Chip Ganassi Racing Dominated the 24 Hours of Daytona with this Lexus Prototype (Dec 14, 2019 - Jan 2021)NEW

Chip Ganassi Racing has been and continues to be a dominant force in multiple levels of motorsport, and this Lexus is proof of that. This Daytona Prototype race car is a Riley Technologies Riley MK XI which has been fitted with a 5.0-liter Lexus V8 engine.

The Daytona Prototype, named after the 24 Hours of Daytona race, was designed specifically for Grand-Am racing in the Rolex Sports Car Series. Riley was one of seven suppliers for the Daytona Prototypes when the class debuted in 2003.

Chip Ganassi Racing was partnered with Lexus at the time, and did some initial testing with the Riley Daytona Prototype using a 4.3-liter Lexus V8 engine, based on the Toyota UZ engine family, as series rules stipulated that a production-based engine had to be used. However, after further testing and development, the team switched to the next-generation Toyota UR engine family, with the engine now displacing 5.0-liters, and producing 500 horsepower in accordance with class rules at the time. Considering this race car weighs in at just 2,275 pounds, it’s one quick machine.

The combination of Ganassi, Lexus and Riley proved to be a winning formula, as the team won the 24 Hours of Daytona race three years in a row, in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Chip Ganassi Racing acquired numerous podium finishes as well as outright victories with the Lexus-Riley racer, culminating in an overall Grand-Am Championship win in 2008.

If you would like to learn more about Chip Ganassi Racing, and their conquests in multiple levels of motorsport, book your tickets to visit the Petersen Automotive Museum today, where we have a full exhibition on the team, as well as some of their most successful racing cars.

Chip Ganassi Racing: Fast Tracks to Success

Dates
Dec 14, 2019 - Jan 2021

Location
In the Charles Nearburg Family Gallery

Exhibition Abstract
*Exhibition included with the purchase of a general admission ticket or with your membership*

Regardless of the form of competition, it would be difficult to describe Chip Ganassi Racing without using superlatives. It is the only team to win the Indianapolis 500 (four times), the Brickyard 400, the Rolex 24-Hours of Daytona (seven times), the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the last victory especially meaningful because the team won with the newest Ford mid-engine GT, marking the 50th anniversary of Ford’s first Le Mans win. Adding to the prestige, it is also the only team to win the 24 Hours of Daytona three consecutive times and the only team owner to win the Rolex 24, the Daytona 500, the Indy 500, and the Brickyard 400 in one twelve-month span.

Today the Ganassi Racing teams are comprised of two cars in each of four series: NTT IndyCar, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and FIA World Endurance Championship. In 2012 Ganassi was ranked 17th among the "50 most influential people in the Auto Industry" by Complex Magazine. Vital partnerships with Credit One Bank, Monster Energy, Cessna, and others attest to the high profile success of the Duquesne University graduate. Raw numbers do not tell the entire story, but a record of 16 championships and 200 outright victories in events that span the spectrum of motorsports speaks to what can be achieved with skill, perseverance and team founder Chip Ganassi’s organizational talent.