Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Advance Notes
RACE SETUP
Drivers: @jamiemcmurray, @KyleLarsonRacin
Cars: No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet SS, No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS
Track: Daytona International Speedway
TV: FOX (1 p.m. ET)
Social: @CGRTeams #TeamGanassi #TeamTarget #TeamMcD
Ganassi at Daytona: Since 2001 as a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) car owner, Chip Ganassi has 60 starts at Daytona International Speedway (DIS). In those 60 starts his cars have completed 9,634 laps (24,085 miles) of competition, led 210 laps and have posted one victory (2010 Daytona 500), six top-five, 15 top-10 finishes and two pole awards.Year of Celebration: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (CGRT) will celebrate its 25th year with the start of the 2014 season. CGRT, which began as Target Chip Ganassi Racing in 1990, is recognized as one of the most successful teams in the motorsports industry. Beginning with their first win in 1994 at Surfers Paradise, Australia, the organization has compiled historic victories in some of the most iconic races around the globe. CGRT has claimed five wins in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500 and a Brickyard 400 victory. In total CGRT has claimed 17 series championships and more than 150 race victories.
#TEAMGANASSI
Follow CGR on Twitter: Be sure to follow CGR on their official team Twitter page. Find in-race updates and weekly news on the No.1 and No.42 teams throughout the 2014 season by following “@CGRTeams”.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
@KeithRodden (No. 1 team crew chief) following Sprint Unlimited at Daytona: “We were fast but didn’t have any friends in the end. Still learned a lot and team did great on that last pit stop that counted.”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Jamie McMurray and No. 1 McDonald`sTeam
Off-Season Prep: Since the end of the 2013 NSCS campaign the No. 1 team has gone through several changes with new personnel, most notably the addition of new crew chief Keith Rodden. Rodden brings more than 10 years of racing experience to Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS), most recently he served as the race engineer for the No. 5 team and driver Kasey Kahne.
McMurray at Daytona: McMurray will make his 23rd NSCS start at DIS during 2014 Speedweeks. In his previous 22 starts, McMurray has accumulated two wins (2007 Coke Zero 400 and 2010 Daytona 500), three top-five and five top-10 finishes at the “World Center of Racing”. He has an average starting position of 21.2 and an average finishing position of 23.7. His best start from the sixth position came in the 2006 running of the Daytona 500.
Restrictor Plate Success: Since joining the NSCS full-time in 2002 only four active drivers (Jeff Gordon – six wins, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson – each with five wins) have more victories on restrictor plate tracks (Daytona and Talladega) than Jamie McMurray – four wins. McMurray was also the winner of the most recent restrictor plate race at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2013.
Golden Arches: There’s no reason to go hungry while visiting Daytona International Speedway for the Daytona 500. McDonald’s has several locations within five miles of Daytona International Speedway. The closest restaurant is located at 1388 W. International Speedway Blvd. Daytona Beach, FL 32114.
Kyle Larson and No. 42 Target Team
Flying High: Kyle Larson had the opportunity to fly with the US Air Force Thunderbirds on Tuesday Feb. 18, during a two-day break in the track schedule at DIS. Larson took to the skies with Major Tyler “Wolf” Ellison in a two-seater F-16 Falcon and flew over Central Florida doing aerobatic maneuvers with the Air Force’s aerial demonstration team.
Welcome to the Big Time: Larson will make the first NSCS start of his rookie season on Sunday the Daytona 500. The Daytona 500 will also be Laron’s first NSCS start on a superspeedway (oval tracks two or more miles in length). Larson has made just four previous starts in the NSCS. In 2013 he competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Double Duty: In addition to driving the No. 42 Target Chevy SS in Sunday’s Daytona 500, Larson will be behind the wheel of the No. 42 Axe Peace Chevy Camaro in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Drive4COPD 300 at DIS this Saturday Feb. 22.
Make Love Not War: In addition to racing the No. 42 Axe Peace Chevy in Saturday’s NNS race, Larson and the No. 42 Axe Chevy can also be featured in a national commercial promoting Axe’s new fragrance, Peace.
Bullseye: For race fans who run out of provisions, or need to pick-up that one last item before heading to the track, the Daytona Beach Target is conveniently located just across the street from DIS at 2380 W International Speedway Boulevard. A short drive from the track, Target is there to meet your needs for the weekend of racing.
CREW ROSTER
Max Jones – Team Manager
John Probst – Technical Director
No. 1 (NSCS)
Hometown
Hometown
Crew Chief: Keith Rodden
Denver, NC
Rear Tire Changer: Steve Tautges
Abbotsford, WI
Chief Mechanic: Tony Lunders
Chehalis, WA
Rear Tire Carrier: Doug Riepe
Danbury, CT
Front Tire Changer: Daniel Kincaid
Port Byron, NY
Gas Man: Mike Metcalf
Charlotte, NC
Front Tire Carrier: Ben Fetzer
Fredericksburg, VA
Spotter: Lorin Ranier
Prestonsburg, KY
Jack Man: Shane Wilson
Edgewater, MD
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: Jody Fortson
China Grove, NC
Front Tire Changer: Dennis Terry
Mooresboro, NC
Gas Man: Ed Watkins
Richmond, VA
Front Tire Carrier: Aaron Schields
Goodland, KS
Spotter: Derek Kneeland
Windham, ME
Jack Man: Mark Jacobs
Fort Walton Beach, FL
ONE TEAM, SEVEN CARS, THREE SERIES
Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 25 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include four cars in the IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and one Prototype in the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Overall his teams have 17 championships and over 150 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400 and five Rolex 24 At Daytonas. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Brownsburg, Ind. and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.
For more information log onto: www.chipganassiracing.com
