Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Advance Notes
RACE SETUP
Race: Toyota Owners 400 – 400 Laps, #ToyotaOwners400
Drivers: @jamiemcmurray, @KyleLarsonRacin
Cars: No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet SS, No. 42 Axe Peace Chevrolet SS
Track: Richmond International Raceway (0.75-mile D-shaped oval) @RIRInsider
Television: FOX (7:00 p.m. ET)
Social: @CGRTeams #TeamGanassi #TeamTarget #TeamMcD
I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT
Local Knowledge: Ed Watkins, gas man for Kyle Larson and the No. 42 Target team, grew up calling Richmond home. As a kid, Ed and his dad, a local baseball coach, regularly made trips to local parks to distribute baseball equipment to underprivileged kids. Of all his experiences in Richmond, this one still sticks out as one of the most memorable. For those visiting Richmond, Ed recommends a trip to the cobblestone roads and sidewalks of Shockoe Slip to restaurant hop. During high school, Ed worked as a bouncer for one of the oldest restaurants in the area and had access to some of the best food in Richmond. The restaurant even had a cannonball from the Civil War still stuck in the foundation wall.
#TEAMGANASSI
Rock the Vote: Don’t forget to cast your #SprintFanVote to lock @KyleLarsonRacin into the #AllStarRace @CLTMotorSpdwy! You can vote on the NASCAR Mobile App or at http://www.nascar.com/SprintFanVote. Vote now and enter for a chance to win a trip to the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race of your choice. Votes cast in the NASCAR Mobile App count double.
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
TWEET OF THE WEEK
@KyleLarsonRacin: Went golfing today. Got better as I went. Need to work on my short game a lot!
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR DARLINGTON RACEWAY
Jamie McMurray and No. 1 McDonald’s Team
Darlington Wrap Up: A beautiful Spring day in the Palmetto State provided the setting for the eighth stop on the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at the historic Darlington Raceway. Billed as, “Too Tough To Tame”, the 1.366-mile track proved to be a challenge for the No. 1 Cessna team, however Jamie McMurray and team would battle back from a one-lap deficit in the latter stages of the 374-lap race for a 16th place finish.
McMurray at Richmond: In 22 previous starts at Richmond International Raceway (RIR), McMurray has led 25 laps, earning four top-10 and one top-five finishes. He has an average starting and finishing position of 23.0 and 22.4, respectively. McMurray’s best start of second came in the fall of 2011 and his best finish of fourth came in the last race at RIR in Sept. 2013. McMurray has completed 8311 of 8809 (94.3%) laps of competition at RIR.
Hitting the Drive-Thru: Jamie McMurray will make a pit stop this Thursday, April 24, to the McDonald’s restaurant located at 607 E Laburnum Ave., Richmond, VA 23222, beginning at 5 p.m. The McDonald’s Chevrolet SS show car will also be on location as McMurray will come by to meet fans and sign autographs. The McDonald’s is located directly adjacent to RIR.
Kyle Larson and No. 42 Target Team
Darlington Recap: Although Kyle Larson earned his “Darlington Stripe” very early during the first practice session on Friday after hitting the wall in turn two, and was forced to go to a backup car, he and Team Target worked hard during the weekend to earn an eight place finish on Saturday night after stating the race in 17th place. The No. 42 Target Chevrolet showed top-10 speeds early in the weekend before hitting the wall during the first practice session and sustaining damage that was too significant to fix in the garage. As a result, the team was forced to switch to the backup car, which also showed good speeds throughout practice and qualifying. After starting in the 17th position, and moving up and down the leaderboard during the race, Larson managed to race to an eighth place finish.
Larson at Richmond: In two NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) starts last season at “America’s Premier Short Track”, Larson finished eighth in the spring race and 14th in the fall race. He qualified for both races in 18th position.
Good to the End: Through the first eight races of the season, Larson ranks third in closing out races. On average he has gained 2.6 spots in the final 10 percent of each race and has moved up a combined total of 21 spots. Larson’s closing abilities have helped result in two top-five finishes and a total of four top-10 finishes over the last five races.
Make Love, Not War: Larson will trade in the familiar Bullseye paint scheme this weekend for that of the Axe Peace brand. This will be Larson’s second time this year in the Axe Peace car. Although he has not driven the car in a race, he acted out some racing scenes while shooting a commercial for the brand back in January.
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. There are two Target’s located near several miles from the track. Just east of the track, one store is located at 7235 Bell Creek Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23111, and can be reached at (804) 559-5802. Just west of the track, a store is located at 5401 W Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23230, and can be reached at (804) 285-3492. 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 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
