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NASCAR Winston Cup ace Jimmy Spencer won a bet with his new team boss Chip Ganassi by squeezing his frame into a Champ Car and managing to complete three laps of the Sebring road course yesterday.



Spencer, known as 'Mr Excitement' in NASCAR circles, never got out of third gear and ended up 19 seconds off Kenny Brack's pace. It is not thought he is a candidate for Ganassi's second drive in CART.



"Ganassi said I was too big to get in the car!" Spencer explained to Speedvision.com. "He said, 'I ain't worried about you drivin' no Indy Car, you're too big!' And I said, 'Listen, if I can get in an Indy Car, I can drive the thing.'"



Ganassi offered a wager of 100 dollars to Spencer that he wouldn't be able to get in the Lola, but Jimmy managed to increase the bet to 500 dollars.



"Then Chip told the crew, 'Whatever you do, do not let him get in that car!" Spencer added. "He can't fit in that car! So I got in and drove it."



Ganassi's team manager Mike Hull said: "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!'"