Talladega Superspeedway Advance Notes
Race: Aaron’s 499 on Sunday, April 17
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (2.66-mile Superspeedway)
Location: Talladega, Ala.
NOTES
Follow EGR on Twitter: Follow @EGRTeams for official updates from Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates NASCAR teams.
Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Bass Pro Shops®/Tracker Boats Team Sweet Home Alabama: Jamie McMurray and the No. 1 team will return to Superspeedway racing this weekend at Talladega where the team will certainly be considered one of the favorites at the 2.66 tri-oval. McMurray has gone to victory lane in two of the last six restrictor-plate races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series having won the 2009 fall event at Talladega and the 2010 Daytona 500. His victory in 2009 marked his best finish at Talladega where he also has five top-five’s and six top-10 finishes. His best start was in the 2003 fall race when he started on the outside pole.
Last Weekend: The first ever night race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway proved to be a challenging outing for the Bass Pro Shops team. After posting a 17th-place qualifying effort on Friday evening the team endured several obstacles to bring home a 22nd-place finish in the Samsung Mobile 500.
Chevrolet Dominance: McMurray hopes to contribute to the run of Chevrolet dominance at Talladega Superspeedway. In the previous 10 years Chevrolet has captured the checkers in 16 of the 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races completed, including 36 total series victories on the high-banks. In the last 12 races at Talladega the Earnhardt Ganassi driver has led 146 laps and run inside the top-15 a total 46.6% of all the laps run at the famed Superspeedway. McMurray would love to add a Chevrolet victory and improve one position on his runner-up finish from the Spring 2010 race, as he was narrowly edged at the finish-line by .011 seconds to race winner Kevin Harvick. Meet with McMurray: Attention Race Fans- Come to the local Bass Pro Shops located in Leeds, AL at 5000 Bass Pro Boulevard this Thursday, April 14 where Jamie McMurray will be signing autographs for fans at 5:30 p.m. (CT).
Visit your Local Bass Pro Shops: There is no better time of year than the spring to get out and enjoy the Great Outdoors. Race fans and outdoorsmen alike can visit the Leeds, Alabama location at 5000 Bass Pro Boulevard about 40 minutes from the trackfor all of their outdoor needs. The Leeds, Alabama store can also be reached at 205-702-7500.
Going for Two: McMurray will be competing in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway for James Finch and the No.1 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet. This will be the seventh time that McMurray has competed in the Saturday Matinee at Talladega. In his six previous starts, he has an average finish of 24.7 and has led a total of 21 laps.
“Like a Glove”:Sunday EGR celebrates the birthday of Team Manager, Tony Glover. Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 TargetTeam
Follow Juan on Twitter: Follow @jpmontoya for all the happenings and inside information on the driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. “
Milk’s Favorite Cookie” on Board at Talladega: This weekend the No. 42 Target Chevrolet will carry the Oreo brand on its quarter panels.
Oreo is manufactured by the Nabisco Division of Kraft Foods and can be purchased at local Target stores.The Oreo cookie has been America’s most popular cookie since it was introduced in 1912. More than 345 billion Oreo cookies have been consumed to date. More than 7.5 billion Oreo cookies are consumed each year, which comes out to 625 million per month and 20.5 million per day. Talladega History: Montoya will be making his ninth start at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. He made his stock car racing debut at the 2.66-mile track in 2006 in an ARCA car. Montoya was the pole-sitter for the fall race in 2010 and won his first career pole there in the spring of 2009. He has an average finish of 14.8 and a driver rating of 85.9. The 2008 spring event marked his best finish at the Superspeedway, where he started 26th and raced his way to the second-position.
Restrictor-Plate Consistency: In his last five restrictor-plate starts, Montoya has recorded two top-fives and four top-10s including back-to-back third-place finishes at Talladega in the spring and fall of 2010.
Last Weekend: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series headed to Texas Motor Speedway for their first night race of the season last weekend. The No. 42 Target Chevrolet started from the 14th position and battled with changing track conditions and handling all night to finish out the night in the 13th position. Juan Pablo Montoya remains in the top-10 in the point standings, sitting eighth; 24 out of first.
CHASSIS INFO No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet (NSCS):Chassis #1009. Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion has elected to bring Chassis #1009. This chassis raced in both races at Talladega last season where it finished second and 36th. This chassis also ran in this year’s Daytona 500 where it came home 18th.
No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #1101. Crew Chief Brian Pattie and team will bring Chassis #1101 to Talladega Superspeedway. This is the same chassis the No. 42 used at Daytona International Speedway during the season-opening Daytona 500 where Montoya finished sixth.
