‘What else?’ A lot for Chip Ganassi, whose racing teams are off to a strong start in 2023

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – It’s the signature Chip Ganassi catchphrase known to those lucky enough to witness another side of a self-described ordinary guy whose teams have done extraordinary things in auto racing.

Though he often comes across as gruff and occasionally standoffish in interviews, Ganassi actually enjoys holding court with small groups of reporters, challenging their assertions and questions with an acerbic Pittsburgh wit honed through decades in garages and paddocks around the world.

The namesake of Chip Ganassi Racing frequently peppers his phone calls and conversations with two words that cut to the chase while inviting further conversation.

“What else?”

During a March 3 sitdown with four reporters inside his IndyCar team’s hospitality trailer — two days before Marcus Ericsson opened the 2023 season with a victory in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg — there was no clearer indication that Ganassi greatly enjoyed his return to jousting with the media (especially after he did no interviews for months during the 2022 season while embroiled in contract litigation with Alex Palou).

“What else?” he asked a half-dozen times in between at least a dozen deadpan quips and razor-sharp jabs:

• On the future of his IndyCar driver lineup: “We never look forward and plan. We just throw darts.” And after being pressed about Scott Dixon’s future, “Oh, I’m not going to have him forever? OK. We’re signing Dixon to an 11-year deal.”

• On this year’s sellout of the 24 Hours of Le Mans: “How is there no parking on the infield? The whole infield might be as large as Marion County.”

• On being interviewed for the new “100 Days to Indy” docuseries: “That’s why I got in the sport. To be on TV.”

• On the rebranding of Indy