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Reading. PA Eagle a.am,t Mel lo.e 6undaY SUN 1911C9 AUG 22. 1989 By Mike Berres F-shrnm<. With more than 150 electronic parts to manage on each car, Chris Gantner knows that almost any- thing can and will go wrong whether it's before, after or on race day That happened at Michigan Speedway in July. Gantner breathed a sigh of relief when it wasn't him, but he could em- pathize with his Team Rabal counterpart. That was the day Max Papis, on the verge of his first CART victo- ry,ran out of fLel. "That would be my worst night- mare," admitted Gantner, head of the electronics department for Reading-basectMarlboro Team Penske. v Gantner hasn't had anything quite so auspicious and devastat- ing happen during his first two seasons. He would love to think it might never happen, but he's a bit more realistic than that. "On each car there are 154 dif- ferent parts we're responsible for," he explained.'I'hey can get damaged by any number of ways." That includes everything from a crash - "You'll lose some parts in any kind ofcrash;'said Ganmer- to the wear and tear of any race. That has become a way of life for Ganiner, who is a second cousin of former major leaguer Jim Gantner. "I never met him," he said of the longtime Mi Iwaukee Brewers player. "But I know Robin Yount. IIe comes to a lot of races." Gantner, who lives in Sinking Spring, went to a few races when he was younger, but said, "I was not a true raeec" Just to carry the point further, Gantner said he grew up just 15 minutes trom Road America in El khart Lake, Wis., "but I didn't get to the track until I went with Team Penske." Growing up, he attended races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the MtdOhio Sports Car Course, but Gantner never envi- stoned himself working in the business. He set a course as a fairly typi- cal young man with certain aspi- rations. He studied electrical en- Eegk/"1'Inwa: Chae A. DeShuo Team Penske's Chris Ganiner knows a champ car can look like a dream, but - with so many etec- tronic parts - it can also be a nightmare. THE FACTS ^ NAME: Chris Gantner, electronics department ^ AGE: 35. ^ RESIDENCE: Sinking Spring. ^ PERSONAL: Marned (wife's name is Lisa) with one daughter (Kate, 4). ^ YEARS W ITH TEAM PENSKE: Just under two years. ^ FAVORITE DRIVER: Rick Meare. "I lived in Indiana for 10 years and watched him as a fan. He was impressive then and he is now' ^ PERSONAL VEHICLES: 1993 GMC pickup; 1999 GMC Jimmy. ^ RADIO STATION ON IN HIS CAR: Y-102. "I used to listen to Max-97 (in Philadelphia), but they changed their formaG" ^ FAVORITE MOVIE: "Raising Arizona"Crany Gaturr McCluskey (Burt Reynolds movies called'While Lightning' and'GatoY) movief ^ FAVORITE BOOK: "Red Storm Rising," by Tom Clancy. ^ GOLF FOURSOME: Former President George Bush, Bill Murray ("If you're going to go golfing, you've gotta take Bill!), Norm Abraham (of'This Old House" and 'New Yankee Workshop" fame) and himself. gineering at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, then went on to get a masters of business ad- ministration from the University of Indiana From there it was nine years at Delco Electronics in Kokomo, Ind. Sounds like the all-American dream. During the 1996 racing season, though, Gantner was moved onto the racetrack when Delco was handling engine control for Penske and Mercedes. Gantnerenjoyed his first taste of motor sports. "That's the competitiveness you don't get at the office," he said, admitting that he never dreamed of working for a major league sports franchise. "I always thought of it as sonte- thing that was unattainable," Gantner said. "But things fell into place and here I am." And it's where he hopes to stay for a long time. "I like it," he said. "It's all con- s um i ng. I l i ke the co m pe ti t i o n. "You've also got the ultimate team goal - to win a race. That's where this is truly a team effort," Being one of the newer mem- bers of Team Penske, Gantner has not yet tasted victory. "We might never return to the day ofdominating," he said of Team Penske, which has 99 champ car vir toeies. "There's a lot of well-Nnded, wellorganized teams. "But I don't see why we can't win."