Ganassi on 2011 Montoya/McMurray performance: ‘pathetic’
The NASCAR winter media train rolls on, and Tuesday brought us the Earnhardt-Ganassi stop. And at the press conference, Chip Ganassi didn't hold back.
The public face of a team that had drivers finishing 21st and 27th last year, Ganassi said that 2011 was "pathetic for a team of our ability and our resources." Both Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya underperformed relative to recent years; Montoya was a Chase competitor as recently as 2009, and McMurray won three races in 2010 and would have made the Chase had the wild card existed.
Ganassi further noted that he wouldn't expand to a third team even if there were sponsorship money available; he's more focused on getting the No. 1 and No. 42 teams up to speed, so to speak. Shakeups across the board were designed to do exactly that, and if the two teams bring home similar results this year, expect to see a few new faces on the podium at Earnhardt Ganassi next year.
Fortunately, sponsorship is not an issue for the Ganassi teams; as the man himself noted proudly, both cars are already sold out despite their woeful 2011 performances. McMurray's new Belkin-sponsored car is visible above ... and probably from a fair distance away on the track, too.
