Spencer barely fits

[Roselady3]

Dec. 18 — With so many rumors floating around this time of year, it's unusual when you run into a fact that is stranger than fiction. To wit: NASCAR Winston Cup star Jimmy Spencer tested Chip Ganassi's Toyota-powered Lola Champ Car today at Sebring International Raceway.

That's a pretty powerful statement on its own, but even better is the story of how this unusual occurrence came to pass.

Seems Ganassi and Spencer, who has signed to drive for Ganassi's Target-sponsored Dodge team in the 2002 Winston Cup title chase, were talking recently when the subject worked its way around to Champ Cars and wound up with a friendly wager between the two.

This is how Spencer tells what happened next (with some minor, family-oriented editorial tweaks):

"Ganassi said I was too big to get in the car!" explained Spencer, who is in good shape, but not the sort of shape you normally associate with svelte little formula-car jockeys.

"He said, 'I ain't worried about you drivin' no Indy Car,'" Spencer continued, "'You're too big!'

"And I said, 'Listen, if I can get in an Indy Car, I can drive the thing.'

"And then [Ganassi] said, 'I'll bet you you can't. I'll bet you $100.'

"And I said, 'Aw, I'm not going to do it for that.'

"So he says, 'I'll bet you $500.'

"So I'm thinking about it; you know, $500."

"Then he told [the crew], 'Whatever you do, do not let him get in that car! He's can't fit in that car!'

"So I got in it and drove it."

Spencer did three laps around the Sebring testing circuit, never getting any further up the gear ratios than third but still getting a taste of what Kenny Brack gets to play with on weekends.

"Chip's a great guy," Spencer enthused afterwards, after trading notes with Brack on how impressed he was with the Lola's power, brakes and handling. "I just love to be involved in this kind of stuff."

Team manager Mike Hull explained that, since the Cup team was doing a commercial shoot on the airport runways nearby and the Champ Car team was on hand to try out its 2002 Lola, things just happened to come together nicely.

"The two teams actually do more together than most people realize," he said. "This is a nice change of pace, to be able to do something like this. It keeps everybody's spirits up.

“His eyes were as big as saucers when he got out of the car. Tony Glover (Ganassi’s NASCAR team manager) said ‘OK, here’s the deal Jimmy. You’re 19 seconds off Kenny. What can we do to help you?’ He said, ‘You can help me back over to the other side of the facility.’”

Ganassi has yet to announce his nomination to fill the Champ Car team's second seat for 2002, although it is widely rumored that Brazilian Bruno Junqueira will be retained for a second season. If true, Bruno better keep an eye on his mirrors, because "Mr. Excitement" will be waiting in the wings for the slightest misstep. — John Gardner, News Bureau Editor, RACER, and Greg Aleck (Photo: Fastlines/Greg Aleck)

[Budmakesmewiser]

They are probably going to have to give him a formula 1 race car steering wheel,or he will have to drive with his stomach.

[Joe Fan]

[Roselady3]

I wonder if the cigar is a celebratory deal that he fit into the car.
Or maybe it's to make him cough, helping his extraction out of the car!

[Lee]

Laugh all you want at Spencer, but he proved to be the smarter one here, he took 500 dollars out of Ganasty's pocket for simply driving around a track three times!

[Ax Slinger]

Yup. And $500.00 will buy a bucket load o' donuts...

[Lee]

Or allot of Christmas presents for family and friends. Or a nice donation to the 9/11 tradgity, Jimmy has been quite active in it.