The Callahan Report: Defending CART World Series Champion Jimmy Vasser

20 June 1997

Jimmy Vasser...
A Quiet, Consistent Bargain

PORTLAND OREGON: Target/Chip Ganassi Racing could go to jail for stealing. The team is paying the defending CART series champion, Jimmy Vasser, less than a million dollars a year to keep the Target car up front. He is doing it. This weekend, Vasser is in line to break a series record. If Jimmy Vasser finishes the Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 on Sunday, he will be the first driver ever to finish 26 races in a row. He is currently tied with Al Unser Jr. (who gets $4 million a year, by the way) at 25 consecutive finishes.

Jimmy Vasser has had success this year. It has been very quiet success. He hasn't won any races this year, but is fourth in the points. He is a serious contender for the points championship for the second straight year. Other "stars" of the series are already out of the championship hunt at the season's half way point.

Jimmy Vasser

True, Jimmy Vasser is not a household name like Michael Andretti ($5 million/yr) or Bobby Rahal ($2.5 million/yr), but if he stays on his current pace, he will be. Consider, Vasser has only been racing in CART since 1992. He ran eleven races his first season earning a total of $313,000. In just five years, he increased his income tenfold. Last year Vasser earned over $3 million in prize money for the Target/Chip Ganassi team.

Vasser has increased his earnings 10X.

Other drivers getting more but doing less than Vasser are: Mauricio Gugelmin ($1,000,000), Alex Zanardi ($1,000,000), Andre Ribeiro ($1,000,000), Parker Johnstone ($1,000,000), and Christian Fittipaldi ($1,000,000).

Before entering CART, Vasser won the 1991 Toyota Atlantic title with six victories and eight pole positions. He won in FF2000 and SCCA before his Toyota days. Vasser began racing quarter midget at age six.

JV in some cases stands for Junior Varsity. Not in this case. It stands for Jimmy Vasser and he is First Team All American.

Terry Callahan -- The Auto Channel