Chip Ganassi Racing NASCAR XFINITY Series Advance Notes
RACE SETUP
Race: Axalta 200 – 200 Laps / 200 miles #Axalta200
Track: Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) (1.0 mile D-Shaped oval)
Drivers: @JMarksDE, @BrennanPoole
Cars: No. 42 Katerra Chevrolet Camaro, No. 48 DC Solar Chevrolet Camaro
Television: Saturday Mar. 12 – FOX (2:00 p.m. ET)
Social: @CGRnascar #Katerra #DCSolar
I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT
CGR in XFINITY at PIR: PIR was the sight of CGR’s first XFINITY Series win with driver Jamie McMurray in 2004. McMurray led four times for 47 laps that day. In 14 XFINITY Series starts CGR drivers have combined for one win, two top-five and five top-10 finishes.
#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. 42 and No. 48 teams throughout the 2016 season by following “@CGRnascar”. You can also connect in the social conversation throughout the season with team hashtags – #Katerra and #DCSolar
TWEET OF THE WEEK
@JMarksDE – Thanks for all the tweets. It’s really fun to be driving fast race cars. Excited for what this year holds. We’ll come back hungry and strong
@BrennanPoole – One cool thing about #nascargoeswest is getting to have new experiences like seeing the Warriors play tonight! Thanks to #DCSolar!
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
Justin Marks and No. 42 Katerra Team
Las Vegas Recap: Marks started 13th for the 300-mile race and at the drop of the green flag radioed to his crew the handling of his Katerra Camaro was too tight. Under the race’s second caution on lap 73, Marks received the free pass back on to the lead lap. He spent most of the day riding inside the top-10. Unfortunately on lap 138, Marks was unable to avoid an accident off turn 2, causing significant damage and ending a promising day for the California native. Marks would be credited with a 34th-place finish.
Marks at PIR: Marks has one XFINITY Series and two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at PIR. His best finish was 18th in the NCWTS in 2011.
Brennan Poole and No. 48 DC Solar Team
Las Vegas Recap: Poole started 11th for the 300-mile race and at the drop of the green flag radioed to his crew the handling of his DC Solar Chevy was way too tight. The pace set by eventual race winner Kyle Busch put Poole a lap down early in the event. Utilizing the waive-around, Poole managed to get back on lead lap and contend for a top-10 finish. The final 50 laps of the event saw Poole try and protect his top-10 finish. Unfortunately, he came up just short on fuel and came home with an 11th-place finish. This marked Poole’s second top-15 of the 2016 season.
Poole Returns to PIR: Poole made his second XFINITY Series start at PIR last year. He started 21st and finished 26th after running out of fuel with a handful of laps to go. Poole also led six laps during the event, the first of his XFINITY Series career.
2016 STATS
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Starts
Wins
Poles
Top 5s
Top 10s
Avg. Start
Avg. Finish
Pts. Pos.
Brennan Poole
3
0
0
0
0
9.7
17.3
11
Justin Marks
1
0
0
0
0
13.0
34.0
38
CAREER STATS
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Starts
Wins
Poles
Top 5s
Top 10s
Avg. Start
Avg. Finish
Brennan Poole
20
0
0
0
2
15.6
18.4
Justin Marks
14
0
0
0
2
17.5
27.5
TEAM ROSTERS
Nick Harvey – Team Manager
John Probst – Technical Director
Tony Lunders – Competition Director
No. 42 (NXS)
Hometown
Hometown
Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
Amherst, OH
Rear Tire Changer: Steven Tautges
Abbotsford, WI
Chief Mechanic: Ryan Shea
Tionesta, PA
Rear Tire Carrier: Gene Cornwell
Rock Hill, SC
Front Tire Changer: Steven Price
Lynchburg, VA
Gas Man: Ed Watkins
Richmond, VA
Front Tire Carrier: Aaron Schields
Goodland, KS
Spotter: Derek Kneeland
Windham, ME
Jack Man: Graham Molatch
Harrisburg, NC
No. 48 (NXS)
Hometown
Hometown
Crew Chief: Chad Norris
Freemont, IA
Rear Tire Changer: Kenyatta Houston
Bronx, NY
Chief Mechanic: Dwayne Bigger
Montoursville, PA
Rear Tire Carrier: PJ Briody
Austin, TX
Front Tire Changer: Daniel Kincaid
Port Byron, NY
Gas Man: Mike Metcalf
Charlotte, NC
Front Tire Carrier: Ben Fetzer
Fredericksburg, VA
Spotter: Tyler Green
Owensboro, KY
Jack Man: Shane Wilson
Edgewater, MD
ONE TEAM
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, two cars in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, two factory Ford GT’s in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, two factory Ford GT’s in the FIA World Endurance Championship and two Supercars in Red Bull Global Rallycross. Overall his teams have 18 championships and 170 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400 and six Rolex 24 At Daytonas and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.
