Budweiser Shootout At Daytona Advance Notes
Race: Budweiser Shootout, Feb. 18
Track: Daytona International Speedway
Location: Daytona Beach, Fla.
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Media Contacts at Daytona:
Jeff Dowling No.1 Bass Pro Shops® / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
Shayna Keller No. 42 Target Chevrolet
NOTES
Budweiser Shootout Drawing Party: Drawing for the starting positions in the Budweiser Shootout will be featured on the Budweiser Shootout Drawing Party live on SPEED 8PM (ET) on Friday February 17th.
A Fresh Start: Notable changes to the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (EGR) organization include a new Team Manager, Max Jones and Technical Director, John Probst. Jones most recently oversaw the merger of Yates Racing and Petty Enterprises in 2009-10 as President and General Manager. Probst comes to the team from Red Bull Racing.
Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Bass Pro Shops® / Tracker Boats Team:
Opening New Doors: Jamie McMurray returns to EGR for the 2012 season in the No.1 Bass Pro Shops®/McDonald’s Chevrolet. The team will once again be led by crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion . The No.1 Chevy will have a new look for three races in 2012. LiftMaster, Banana Boat and Belkin will each have a primary paint scheme for one race.
Year in Review: In 2011, McMurray finished the season with one pole, two top-fives, four top-10s, 15 top-20 finishes and led 106 laps. In 36 starts, he completed 9,584 of 10,650 (90%). He had an average starting position of 17.8, average running position of 20.6 and average finishing position of 22.2.
Superspeedway Stats: In 37 starts in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) at superspeedways (Daytona and Talladega) McMurray has accumulated three wins (Daytona 2007, 2010 Talladega 2009), eight top-fives, 10 top-10s and led 201 laps.
Shootout Success: In 2011, McMurray matched his best Budweiser Shootout finish (2009) with a second-place run, making it his third consecutive top-three finish. Among active drivers he yields the fourth best driver rating in the shootout with a 96.3. In his six Budweiser Shootout attempts (2004, 2006, 2008-2011) McMurray has claimed three top-fives, four top-10s and five top-20 finishes with 19 laps led. His best starting position came during his first attempt (2004), when he started third.
Driver Highlights:
· 2012 will be McMurray’s tenth full season in the NSCS
· McMurray will have Bass Pro Shops and McDonald’s as the primary sponsors on the No. 1 for the third consecutive year
· McMurray has a total of 330 career starts in NSCS heading into Daytona
· Won a career-high three NSCS races in 2010, including three of the series biggest events, Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, Bank of America 500 (Charlotte Chase Race)
· With his 2010 victory in the Brickyard 400, McMurray became only the third driver (Dale Jarrett-1996, Jimmie Johnson-2006) in NSCS history to record wins in both of NASCAR’s marquee events (Daytona 500, Brickyard 400) in the same season. McMurray’s win at the Brickyard also gave owner Chip Ganassi the Triple Crown of American auto racing – winning the Daytona 500 earlier in the season, and teammate Dario Franchitti winning the Indianapolis 500 in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
Bass Pro Shops: Bass Pro Shops, of Springfield, Mo. will enter their seventh season in the NSCS as the primary sponsor of the No. 1 Chevrolet. With 59 retail stores in 26 states and Canada, Bass Pro Shops are visited by over 100 million people annually. Bass Pro Shops also includes Tracker Marine Group, Resort Group and Restaurant Division featuring 30 unique locations.
Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Target Team:
A Fresh Start: Juan Pablo Montoya returns for his sixth full NSCS season at EGR in the No. 42 Target Chevrolet. The 2012 season has brought a lot of changes in the Team Target line-up, with one of the most prominent changes being the addition of Chris Heroy as the Crew Chief for the No. 42 car. Heroy was previously an engineer on the No. 88 team for Hendrick Motorsports. He also has minimal crew chief experience in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with JR Motorsports.
Year in Review: In 2011, Montoya finished the season with two poles, two top-fives, eight top-10s, 20 top-20 finishes and led 125 laps. The team had no DNF’s (did not finish) and had the highest number of laps run out of any driver with 10,593, including all 12 of the chase contenders. He had an average starting position of 18.2, average running position of 17.2 and average finishing position of 18.5.
Superspeedway Success: In 20 superspeedway starts in NSCS competition Montoya has a best finish of second (Talladega, 2008) three top-fives and seven top-10 finishes with 77 laps led. Team Target performed well at Daytona International Speedway in 2011 with two top-10 finishes.
Target Shootout History: Montoya returns to the 34th running of the Budweiser Shootout for the third time in his career. Last year, Montoya finished 20th after being collected in an on-track incident just four laps into the second segment. In five Bud Shootouts, the Target car has never placed outside of the top-20. In his premier Budweiser Shootout performance in 2010, Montoya finished 10th after starting from the 20th position.
Driver Highlights:
· Montoya will enter his sixth full-time year in the NSCS in 2012 with Target returning as the sponsor.
· In 2011, Montoya had no DNF’s and had the highest number of laps run out of any driver with 10,593 (99.5%) including all 12 of the Chase contenders.
· After his 2010 victory at Watkins Glen he became the first foreign born driver to have multiple wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
· Only Latino, only Formula 1 driver, and only Indianapolis 500 winner to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
· Three wins and seven poles in his stock car career (ARCA, Nationwide, NASCAR) with 22 top-five and 53 top-10 results in 206 combined starts. 1,039 laps led.
· One of only three drivers to win in Formula 1, IndyCar and NASCAR Sprint Cup (Dan Gurney and Mario Andretti).
Target: Minneapolis-based Target celebrates its 23rd season in motorsports with Chip Ganassi in 2012. The partnership continues to rank as one of the longest current sponsor relationships in motorsports. Target serves guests at 1,763 stores across the United States and at Target.com. The company plans to open its first stores in Canada in 2013. Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs; today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week.
CHASSIS INFO
No. 1 Bass Pro Shops® / Tracker Boats (NSCS): Chassis #808. The No.1 Bass Pro Shops® / Tracker Boats team will bring chassis #808 to the Budweiser Shootout. This is the same chassis that McMurray drove in the Budweiser Shootout in 2010 and 2011, crossing the finish line in third-place and second-place respectively.
No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #1101. Heroy and the No.42 team are bringing chassis #1101 to the Budweiser Shootout. This is the chassis that Montoya drove to a sixth-place finish in the 2011 Daytona 500.
2011 STATS
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Starts
Wins
Poles
Top 5s
Top 10s
Ave Start
Ave Finish
Pts. Pos./(Prev)
Jamie McMurray
36
0
1
2
4
17.8
22.2
27
Juan Pablo Montoya
36
0
2
2
8
18.2
18.5
21
CAREER STATS
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Starts
Wins
Poles
Top 5s
Top 10s
Ave Start
Ave Finish
Jamie McMurray
330
6
8
41
96
19.4
19.4
Juan Pablo Montoya
181
2
7
20
49
17.5
19.6
TEAM ROSTERS
Max Jones – Team Manager
John Probst – Technical Director
No. 1 (NSCS)
Hometown
Hometown
Crew Chief: Kevin Manion
Boylston, MA
Rear Tire Changer: Jason Romesburg
Bridgeport, WV
Chief Mechanic: Randy Cox
Trinity, NC
Rear Tire Carrier: Doug Riepe
Danbury , CT
Front Tire Changer: Bryan Jacobsen
Honesdale, PA
Gas Man: Benjy Grubbs
Richmond, VA
Front Tire Carrier: Brett Morrell
Windham, ME
Spotter: Lorin Ranier
Prestonsburg, KY
Jack Man: Mitch Lash
Salisbury, NC
No. 42 (NSCS)
Hometown
Hometown
Crew Chief: Chris Heroy
Angola, IN
Rear Tire Changer: Chris McMullen
Canton, MI
Chief Mechanic: David Bryant
Concord, NC
Rear Tire Carrier: Chip Goode
Statesville, NC
Front Tire Changer: Pedro Martinez
San Antonio, TX
Gas Man: Ed Watkins
Richmond, VA
Front Tire Carrier: Eric Bilyeu
Waterford, MI
Spotter: Tab Boyd
Pensacola, FL
Jack Man: Mark Jacobs
Fort Walton Beach, FL
For more information log onto:
www.earnhardtganassi.com
