Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Advance Notes
RACE SETUP
Race: Ford EcoBoost 400 – 267 laps/400.5 miles #FordEcoBoost400
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval) @HomesteadMiami
Drivers: @jamiemcmurray, @KyleLarsonRacin
Cars: No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS, No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS
Television: Sunday, Nov. 16 – ESPN (3 p.m. ET)
Social: @CGRTeams #TeamGanassi #TeamTarget #driveCessna
I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT
Mo’ Money and Awareness: Throughout the month of November, several Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) team members will be sporting some extra facial hair. Over 30 members of Team Ganassi, including driver Kyle Larson, are participating in Movember, a fun campaign started in 2003 by the Movember Foundation to help raise awareness of men’s health issues and funds to help save and improve the lives of men affected by prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health problems. For more information or to donate, visit http://us.movember.com/team/1523369.
Chasing ‘Em Down: While Larson did not make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, since it began, he has outscored 14 of the 16 Chase drivers. Only Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick, both of whom are in the Chase finals at Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS), have scored more points in the first nine Chase races than Larson. The other two remaining Chase drivers, Newman and Hamlin are one and twenty-two points respectively behind Larson heading to the final race of the season.
#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
@KyleLarsonRacin: Man, don’t really realize how much stuff you have until you pack it all up. Still have a bunch to go but all worth it. New house next week!
@jamiemcmurray: “@SenJohnMcCain it is a privilege honor to the #19Heroes on behalf of our partners @LiftMaster and all they do for the @NFFF_News #NASCAR”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY
Phoenix Recap: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) traveled west to Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) for the next-to-last race of the 2014 season. The No. 1 LiftMaster team fought to overcome adversity throughout the 312-lap race to score a 14th-place finish.
McMurray at Homestead-Miami: McMurray will make his 13th NSCS start at HMS this weekend. In his previous 12 starts, McMurray has accumulated three top-10 and one top-five finish, at the South Florida track. He has an average starting position of 16.4 and an average finishing position of 17.6. His best start was from the pole in 2003 and his best result was a third place finish in November of 2008.
Finishing Strong: Through the first nine races of the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Jamie McMurray has an average finishing position of 14.7, which is 6.9 positions better than the same nine-race stretch last season (2013). He has scored more points in those nine races than half of the 16 Chase drivers. McMurray is currently the second highest non-Chase driver in the points, second only to CGRFS teammate Kyle Larson.
McCafe with McMurray: McMurray will make an appearance to join several lucky fans that will have a private breakfast meet and greet with the Jamie on Friday morning, at McDonald’s located at 30335 S Federal Highway Homestead, FL 33030, before the weekend’s on-track activity starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Following the breakfast with selected guests, McMurray will spend some time to sign autographs for other fans in attendance.
Kyle Larson and No. 42 Target Team
Phoenix Recap: Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) played host for the high-stakes NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race this past weekend, where the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field was whittled down to four drivers. Although he is not in the Chase, Kyle Larson looked to continue playing the spoiler role and showed signs of doing just that throughout the race before a late gamble on strategy and a minor incident on the final lap resulted in a 13th place finish.
Larson at Homestead-Miami: After waiting all season, NASCAR is finally back at Larson’s favorite track on the circuit. Larson has three previous starts at HMS, one in each of NASCAR’s three national touring series. His first start at HMS was in the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), and he raced in last season’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races at HMS. Larson’s best finish came in the NNS race last year, where he led 54 laps and finished runner-up to NSCS regular Brad Keselowski. Sunday’s race will mark Larson’s 40th start in NSCS.
Once, Twice, Three Times a Driver: Larson will barely have a chance to change out of his firesuit this weekend at HMS, where he will be racing in the NCWTS, the NNS, and the NSCS. The busy weekend is being welcomed by Larson, who ranks Homestead-Miami as his favorite track on the NASCAR circuit.
NASCAR on Nick: On Wednesday, November 12, at 10:00 PM ET, Kyle Larson will be featured in an episode of Nickelodeon’s “Hammer Down,” a docu-series featuring some of NASCAR’s rising stars. The show is part of the NickSports programming block that airs on NickToons. Larson’s episode will feature a tour of the race shop, a shopping trip to Target, karting with other NASCAR drivers, and a look at his race weekend in Chicago. The show will give young sports fans an inside look into what it’s like to be a part of NASCAR.
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 20500 SW 112th Avenue, Miami, FL. 33189 and can be reached at (305) 235-0839. Call ahead and make sure they have what you need.
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 more than 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, Pa.
For more information log onto: www.chipganassiracing.com
