IndyCar Racing
Indianapolis 500 Winners Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon to Donate Prize Money to Iowa Flood and Tornado Victims
The Target Chip Ganassi Racing Drivers To Donate Prize Money They Earn From This Weekend’s Iowa Corn Indy 250 to Iowa’s Flood and Tornado Relief Fund. DES MOINES, Iowa (June 19, 2008) - Target Chip Ganassi Racing announced today that drivers Scott Dixon (No. 9 Commit Honda Dallara) and Dan Wheldon (No. 10 Target Honda Dallara) will donate the prize money they earn from this Sunday’s Iowa Corn Indy 250 to the victims of Iowa’s devastating tornados and floods.
"What has happened here in Iowa is an absolute tragedy and my heart goes out to all the victims of the horrific tornados and floods," said Dixon."Donating to this cause is the least that we could do and I hope that the race will provide at least a short respite from their struggles."
"When you see the devastation there you can’t help but feel for all those victims," said Wheldon. "We as athletes are lucky enough to be in a position to do things like this and I encourage others to do the same."
The severe weather that spawned deadly tornados and flooding has claimed the lives of at least 18 people and forced 38,000 from their homes in Iowa alone. At least 83 of 99 counties in the state are now considered disaster areas.
Dixon, the 2008 Indianapolis 500 champion, is currently leading the IndyCar Series championship race by 35 points after winning four poles and three of the first seven races this year.In addition, the New Zealand native has finished off the podium only once this season.
Wheldon, the 2005 Indy 500 and IndyCar Series champion, stands third in the championship points standings on the strength of his Kansas win and five top-5 finishes.
Dixon and Wheldon will contest the Iowa Corn Indy 250 this Sunday (LIVE, ABC, 1:00 pm ET) in the IndyCar Series’ second visit to the Rusty Wallace Signature Series Track in Newton, Iowa.
About Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc.
With eight wins already in 2008, the team continues to add to its tally of 97 trips to victory lane. Chip Ganassi created his own one-car IndyCar team in 1990 and established a partnership with a new sponsor, Target. Today, his teams include two IRL IndyCars, and along with Felix Sabates he has three cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, two entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and a Daytona Prototype in the world of Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series racing. Ganassi’s IndyCar teams have amassed five Championships and 60 wins since 1994; his NASCAR teams have 12 wins and two Rookie-of-the-Year titles; and the Grand American team has won two Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Championships and are the three-time defending Champions of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Chip Ganassi Racing operates out of state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis, Ind., and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.
For more information log onto www.chipganassiracing.com