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Feliciano Sergio "Félix" Sabates, Jr. (born September 9, 1945) is a Cuban-born entrepreneur and philanthropist living in the United States. He is currently a partner in Chip Ganassi Racing teams, which fields teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (as Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates), GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and the IZOD IndyCar Series. Sabates previously owned his own NASCAR team, SABCO Racing, until the end of the 2000 season when Chip Ganassi and Sabates became partners. ==Early life== Felix Sabates was born in Camagüey, Cuba, living there until the age of 15. Sabates is the oldest of seven children — three boys (Feliciano "Felix" Jr., Jose, Arturo "Art") and four girls (Silvia, Yoyi, Manty, Rosita) — of Dr. Feliciano Sabates and Maria Tavio.〔〔〔 Sabates' grandfather grew sugar until a fire destroyed the business in the 1930s. Sabates' family then founded a jewelry store in 1936. The family would later found several successful business including import and export, jewelry, optical stores, insurance sales, sugar, cattle, service stations and pharmacies, many of which bore the family name.〔〔 Sabates attended military school as a teenager, first in Havana, and later in Camagüey. According to Sabates, he was a bunkmate with one of the sons of Fidel Castro.〔 Following the Cuban Revolution, the newly established communist government headed by Fidel Castro proceeded to nationalize many businesses and strip citizens of individual wealth. This included the assets of Sabates' family.〔〔 After joining anti-Castro forces, in June 1960, at the age of 15, Felix was put on a flight to Miami by his parents. He was the first member of the family to enter the United States of America. Five of his six brothers and sisters would later arrive in the U.S. under Operation Peter Pan, sent to Albuquerque, New Mexico and placed in foster care. Sabates' mother and youngest brother Art fled in 1963, while his father arrived in 1966 after being restricted by the Castro administration.〔 Sabates initially settled in Boston, Massachusetts with his aunt and uncle, before moving to Columbia, Missouri. In between, Sabates lived in motels and worked several odd jobs, including washing pots and pans at a hospital.〔〔 Eventually, the family would reconvene in Lexington, North Carolina (where his mother originally settled), in a resettlement site for Cuban refugees established by an American-based Catholic charity.〔〔 In Lexington, Sabates began working 12-hour shifts in a furniture factory. One year later in 1964, after an encounter with the Ku Klux Klan, his family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, and he began working at National Car Rental as a parking lot attendant and washing cars at the Charlotte Airport.〔〔 Later, Sabates began working at the City Chevrolet car dealership in Downtown Charlotte (later purchased by fellow NASCAR owner Rick Hendrick), offering to work for free on the condition that if he out sells the other salesman within a month, that he would be compensated and offered a permanent sales position. Sabates was successful with record car sales.〔〔 When a local newspaper article had recounted this story about the top salesman, it caught the eye of a local businessman who proceeded to offer him a different sales position with potential growth as a manufacturer's representative. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Felix Sabates」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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