Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Advance Notes
RACE SETUP
Race: CampingWorld.com 500 #CampingWorld500
Track: Phoenix International Raceway (1.0 mile tri-oval) @PhoenixRaceway
Drivers: @jamiemcmurray, @KyleLarsonRacin
Cars: No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS, No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS
Television: Sunday, Mar. 15 – FOX (3:30 p.m. ET)
Social: @CGRnascar #TeamGanassi #TeamTarget #Cessna1
I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT
CGR at PIR: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) has a total of 57 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) starts at PIR, spread across 12 different drivers. In those starts, CGRFS has seven top-10 and two top-five finishes, along with one pole award, won by Martin Truex, Jr. during the spring race in 2009. The team has finished an organization-best fifth on two occasions: Truex, Jr. in the spring race in 2009 and Juan Pablo Montoya in the spring race in 2010. CGRFS cars have earned an average starting spot of 20.4 and an average finish of 21.1.
#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 2015 season by following “@CGRnascar”. You can also connect in the social conversation throughout the season with team hashtags – #TeamTarget, #Cessna1
TWEET OF THE WEEK
@KyleLarsonRacin: “Had to tune on the car quite a bit for that top 10. Proud of my team. Also thanks to all the @Target folks who came out to support this week”
@jamiemcmurray: “Great car again. Had a great lap going and got loose in T3. Not sure how we are going faster w 100 less HP this year” – following qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Cessna Team
Las Vegas Recap: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) rolled into “Sin City” for the third race of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS). Jamie McMurray and the No.1 Cessna Chevrolet looked to rebound after an early exit last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. McMurray started from the 10th position and posted a hard fought 11th place finish on Sunday afternoon.
McMurray at Phoenix: In McMurray’s NSCS career, he has made 23 starts at Phoenix International Raceway. In those races, he has scored one top-five, and three top-10 finishes with an average start of 16.8. He has completed 6,863 laps (94.6%) of a possible 7,257, leading 30 of them. McMurray has been running at the finish of 19 of his 23 races. He has qualified on the front row twice at the one-mile tri-oval on the outside pole-position, April 2008 and November 2008. He also had a career best finish of third in November 2008.
Speedway Success: In 216 career starts on tracks between one mile and two miles in length, McMurray has three poles, 57 top-10 and 27 top-five finishes, along with two victories. He has also led 947 laps and compiled and average start of 19.1 and average finish of 18.8, completing 87,856 miles in competition.
Kyle Larson and No. 42 Target Team
Las Vegas Recap: In the first stop on the west coast swing for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS), teams took to the track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) for the Kobalt Tools 400. The weekend started fast for Kyle Larson and Team Target, setting the pace in the first practice and ending with Larson’s first top-10 of the season. After starting fifth and holding a spot in the top-10 for most of the race, handling issues affected Larson throughout the day, but he worked hard throughout the day to earn an eighth-place finish.
Larson at PIR: Larson will be making his third NSCS start at PIR this weekend. In both previous visits, Larson has qualified in eighth position, and he has finished in 20th and 13th place. Larson also has four starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) at PIR, with a career-best fourth-place finish that came last season during the March race weekend.
Peanuts and Cracker Jacks: Like most drivers, much of Kyle Larson’s spare time growing up was spent racing. And while the 2014 NSCS Rookie of the Year has spent countless hours on track racing since starting at age seven, he also managed to get in some time on the baseball diamond. Larson briefly played catcher until his karting schedule didn’t leave enough spare time for baseball. Although it’s been a while since Larson has stepped on the field, he will get a chance this weekend in Phoenix when he visits the Los Angeles Dodgers spring training facility at Camelback Ranch to throw out the first pitch for Friday night’s sold out game against the Cincinnati Reds.
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 1515 N. Litchfield Rd. Goodyear, AZ 85395 and can be reached at (623) 935-3510. 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 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 over 160 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 Brownsburg, Ind. and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.
