights champ Sage Karam.

CGRFS is a seven-time GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car champion (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013) and five-time Rolex 24 at Daytona winner (2006, 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2013).

“Doings things like adding a second car could not come about without the support of great partners like Big Machine and Comfort Revolution,” Steve Lauletta, president of CGRFS, said in a statement. “These partnerships allow us the opportunity to make a strong first impression and perform well in our first-ever trip to Sebring.

“The 12 hours is a historic race and having two entries with the addition of Tony, Scott, Marino and Sage is a key to us doing that.”

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IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

By Mar 27, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
IndyCar video game 2024
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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”