Car owner Chip Ganassi is sending his Winston Cup drivers for a three-day medical test so his organization will have detailed health records in case of injuries. #40-Sterling Marlin spent 25 straight weeks on top of the Winston Cup standings last season before he was sidelined for the final seven races with a cracked vertebra in his neck. Now Marlin and rookies #42-Jamie McMurray and #41-Casey Mears are being sent in April to the University of Pittsburgh’s Medical Center in Ganassi’s hometown for “a baseline-operation program.” “It’s just one more tool for us to have, just in case things like Sterling’s injury happen again in the future,” Ganassi said. “I hope we don’t need the information, but it can only help.” Teams are constantly working on improving the safety aspects of racing, but Ganassi said he is not a pioneer in sending his drivers’ in for the test. “Everyone is always trying to be proactive, but this is something I read about somewhere else,” Ganassi said. “The Steelers do it, the Pirates do it. It can’t hurt for us to do it.”( ThatsRacin.com/AP )(1-23-2003)
