Chip Ganassi Racing is a team that has made a serious name for itself in motorsport over the last thirty years, winning in IndyCar, NASCAR, sports cars, and rallycross. The team has over 200 wins across all categories, including four Indy 500 wins and further wins in the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, and 24 Hours of Le Mans, among others. It has now joined the electric off road championship Extreme E, and hired its first female driver ever to race in that series, Sara Price.
This isn’t by accident. Part of the Extreme E rulebook includes a clause that each team must enter two cars, one for a male driver and one for a female driver. Just because CGR hasn’t hired a woman driver in its 30 year history [Price herself is 27] don’t think that Price is any kind of slouch when it comes to desert racing. She started out racing dirt bikes, winning 19 different national championships and getting a spot on the Kawasaki factory team. She has been racing Stadium Super Trucks since 2016, and has raced in high profile events like the Pikes Peak Hillclimb, the Baja 1000, and the Mint 400 (pictured above).
Managing director of Chip Ganassi Racing, Mike Hull, said in a statement: “Today’s announcement of Sara Price as a Chip Ganassi Racing driver is significant. Yes, she is a female, but first, Sara is an accomplished race driver. She has proven herself in the all-terrain arena on two and four wheels from a young age. Her next step represents her craft globally with several firsts – she makes Chip Ganassi Racing the first to unveil an Extreme E driver; the first female in the series; and the first female driver in our team’s 30-year history.
Equal teammates have always defined Chip Ganassi Racing’s culture. Our entire team is excited to have such a quality person in Sara to help stimulate team growth.”
While it’s a little disingenuous to say Sara is the “first female in the series”, as every one of the eight season one teams will have to sign a woman to race, the team is the first to announce any of its women drivers, so I guess it’s technically true. I am genuinely looking forward to all of the new driver announcements. If you were going to sign a two-car male/female team, who would you pick as your drivers?
Also, holy shit, how great would Jessi Combs have been in this series? God dammit.
Leave a Reply
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
