The 27th Annual Amelia Island Concours will celebrate the career of racer and racing legend, CHIP GANASSI: THE AMELIA’S 2022 HONOREE!
The founder of Chip Ganassi Racing has touched every major form of North American motorsport plus the ultimate international road race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ganassi’s legacy extends far beyond being an accomplished driver, he is a decorated race team owner who has fielded highly successful teams in INDYCAR, NASCAR, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Extreme E competition.
Ganassi made his racing debut in the 1981 Robert Bosch Super Vee Championship. In 1982, Ganassi graduated with a finance degree from Duquesne University and started his first Indianapolis 500 in Mario Andretti’s year-old ‘81 Wildcat/Cosworth. He was the fastest of a star-studded rookie class qualifying ahead of future “500” winners Bobby Rahal and Danny Sullivan. A year later Ganassi logged two podium finishes and was voted Most Improved Driver, ultimately ranking ninth in the INDYCAR Championship. Ganassi retired from the Indy car cockpit following a brutal high-speed accident at Michigan International Raceway in 1984. His final race was the 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In 1990, CHIP GANASSI: THE AMELIA’S 2022 HONOREE! founded Chip Ganassi Racing, the only team to win the crown jewels of North American racing: the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500, NASCAR’s Brickyard 400, and the 24 Hours of Daytona, in a 12-month span. Chip Ganassi Racing’s incredible success on the track includes eight victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona (2006-2008, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2018), four consecutive INDYCAR Championships twice (1996 through 1999 and 2008 through 2011) and four Indianapolis 500 victories (2000, 2008, 2010, 2012) including a one-two finish in 2012.
Ganassi returned to Le Mans in 2016, this time as an owner. Ford Chip Ganassi Racing did not disappoint, scoring another historic Le Mans Ford victory, first, third and fourth in GTE LM Pro, leading all but 26 laps from the pole on the team’s first Le Mans attempt. The landmark victory came on the 50th anniversary of Ford’s historic 1-2-3 finish in 1966. He is also well known for his charitable work for St Jude Children’s Hospital. In 2011 Chip received an honorary Doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University in his hometown Pittsburgh. In 2016, the year of the Le Mans victory for Ford, Chip was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
“Honoring a hero from the racing community is an important component of The Amelia DNA. From the inaugural honoree, Sir Stirling Moss, to the recent celebration of Lyn St. James, The Amelia has anchored the celebration of the automobile to the incredible people who have devoted their lives as ambassadors for driving,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. “We are thrilled that Chip Ganassi accepted our invitation. His racing legacy represents Hagerty’s love of driving and passion for the wellness of others.”
For more information about The Amelia Concours, please visit https://www.ameliaconcours.com/
This ‘73 BMW 3.0 CSL is one of 1,265 Homologation Specials built between 1971 and 1975, only 167 of which came from the factory with a “Batmobile” body kit. It was reportedly owned by former racing driver Dieter Quester before being acquired by the current owner and converted into a racecar in 2014. It has been campaigned in HSR and SVRA events, including the Classic 24 at Daytona, The Mitty at Road Atlanta, and the Classic 12 at Sebring. Finished in silver with tri-color stripes, it features a fiberglass hood, decklid, fender flares, and rear wing.