Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Advance Notes
RACE SETUP
Race: The Profit on CNBC 500
Drivers: @jamiemcmurray, @KyleLarsonRacin
Cars: No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS, No. 42 Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Chevrolet SS
Track: Phoenix International Raceway (1.0- mile tri-oval)
TV: FOX (3 p.m. ET)
Social: @CGRTeams #TeamGanassi #TeamTarget #driveCessna
I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT
Over the Hill: Last season marked the 50th time a Ganassi Racing driver started a race at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). In those 50 starts, Ganassi drivers have five top-10 and two top-five finishes with an average start of 20.8 and an average finish of 21.5.
What a Knock-out: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) teams will make the first attempt at “knock-out style” qualifying this weekend at PIR. With this new format, teams will have a single set of tires to use throughout qualifying and will only be allowed to adjust their cars during breaks between the rounds. For tracks less than 1.25-miles long, such as PIR, the format will be two rounds of qualifying as follows: Round 1: 30 minutes long for all cars; Top-12 single-lap speeds advance. Ten minute break, then Round 2: 10 minutes for the top-12 cars from round one, the fastest single-lap speed will set positions 1-12
What a Chore: It would take 7,920 (7”X8”) Clorox Disinfecting Wipes laid end-to-end to complete one line of wipes around the one-mile long PIR track.
#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”. You can also connect in the social conversation throughout the season with team hashtags – #TeamTarget, #TeamMcD, #driveCessna
TWEET OF THE WEEK
@jamiemcmurray – How did you know @jimmyfallon? (with an attached image of McMurray showing himself in a “meeting” with Darth Vader, along with a sign stating “Quiet Please: Meeting of the Lords in Progress”) The fun tweet was in response to Tonight Show host, Jimmy Fallon, identifying McMurray as “Most Likely To Be Lord Voldemort Before His Botched Nose Job”, in a NASCAR Superlatives skit on the Tonight Show Monday Feb. 24.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Cessna Team
Daytona 500 Recap: The 2014 Daytona 500 provided lots of drama for fans that were brave enough to weather the 10 hours it took to complete the “Great American Race”, including a more than six-hour rain delay. Jamie McMurray piloted the McDonald’s Chevy to a 14th place finish after being involved in a last-lap crash less than one-half mile from the finish line.
McMurray at Phoenix: In McMurray’s NSCS career, he has made 21 starts at Phoenix International Raceway. In those races, he has scored one top-five, and two top-10 finishes with an average start of 17.4. He has completed 6,239 laps (94.1%) of a possible 6,633, leading 30 of them. McMurray has been running at the finish of 17 of his 21 races. He has qualified on the front row twice at the one-mile tri-oval on the outside pole-position, April 2008 and November 2008. He also had a career best finish of third in November 2008.
Speedway Success: In 196 career starts on tracks between one mile and two miles in length, McMurray has three poles, 50 top-10 and 22 top-five finishes, along with two victories. He has also led 848 laps and compiled and average start of 19.8 and average finish of 19.1, completing 79,653 miles in competition.
Kyle Larson and No. 42 Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Team
Daytona 500 Recap: After an encouraging Speedweeks with top-10 finishes in both his Budweiser Duels and NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) races, Kyle Larson’s first start in the “Great American Race” came to a disappointing finish when a late-race incident with 40 laps remaining resulted in an early exit. Larson drove the No. 42 Target Chevy to a 38th place finish.
Larson at Phoenix: While this will be Larson’s first NSCS start at PIR, he raced twice last season at the track during NNS races. In addition to Sunday’s The Profit on CNBC 500, Larson will also be racing with Turner Scott Motorsports in Saturday’s NNS Blue Jeans Go Green 200.
So Fresh and So Clean: This week the No. 42 team will be easy to spot both on the track and in the pits with a special paint scheme from Target Racing partner Clorox. The No. 42 Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Chevrolet SS will shine bright under the desert sun with a yellow paint scheme that features Clorox’s familiar logo on the hood. As bright as the car is, your home will be even brighter, and healthier, after cleaning with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. Clorox Wipes not only kill 99.9% of germs that live on non-porous surfaces for up to 48 hours, but also kill 99.9% of cold and flu viruses. A healthy home can result in less sick days, which means more time to spend at the track.
A Shopping Bullseye: If you have made it to the race only to find out you’ve forgotten to pack a few necessities, there’s no need to worry. For all your last minute needs, and forgotten items, Target has all of the essentials and more, including Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. Target is located just nine miles from Phoenix International Raceway, at 1515 N. Litchfield Rd. Goodyear, AZ 85395. Before you go, call ahead and make sure they have what you need at (623) 935-3510.
ONE TEAM, SEVEN CARS, THREE SERIESChip 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
