Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Advance Notes
RACE SETUP
Race: Duck Commander 500 – 334 laps/501miles #DC500
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile D-shaped oval) @TXMotorSpeedway
Drivers: @jamiemcmurray, @KyleLarsonRacin
Cars: No. 1 Cessna/McDonald’s Chevrolet SS, No. 42 AXE White Label Chevrolet SS
Television: Saturday, April 11 – FOX (7:30 p.m. ET)
Social: @CGRnascar #TeamGanassi #Axe #TeamTarget #Cessna1 #TeamMcD
I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT
Sport a Shirt: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) will once again support the Ronald McDonald Houses Charities (RMHC) of North Carolina through the Sport-a-Shirt, Share-a-Night fundraiser. Sport-a-Shirt, Share-a-Night is when thousands of people at hundreds of companies across North Carolina will “sport” a $10 Ronald McDonald House t-shirt in order to “share” a stay for one night at Ronald McDonald House with a family in need. This year teams will unite in wearing their $10 t-shirts on Friday, April 24. CGRFS will be able to provide more than 150 night stays to families in need at RMHC® through this year’s fundraising efforts.
#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 #TeamMcD
TWEET OF THE WEEK
@KyleLarsonRacin: “Got my blue on today for #autismawareness”
@jamiemcmurray: “Excited for my charity bowling event w/ @Melvingordon25 at Lucky Strike Chicago on 4/28 to benefit @RMHC bit.ly/19F41mm #NFLDraft
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Cessna/McDonald’s Team
Martinsville Recap: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) headed to Southern Virginia and Martinsville Speedway for the first short-track race of the 2015 season. Jamie McMurray, the pole winner from the last race at Martinsville, looked to add to his Martinsville stats where he has finished in the top-10 in more than half of his 25 career starts at the grueling half-mile.
McMurray at Texas: Jamie McMurray will make his 23rd NSCS career start at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) this weekend. He has completed 7,147 of 7,372 laps (96.9%) of competition at TMS and has led 70 laps. McMurray has a best start of fourth (2008) and a best finish of second (2005), along with seven top-10 and four top-five finishes and only one DNF (Did Not Finish).
Stars and Strikes: Jamie McMurray will co-host a celebrity bowling event on April 28, with Heisman Trophy runner-up and top NFL Draft prospect Melvin Gordon. The event will kick-off the week of festivities around the 2015 NFL Draft in Chicago at Lucky Strike, located in the city’s downtown River North neighborhood. The Celebrity Bowling Classic is presented by McDonald’s and will feature celebrity athletes and entertainers bowling to drive awareness and funding for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).
Kyle Larson and No. 42 AXE White Label Team
Martinsville Results: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) returned to one of its original tracks this past weekend as the team headed to Martinsville Speedway, where the tracks history is matched only by its difficulty. However, while Martinsville does not rank as one of Kyle Larson’s better tracks, he impressed early in the weekend with a seventh place qualifying effort and good speeds in practice. Unfortunately, Larson was unable to race on Sunday due to a medical issue, but last minute substitute Regan Smith handily piloted the Target Chevy from the rear of the field to a 16th place finish.
Larson at Texas: In 2013, Larson made the third start of his NSCS career at the Texas track, and managed to finish his first NSCS race. In two starts last season, Larson completed all race laps at TMS, and although he had an average starting position of 15.5, his two top-10 finishes were good enough for an average finishing positon of sixth.
White Night: Although the familiar Bullseye on Larson’s No. 42 Target Chevy is taking the week off, he will still be very easy to spot on the track in his white and silver car. This weekend at TMS, Larson’s car will the new AXE White Label grooming line. Also as part of the team’s partnership with AXE, Larson is set to serve as a mentor to several racing enthusiasts as part of the AXE White Label Collective, which is a program meant to give people the opportunity to turn aspiration into action, and “take the leap” to the next level.
Mr. Mentor: Although Kyle Larson may be young, he already has plenty of racing experience and wisdom to share. Thanks to a partnership with AXE, Larson will have the opportunity at TMS to mentor a young Legends car driver as part of the White Label Collective mentorship program. Larson will give the driver some racing tips during Thursday’s Legends event at Lil’ Texas Motor Speedway, and will also be showing him the off-track duties of a driver during a media availability on Friday. Later in the year, several lucky racing enthusiasts will have the chance to be mentored by Larson in Charlotte thanks to the White Label Collective. The winners will get a tour of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates shop, and have a chance to get on track with Larson at the Richard Petty Driving Experience at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Fans over 18 are encouraged to upload a video about why they’re the right person to “take the leap” and spend the day with Kyle at the Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s Facebook page. More information can also be found at www.axewhitelabel.com.
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 8000 Denton Highway, Watauga, TX 76148 and can be reached at (817)-427-8039. Call ahead and make sure they have what you need.
TEAM ROSTERS
Max Jones – Team Manager
John Probst – Technical Director
Tony Lunders – Competition Director
No. 1 (NSCS)
Hometown
Hometown
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Denver, NC
Rear Tire Changer: Kenyatta Houston
Bronx, NY
Chief Mechanic: Ryan Bergenty
Plainville, CT
Rear Tire Carrier: Art Simmons
Newark, MO
Front Tire Changer: Daniel Kincaid
Port Byron, NY
Gas Man: Mike Metcalf
Charlotte, NC
Front Tire Carrier: Ben Fetzer
Fredericksburg, VA
Spotter: Lorin Ranier
Prestonsburg, KY
Jack Man: Shane Wilson
Edgewater, MD
No. 42 (NSCS)
Hometown
Hometown
Crew Chief: Chris Heroy
Angola, IN
Rear Tire Changer: Steven Tautges
Abbotsford, WI
Chief Mechanic: David Bryant
Concord, NC
Rear Tire Carrier: Gene Cornwell
Rockwell, SC
Front Tire Changer: Nick Krizmanich
Kenosha, WI
Gas Man: Ed Watkins
Richmond, VA
Front Tire Carrier: Aaron Schields
Goodland, KS
Spotter: Derek Kneeland
Windham, ME
Jack Man: Graham Molatch
Harrisburg, NC
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 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.
For more information log onto www.chipganassiracing.com
