Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Advance Notes – Charlotte Motor Speedway

Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Advance Notes

RACE SETUP

Race:           Coca-Cola 600 – 400 laps/600 miles #CocaCola600
Drivers:             @jamiemcmurray, @KyleLarsonRacin
Cars:                 No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS, No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS
Track:               Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-mile quad oval)                             @CLTMotorSpdwy
Television:        Sunday, May 25 FOX (6:00 p.m. ET)
Social:               @CGRTeams #TeamTarget #driveCessna #TeamGanassi

I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT

Getting His Hall Pass:  On Thursday, May 22, Chip Ganassi will be inducted into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame.  The Auto Racing Hall of Fame has been around since 1953 and traditionally honors the most important figures in the history of the Indianapolis 500.  Bobby Rahal, Bill Simpson, Jimmy McElreath and Leo Mehl are set to join Ganassi as the 2014 class.  The Pittsburgh native has won five Indianapolis 500s over his career as an owner.  In addition to wins by Emerson Fittipaldi (1989), Juan Pablo Montoya (2000) and Scott Dixon (2008), Ganassi won the race in 2010 with Dario Franchitti (who also won the 2012 race).  Making the 2010 Indy 500 win even more special was winning NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 two months later, becoming the only owner in history to win both races.  The 2014 Greatest Spectacle in Racing will feature five Ganassi drivers including Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Charlie Kimball, Ryan Briscoe and young development driver Sage Karam.  The induction will take place at the annual Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers dinner in downtown Indianapolis.

#TEAMGANASSI

Follow CGR on Twitter:  Be sure to follow CGR on the 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 #TeamGanassi #driveCessna

TWEET OF THE WEEK

@jamiemcmurray: “Wow what a night. Thanks to everyone @CGRTeams and @keithrodden for everything. Thanks for all of the tweets.” (on Saturday’s All-Star Race victory)
@kylelarsonracing: “Hell yeah guys!!!! @jamiemcmurray @keithrodden @CGRTeams Man I’m so happy for everyone!”

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR CHARLOTTE

Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Cessna Team

All-Star Recap: Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) played host to the 30th-running of the Sprint All-Star race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS).  The field of 22 drivers took the green flag Saturday night under the lights in a no-holds-barred, million-dollars-to-win format.  When the green-flag dropped on the final 10-lap segment, Jamie McMurray claimed his first Sprint All-Star Race win, driving the Bass Pro Shops/National Wild Turkey Federation Chevrolet SS.

Charlotte Success: Fresh off his first win in the Sprint All-Star Race Saturday night, McMurray will look to return to victory lane at CMS in the NSCS’ longest race on the schedule.  McMurray, a three time winner at CMS in NSCS competition (two Bank of America 500 and Sprint All-Star Race wins) has 23 starts in points-paying races.  McMurray has eight top-10, five top-five and two wins while completing 7640 of 8118 laps (94.1%) of competition and led 240 laps.  He has an average start of 22.6 and average finish of 17.7.

Seeing Double: Country music star Brantley Gilbert will do “the double” when he attends both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on May 25.  Gilbert, who’s newly released album, Just As I Am will be featured on the No. 22 Comfort Revolution/Brantley Gilbert Chevrolet of 19-year-old Ganassi development driver Sage Karam in the Indianapolis 500.  Gilbert will then hop a flight to Charlotte in time to perform a pre-race concert before the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race.  Along with landing his likeness on Karam’s Indy car and the No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet driven by Jamie McMurray for the NSCS race, the country crooner will also be featured in some fashion on Indy cars driven by defending Indianapolis 500 champion Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, Charlie Kimball and Ryan Briscoe, along with the No. 42 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) car of Kyle Larson.

Honor the Fallen: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) and team partner LiftMaster, will honor Captain Jeffrey Bowen, a fallen Asheville, N.C. firefighter this Memorial Day weekend.  Capt. Bowen’s name will be displayed above the right-side door of McMurray’s car in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS).  The recognition of Bowen’s service to his community is the result of the relationship between LiftMaster and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. The NFFF was created in 1992 to remember America’s fallen fire heroes and provide assistance to their families.

Kyle Larson and No. 42 Target Team

Sprint Showdown Recap: Kyle Larson and the No. 42 Target Chevy started off on-track for the Sprint Showdown very strong.  Larson posted the fastest lap in the one and only practice session, and qualified third for the race.  However, Larson’s chances to win were hindered early in the race after experiencing issues with third gear.  Although the problem made restarts difficult, the missing gear did not slow Larson down too much.  After falling back on restarts, he quickly moved up towards the leading cars and ultimately finished sixth.  “Tonight’s race didn’t go the way I had hoped.  We had a great first practice, and qualified in a good spot with the Target Chevy earlier today, but we had an issue with the car early in the race that took away my ability to get a good jump on the restarts.  We had a good car for the race, once again, but didn’t have what we needed to fight back after the restarts.”

Larson at CMS: Larson has raced at Charlotte Motor Speedway on three previous occasions; once in last fall’s NSCS race and twice last year when the NNS stopped in the Queen City.  Although Larson did not finish the NSCS race due to mechanical issues, he had an average finish of 8.5 in the NNS races.

25 and Counting: On Sunday, May 25, Target Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (TCGRFS) will celebrate 25 years of partnership with Target by running a special silver paint scheme on Kyle Larson’s No. 42 Target Chevrolet for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  Additionally, both of the Target Chip Ganassi Racing cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series will feature a silver livery for the Indianapolis 500 to celebrate the 25 year partnership.

Keeping Fresh and Setting Records: After a successful debut last year, the all® and Snuggle® Laundry Pit Stop is back this year to help race fans keep their clothes fresh and smelling great while camping out for the race weekend.  The Laundry Pit Stop is available for laundry service now through May 23 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and May 24 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., and can be found at the Tim Flock Campground.  Additionally, all® and Snuggle® are giving fans the opportunity to help set a Guinness World Record® this weekend.  Stop by their display in the fanzone on Sunday between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to participate in the race for the most t-shirts thrown into a hamper in one minute.

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 located at 6150 Bayfield Parkway, Concord, NC 28027, and can be reached at (704) 262-6080.  Call ahead and make sure they have what you need.

TEAM ROSTERS

Max Jones – Team Manager

John Probst – Technical Director

No. 1  (NSCS)

Crew Chief:  Keith Rodden  – Denver, NC

Rear Tire Changer: Steve Tautges – Abbotsford, WI

Chief Mechanic:  Tony Lunders – Chehalis, WA

Rear Tire Carrier: Art Simmons – Newark, MO

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)

Crew Chief:  Chris Heroy – Angola, IN

Rear Tire Changer:  Chris McMullen – Canton, MI

Chief Mechanic:  David Bryant – Concord, NC

Rear Tire Carrier:  Doug Riepe – Danbury, CT

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 Verizon IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and one Prototype in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.  Overall his teams have 17 championships and 160 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400, five Rolex 24 At Daytonas and the 12 Hours of Sebring.  Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Brownsburg, Ind. and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Penn.

For more information log onto: www.chipganassiracing.com