Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Advance Notes
RACE SETUP
Race: Coca-Cola 600 – 400 Laps (600 Miles) #CocaCola600
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-mile quad oval) @CLTMotorSpdwy
Drivers: @jamiemcmurray, @KyleLarsonRacin
Cars: No. 1 Cessna/McDonald’s Chevrolet SS, No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS
Television: FOX (6:00 p.m. ET)
Social: @CGRnascar #TeamGanassi #TeamTarget #Cessna1 #TeamMcD
I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT
This weekend Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) will join other teams for 600 Miles of Remembrance as part of NASCAR: An American Salute, an industry-wide tribute to show respect and appreciation for our veterans and active military members.
Fans are encouraged to join NASCAR as we salute the U.S. Armed Forces using #NASCARSalutes. As part of 600 Miles of Remembrance the No. 1 and No. 42 cars will carry the names of two military veterans that will be honored:
No. 1 Team
Russell Freeland – Staff Sargent, U.S. Air Force
July 13, 1929 – Apr. 2, 2015
Russ Freeland was born and raised in Lawrenceburg, a small town in the southeast corner of Indiana, where he was a three-sport star athlete and president of his senior class. Russ served his country in the U.S. Air Force in the Korean War and was a Rector scholar at DePauw University, later earning a master’s degree from Butler University. Russ was elected to the National Association of Coaches Silver Anniversary All-Star Team in 1976 and to the State of Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. Russ had a long career with International Harvester and was active with his church, DuPage AME. He also served his local community as president of the Plainfield, IN Optimist Club and later as president of the Naperville Lions Club where he received the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award.
No. 42 Team
Mark A. Stets Jr. – Staff Sargent, U.S. Army
Jan. 4, 1971 – Feb. 3, 2010 – Killed in Action serving in Pakistan
Since he could walk and talk, SSGT. Stets played with those little green Army men. Most likely due to his Grandfathers being involved in WWII and his father a career Navy man. He first enter the military serving in the Navy during Desert Storm. Once discharged, he knew he needed to be a soldier. He then served the rest of his life in the U.S. Army. Starting out in the mobile missile field of the Army before switching his career choice to the Psychological Operations (PSYOP). He answered his nations call and gave his all. Mark Jr. is survived by his Mother and Father, Nancy and Mark. He was married and leaves behind his wife Nina and three daughters, Jessica, December and Rachael.
#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: “Congrats on the pole @scottdixon9!! @CGRTeams @TeamChevy #OneTeam”
@jamiemcmurray “Well last night did not go as planned. New car w some different ideas to try did not work out. Got some work to do for the 600”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Cessna/McDonald’s Team
All-Star Recap: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) made a stop at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) for the 31st running of the Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday night. Jamie McMurray looked to defend his 2014 victory in the $1 million-to-win non-points paying event. The hope for a repeat turned out to not be in the cards for the driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, who crossed the finish line in the 16th position.
Charlotte Stats: Jamie McMurray has made 25 NSCS career starts at CMS where he has completed 8,374 of 8,852 (9%) laps of competition. He has 10 top-10 and seven top-five finishes with an average start of 22.6 and average finish of 16.6. McMurray has led a total of 279 laps in NSCS competition.
Milestone Start: This Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 will mark McMurray’s 450th start in NSCS competition. Charlotte Motor Speedway is of significant importance to the career of McMurray. The Joplin, MO native set the record for the fewest amount of starts before a first NSCS victory when he won the 2002 Bank of America 500 in just his second career start. McMurray has won that event two times along with the 2014 Sprint All-Star race at CMS. Additionally, he has led more laps at CMS than any other track that he has raced at in NSCS competition.
Kyle Larson and No. 42 Target Team
All-Star Wrap Up: Larson began the All-Star Race weekend by competing in the last-chance Sprint Showdown Race, which earned th each segment winner a spot in Saturday’s main event. Larson started the Showdown Race, which consisted of two 20-lap segments, in sixth-place and finished the first segment in that same position. After stopping between segments for a two tires, Larson made up some spots on pit road and started the second segment in third place. On the restart, Larson was able to jump to the front and challenged for the top spot for a couple of laps, before falling back. Near the end of the segment, Larson made slight contact with the wall and was forced to pit, which resulted in a 25th place finish.
Larson at Charlotte: This weekend will mark Larson’s fourth NSCS start at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the track at which he made his first NSCS start in 2013. Larson’s best finish there is sixth, which he earned in last season’s fall race. Overall, he has an average start of 23.3 and an average finish of 20.3 at the mile and a half track.
Commemorating with Camo: This weekend at Charlotte you might have to look a little harder to spot the Target Chevy. In honor and observance of Memorial Day, the usually easy to spot Team Target Chevy will feature a red camouflage paint scheme. The camo paint scheme is a small way of saying thank you to all the military veterans who gave their life while serving in the armed forces. Target has hired veterans in conjunction with their work with the 100,000 Jobs Mission, which is a pledge to hire more veterans and saw over 140,000 veterans hired last year.
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 6150 Bayfield Parkway, Concord, NC 28027, and can be reached at (704) 262-6080. 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
