A New King of the Two-Minute Drill
16 April 1998
A New King of the Two-Minute Drill
Is Joe Montana Passing His Come-From-Behind Secrets to Target/Chip Ganassi
Racing's Alex Zanardi?
INDIANAPOLIS, April 16 -- If you ask 100 football coaches to
choose a current or former player to quarterback their team when trailing an
opponent with less than two minutes to play, chances are, one name will keep
popping up -- Joe Montana.
Throughout his collegiate career at Notre Dame and in the National
Football League (NFL) with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs,
Montana led his teams to numerous thrilling come-from-behind victories,
earning him a reputation as master of the "two-minute drill."
Now that Montana is on the sidelines as a partner for back-to-back PPG Cup
champions Target/Chip Ganassi Racing, his old tricks seem to have rubbed off
on defending champ Alex Zanardi.
"I definitely see some similarities between Joe and Alex," said team owner
Chip Ganassi after witnessing Zanardi cruise from a lap down in 18th place,
make a perfect pass for the lead with two laps remaining and go on to win the
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 5. "It's their competitiveness. Joe
had that never-say-die attitude on the field, and Alex has shown that he
doesn't stop gunning for a victory until the checkered flag waves. I tell ya,
I wouldn't want to be leading a race with a couple laps left and see Alex
coming up in my rear view mirror."
Zanardi showed signs of his last-minute heroics during his rookie season
at the 1996 Toyota Grand Prix of Monterey when he authored what came to be
known as "The Pass." During the final lap at Laguna Seca Raceway, Zanardi cut
across the dirt infield at the famous Corkscrew turn, overtaking race leader
Bryan Herta and cruising on to victory. Zanardi finished the year third in
the PPG Cup point standings and claimed the rookie of the year award.
Zanardi reinforced his reputation as master of the "two-minute drill"
during his sophomore season at the Cleveland Grand Prix at Burke Lakefront
Airport. The race started with Zanardi on the pole and leading the first 22
laps. After pitting when the pits were closed (sending him to the back of the
pack) and being black-flagged for violating a pit exit rule, the 31-year-old
Italian found himself in 22nd place.
No problem. Zanardi simply turned laps a full second faster than his
competition, reclaimed the lead with five laps remaining and won. He also
went on to win Target/Chip Ganassi Racing's second consecutive PPG Cup
(Zanardi's teammate Jimmy Vasser won the championship in 1996).
"That Cleveland race was the most incredible comeback I've seen in any
sport," said Montana, who knows a thing or two about come-from-behind
victories. "I wish I could take credit for teaching him that, but that was
all Alex. He is a talented driver and has great determination to win."
Montana, a four-time Super Bowl winner and three-time Super Bowl MVP,
displayed Zanardi-like traits while overcoming seemingly insurmountable
deficits in the NFL. In Super Bowl XXIII, the 49ers trailed the Cincinnati
Bengals by three points with just over three minutes to play. Montana drove
the offense 92 yards before completing a pass to John Taylor for the Super
Bowl victory.
"I've seen a few clips of Joe's comeback football wins and they are
inspiring for me," Zanardi said. "Many people don't realize that it's not
just my driving that produces come-from-behind wins, it's a total team effort.
Joe had his linemen, receivers and running backs and I have Chip, Morris
(Nunn, Zanardi's chief engineer), Steve Clarke (race engineer) and my boys in
the pits. Often, it's a great race strategy or a phenomenal pit stop that
simply puts me in the right place at the right time."
Montana also has experience winning consecutive championships (Super Bowls
XXIII and XXIV), a feat Zanardi hopes to duplicate during the 1998 FedEx
Championship Series. He is currently in third place (34 points) in the PPG
Cup standings, trailing Adrian Fernandez (41) and Greg Moore (37) after the
first three races.
The next stop for Zanardi and the rest of the Championship Auto Racing
Teams (CART) is Nazareth, Pa. for the Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix presented by
Toyota, Sunday, April 26 (12:30 p.m. Eastern, ESPN).
SOURCE Chip Ganassi Racing
