Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Eanhardt-Ganassi cars should find themselves contending Sunday at Brickyard

McMurray and Montoya have had lots of Brickyard success
Race: Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com
Drivers: @jamiemcmurray, @jpmontoya
Cars: No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS, No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
TV: ESPN (1:00pm ET)
Social: @EGRTeams #TeamGanassi

I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT

EGR in Indy: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates EGR has made 28 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), boasting three poles (2010, 2007 and 2004) and a one-two start in 2007. Along with starting well, EGR has finished well, earning one win with Jamie McMurray in 2010, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes. EGR drivers have completed 4,378 laps out of a possible 4,483 laps (97.6 percent) and have led 299 laps at IMS. EGR has an average starting position of 15.1 and an average finish of 18.6.

20 years at Indy: This year marks the 20th anniversary of NSCS heading to Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400. In 2010, McMurray won the Brickyard 400 during IMS Centennial Era. Since running at Indianapolis, 14 of the 20 wins have been with Chevrolet as the manufacturer.

Indy Fun Fact: Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the world’s largest spectator sporting facility, with more than 250,000 permanent seats. If the seat boards from the grandstands at IMS were laid end-to-end, they would stretch 99.5 miles and Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium, the Rose Bowl, the Roman Coliseum and Vatican City all can fit inside the IMS oval, which covers 253 acres. Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya are the only two drivers to have competed in the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400, and United States Grand Prix at IMS.

Off-Week: ESPN traveled to Colombia with the Montoya family during the off-week to gather footage of the international driver’s home country. The segment will air during ESPN’s NSCS Countdown show prior to the start of the Brickyard 400. The three-day shoot included a trip to a go-kart track named after Montoya, the track where he got his stock car start, his family’s farm and to visit with the children at a Formula Smiles location.

Cassadee At NASCAR: Big Machine Records artist, Cassadee Pope will join drivers Kyle Larson, Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Super Weekend at the Brickyard as a special team guest for EGR. Pope will also perform at the Brickfest Music Festival and sing the National Anthem for the Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com. Follow #CassadeeAtNASCAR for behind-the-scenes pictures and updates from the 23-year-old Season 3 Winner of The Voice.

#TEAMGANASSI

Follow EGR on Twitter: Continue to follow EGR on their official team Twitter page. Find in-race updates and weekly news on the No.1 and No.42 teams throughout the 2013 season by following “@EGRTeams”.

Be Part of Super Weekend: As the No. 02 NTT DATA Dinan-Prepared BMW competes on the track, we’re asking you to compete off the track! Follow #NTTDATARacing this weekend and guess the finishing positions for our GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series (No. 32 Kyle Larson) and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (No.1 Jamie McMurray and No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya) drivers for a chance to win a piece of carbon fiber signed by the drivers from their respective races.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

@jpmontoya – “Excited about Indy this weekend. Going there with all the family.”

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Cessna Team

New Hampshire Recap: The Granite State was the site of race number 19 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS). The McDonald’s Monopoly team rolled off from 11th starting position on Sunday afternoon. McMurray raced with added incentive as one lucky fan would win $200 each time he crossed the start/finish line as part of the Monopoly at McDonald’s Pass Go! Sweepstakes. McMurray would pilot the No. 1 Chevrolet SS to a 12th-place, lead-lap finish.

McMurray at Indy: McMurray has made 10 starts at IMS, earning one win (2010), three top-five and five top-10 finishes. He has completed 1,580 laps out of a possible 1,601 laps (98.7%). He has led 43 laps, and has an average starting position of 15.4 and an average finishing position of 14.0. McMurray’s best start was fourth in 2010.

Countdown to 20: In his eighth start at IMS in 2010, McMurray led 16 laps en route to victory in the Brickyard 400. The victory helped make Chip Ganassi the first team owner to win races at IMS in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. This weekend’s race will mark the 20thrunning of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series historic 2.5-mile oval. McMurray is one of just seven active drivers who are former winners of the Brickyard 400 that will participate in this year’s race.

Air Traffic: Cessna will be the primary sponsor on the No. 1 Chevrolet SS for Jamie McMurray this weekend at IMS. Kyle Larson will also carry the Cessna colors on his No. 32 NASCAR Nationwide Series entry for the Indiana 250 Saturday afternoon.

Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Target Team

New Hampshire Recap: Teams headed north to New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) two weeks ago for race number 19 on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) schedule. Juan Pablo Montoya and Team Target started in the top-10 and maintained solid track position until late pit stops found the No. 42 shuffled back in the field. The Target Chevy SS would finish out the day in the 24th position.

Montoya at Indy: In his stock car career, Montoya has made six NSCS starts at the famed IMS. He earned the pole in 2010, and in 2007 he scored his career best finish of second. He has completed 909 of 960 laps, or 93.6 percent. Montoya has led 202 laps and in the 2009 race he led the most consecutive laps in a single-race, leading from lap 34-92. He has an average start of 6.2 with an average finish of 22.2.

Four Different Series’: Montoya has competed at IMS in NASCAR, INDYCAR, GRAND-AM and Formula One. He won the 2000 Indianapolis 500 in his only INDYCAR Series start at the historic race track. After qualifying second, Montoya dominated the race, leading 167 of the 200 laps on his way to victory, giving TCGR and Target their first Indianapolis 500 win. Montoya made five Formula One starts at Indianapolis, highlighted by one top-five and two top-10 finishes. Last year, Montoya drove the No. 02 Chevron BMW in the inaugural GRAND-AM race and finished fourth. A victory for Montoya this weekend will make him the only driver in history to win the Indianapolis 500 and the NSCS race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he currently is the only driver to win in NASCAR, INDYCAR, GRAND-AM and Formula One.

Welcome Home: Chris “Shine” Heroy, crew chief for Juan Pablo Montoya originally hails from Angola; Ind. Heroy joined the team last year as the crew chief for the No. 42 Target team. Before joining Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Heroy was the lead engineer for the No.5 car with Hendrick Motorsports. Prior to his career with Hendrick he was an engineer in the Toyota Atlantic Series for five seasons.

Hit the Bullseye: Need something in a hurry? Be sure to stop by the nearest Target at 6925 W 38th St. Indianapolis, Ind., 46254-3905 on your way to the track this weekend. Call ahead (317) 329-1034
ONE TEAM, SIX 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 three cars in the IZOD IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and one Daytona Prototype in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Overall his teams have 15 championships and over 150 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400 and five Rolex 24 At Daytonas. 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.

-  www.earnhardtganassi.com

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