Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Advance Notes
RACE SETUP
Race: Kobalt 400
Drivers: @jamiemcmurray, @KyleLarsonRacin
Cars: No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS, No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS
Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5 mile tri-oval) @LVMotorSpeedway
TV: FOX (3 p.m. ET)
Social: @CGRTeams #TeamGanassi #TeamTarget #driveCessna
I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT
On Parade: The annual parade of haulers down the world-famous Las Vegas Strip will kick off the annual NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) beginning Wednesday, March 5. The hauler parade will start at 6:00 pm on the south end of the Strip, then proceed north to Sahara Avenue before heading north on Interstate 15 to LVMS.
Practice Makes Perfect: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) teams will have an open test day on Thursday March 6 at LVMS. Both the No. 1 Cessna and No. 42 Target teams will test at LVMS from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm (PT). The test session will be important for both teams as they prepare for the Kobalt 400, the first 1.5-mile track on the 2014 schedule. The test will also be the first on-track experience for Kyle Larson as he will make his first NSCS start at LVMS.
Three-For-All: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) teams will make the first attempt at “knock-out style” qualifying at a track longer than 1.25 miles this weekend at LVMS. At tracks greater than 1.25 mile in length, the format will expand to three rounds of qualifying as follows: Round 1: 25 minutes for all cars; top-24 speeds advance. Five minute break. Round 2: 10 minutes for the top-24 cars: top-12 speeds will advance to final round. Five minute break. Round 3: Five minutes for the top-12 cars from round two; the speeds during the final session will set starting positions 1-12.
#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
@CGRTeams – #NASCAR @KyleLarsonRacin reporting that Ricky Bobby is in the stands at turns 1 and 2 @PhoenixRaceway (Larson’s report came during a caution lap late in the race)
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Cessna Team
Phoenix Recap: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) made the second stop of the 2014 season in the “Valley of the Sun” at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). Jamie McMurray and the No.1 Cessna/Bad Boy Buggies team showed up to the track with a strong car on Friday and backed up an impressive third place qualifying effort with a 10th place finish on Sunday in The Profit on CNBC 500.
McMurray at Las Vegas: McMurray has 11 previous NSCS starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In those 11 starts the driver of the No. 1 Cessna Chevy SS has scored one top-five, and four top-10 finishes with an average start of 21.9 and an average finish of 18.2. He has completed 2,928 laps (99.3%) of a possible 2,958. McMurray has been running at the finish of all 11 races. He has best qualifying result and finish of fourth in March 2004.
Speedway Success: In 197 career starts on tracks between one mile and two miles in length, McMurray has three poles, 51 top-10 and 22 top-five finishes, along with two victories. He has also led 848 laps and compiled and average start of 19.7 and average finish of 19.1, completing 79,965 miles in competition.
Kyle Larson and No. 42 Target Team
Phoenix Recap: Kyle Larson and the No. 42 team showed strength throughout the race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway with a strong Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Chevy SS. After posting an eighth place qualifying result on Friday, the No. 42 team battled to overcome a two-lap deficit during the 312-lap race, for a 20th place finish.
Larson at Las Vegas: This will be Larson’s first NSCS start at LVMS. He raced once last season at the track during a NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race. In addition to Sunday’s Kobalt 400, Larson will also be racing with Turner Scott Motorsports in Saturday’s NNS Boyd Gaming 300.
The White Stripes: While Larson will be back in the familiar red Target Chevy this week, he and his Target Team will be wearing their new white Target firesuits for the first time this season. The white firesuit, complete with a vintage racing stripe running from top to bottom, is one of three new suits for this season that the No. 42 Target team will be wearing.
Lucky Number Seven: LVMS is one of only seven tracks to have hosted their first NSCS race after Kyle Larson was born in 1992.
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. Target is just seven miles from LVMS, located at 4001 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89119. Call ahead and make sure they have what you need at 702-732-2218.
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 five wins in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500 and a Brickyard 400 victory. 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
