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Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing St. Petersburg Advance Notes

Race: Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 27 (12:30 PM ET, ABC)

Track: Streets of St. Petersburg (1.8-mile street circuit)

Location: St. Petersburg, Fla.

NOTES / NEWS

Follow CGR on Twitter: Follow @CGRTeams for official updates from Chip Ganassi Racing’s INDYCAR and GRAND-AM teams.

Team Manager Mitch Davis on St. Pete: “After a productive Open Test at Barber Motorsports Park, we’re in a great spot heading into the IZOD IndyCar Series season-opener on the streets of St. Petersburg. Graham did a great job and Charlie learned a lot. We’re looking forward to getting the No. 38 Service Central Honda Dallara and the No. 83 Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen Honda Dallara to the track.”

Sports Business Award Nominee: Ganassi and Chip Ganassi Racing Teams have been nominated for two Sports Business Awards. Ganassi is a nominee in the Sports Executive of the Year category and Chip Ganassi Racing Teams received a nomination in the Professional Sports Team of the Year category. The winners will be announced at the Sports Business Awards Ceremony on May 18th.

Starting 2011 Strong: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams kicked off the 2011 season on a high-note, sweeping the top-two positions in the 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona in January. Defending GRAND-AM Daytona Prototype Champion and now four-time Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Scott Pruett (with co-drivers Memo Rojas, Graham Rahal and Joey Hand) crossed the finish line at the 24-hour mark ahead of teammate Scott Dixon (with co-drivers Dario Franchitti, Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya) to give the team a record fourth Rolex 24 At Daytona victory (2006, 2007, 2008, 2011). It marked the first time a team has reached the four-win mark since Brumos Porsche (1973, 1975, 1978, and 2009), and the quickest to do so in the race’s 50-year history.

‘Chip Slam’: Ganassi, who in 2010 was responsible for the motorsport ‘Triple Crown’ (Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 wins), added the first ever ‘Chip Slam’ of motorsports to his resume with a victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan 30 (all four major wins in a 12-month period).

Award Winning: Ganassi has won a whole slew of post season awards for his team’s incredible 2010 season. Among the awards that he has won are: the Autosport Lifetime Achievement Award, the NSSN Champion of Champions Award, Pittsburgh’s Dapper Dan Athletic Award, International Motorsports Industry Show Achievement Award, as well as being named the honorary chairman of the Motor Sports Hall of Fame inductions early last year in Detroit. In addition, Ganassi was honored on the field by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers prior to the game on Dec. 12 for his many contributions to the “City of Champions”. He was presented with a Steelers jersey by Art Rooney II.

Graham Rahal and the No. 38 Service Central Team

Meet Rahal at Tire Kingdom: Rahal will be signing autographs at Tire Kingdom in Largo, Florida from 6-7 PM on Friday, March 25th. Fans will have the chance to win a pair of tickets to the March 27th IZOD IndyCar season-opening race – the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Tire Strategy: The No. 38 Service Central car will support Tire Kingdom, Service Central’s Florida retail center, this weekend. Tire Kingdom offers quality brand tires and comprehensive automotive services performed by ASE-certified technicians at all 198 locations in Florida. For more information, please visit www.tirekingdom.com.

Barber Open Test Recap: Day one of testing at Barber Motorsports Park, Rahal turned 36 laps in the No. 38 Service Central Honda Dallara with a best time of 1:13:13. Day two of testing, Rahal turned 43 laps with a best time of 1:12:98.

Rahal on Barber Open Test: “Overall, a really good day for Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing. The No. 38 Service Central Honda ran great; we just didn’t get to have a new tire run there at the end. We’re looking forward to starting the season.”

Comfortable at St. Pete: In 2008, Rahal drove to victory lane at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Pete for the first time and became the youngest driver to win a race in INDYCAR history. In 2010, Rahal drove from the 16th starting position to a 9th place finish.

Rahal on St. Pete: “I love everything about St. Pete. Obviously, it’s been very good place to me. I feel very comfortable; not only the track but the atmosphere. It’s a very fun environment. Those are what make race weekends so enjoyable, so every year going there it’s at the top of my list. We’ve always had good runs there.”

Graham Rahal, One to Watch: Rahal was announced as the driver for Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing on December 16th in Indianapolis. Rahal’s open wheel career to date consists of 59 starts, 2 poles and 1 victory. This season he will try and add to Chip Ganassi Racings’ open wheel tallies of 714 starts, 70 poles and 80 victories.

One-for-One: In January, Rahal celebrated his first GRAND-AM Rolex 24 At Daytona victory in his first race with the team. Rahal’s victory came 30 years after his father Bobby won the event in 1981.

Rahal, the Golfer: The IZOD IndyCar Series season kicks off this weekend, but Rahal already brought home two wins in 2011. In January, Rahal went to Victory Lane at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. In early March, Rahal he played in the Honda Classic Pro-Am golf tournament for Service Central. His team, Tadanobu Nagumo, Takao Oishi, Larry Day and pro golfer Nick Price ended up with the lowest net score and won the tournament.

- Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing Press Release