Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates/ Phoenix Int’l Raceway Advance Notes

Phoenix International Raceway Advance Notes
Race:                             Subway Fresh Fit 500 on Sunday, March 3
Track:                            Phoenix International Raceway (1.0- mile tri-oval)
Location:                      Avondale, Ariz.

NOTES

Follow EGR on Twitter:  Continue to follow Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (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”.

CGRT Mobile App: Download the Chip Ganassi Racing Teams mobile app for the latest driver news, event information, social media updates and exclusive content. This season, the app will introduce a weekly interactive game called “Call the Race”, which allows fans to predict the outcome of the upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race and ranks the game players on a leaderboard based on their correct answers throughout the season.  Each week, the top-three players with the highest score will receive a digital Target gift card by email.  Head to the iTunes store and check it out: http://bit.ly/YGJQxf

Quick Turn: EGR Teams will be featured on NASCAR Raceday on SPEED this Sunday 12:30pm ET, prior to the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.  SPEED was in the EGR shop this week to capture a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make the quick turnaround between races at Daytona and Phoenix, what many in the industry consider to be two of the busiest days on the schedule.

Jamie McMurray and No. 1 McDonalds Team

Daytona 500 Recap:  The No. 1 team planned to race cautiously in the early stages just to get a feel for the new car in race conditions.  Following an early caution on lap 28, the McDonald’s team pitted to take four tires and make a chassis adjustment.  Four laps after the restart, hopes of a strong finish for the 2010 Daytona 500 winner would be dashed.  In an attempt to avoid a crash the McDonald’s Chevy SS was sent spinning into the infield grass, causing considerable cosmetic damage to the front-end of the No.1 car.  Following a lot of hard work and lengthy repairs, the McDonald’s Chevrolet returned to action to pick up seven spots and  finish the race in the 32nd-position, 39 laps down to the leaders.

McMurray at Phoenix: In McMurray’s NSCS career, he has made 19 starts at Phoenix International Raceway.  In those races, he has scored one top-five, and two top-10 finishes with an average start of 16.3.  He has completed 5611 laps (94.6%) of a possible 6005, leading 29 of them.  McMurray has been running at the finish of 15 of his 19 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.

Setting the Pace:  McMurray ranked ninth at Phoenix International Raceway for the fall race in 2012 for fastest laps run.  McMurray recorded the fastest green flag lap time, seven times in the AdvoCare 500

Short Stats: In 60 short track starts, McMurray has one pole, four top-five and 21 top-10 finishes.  He has completed 26,636 laps and has led 157.  McMurray has an average start and finish of 18.8 and 19.1, respectively.

Golden Arches: On your way to the races at Phoenix International Raceway this week stop by one of five McDonald’s locations conveniently located within five miles of the track. Locations can be found at: 9930 West McDowell Rd. Avondale, AZ; 13870 West McDowell Rd. Goodyear, AZ; 1720 North Dysart Rd. Goodyear, AZ; 13055 West Rancho Santa Fe Blvd. Avondale, AZ.

Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Target Team

Daytona 500 Recap: Juan Pablo Montoya and team Target ended their 11-day Speedweeks activities with the famed Daytona 500. Montoya started from his best qualifying position of seventh at the superspeedway and raced with the cars in the lead pack. When the first caution fell, the No. 42 was brought down pit road for two tires, fuel and adjustments. Shortly after returning to the high-banks a car spun in front of Montoya that collected the No. 42 and three other cars. The Target Chevrolet sustained significant damage and went to the garage for repairs.  The Target crew went to work on the badly damaged car and was able to return to the track 56 laps later to finish out the race and pick up one spot. The incident resulted in a 39th-place finish for the team.

Montoya at Phoenix: Montoya has made 12 starts at Phoenix International Raceway during his NSCS career.  In those races, he has tallied one top-five and two top-10 finishes.  He has an average start of 20.3 and average finish of16.1.   He has completed 99.8% of the laps (3,811 of 3,818) with no DNF’s (did not finish) at Phoenix since his first start, leading 104 of them.  His best start and finish came in the April event of the 2010 season where he started seventh and finished fifth.

100th Victory:  Montoya and the Target team are looking at their 100th victory this weekend. This season marks the 24th year that Chip Ganassi Racing and Target have been paired up.

Top-15: In the last 12 races at Phoenix International Raceway, Montoya completed 41.6 percent of the laps in the top-15.

Short Stats: Montoya has 36 starts on NSCS short tracks. He has accumulated one pole, two top-fives and nine top-10 finishes.  He has led 103 laps and has an average start and finish of 19.3 and 18.0, respectively.

Hit the Bullseye:  Need something in a pinch?  No need to worry – Target has all of the essentials and more. Target  is just nine miles from Phoenix International Raceway, located at 1515 N. Litchfield Rd. Goodyear, AZ 85395.  Call ahead and make sure they have what you need at (623) 935-3510.

2013 STATS

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Starts

Wins

Poles

Top 5s

Top 10s

Ave Start

Ave Finish

Pts. Pos.

Jamie McMurray

1

0

0

0

0

20

32

32

Juan Pablo Montoya

1

0

0

0

0

7

39

39

CAREER STATS

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Starts

Wins

Poles

Top 5s

Top 10s

Ave Start

Ave Finish

Jamie McMurray

367

6

8

41

99

19.5

19.5

Juan Pablo Montoya

218

2

9

20

51

18.4

20

TEAM ROSTERS

Max Jones – Team Manager

John Probst – Technical Director

No. 1 (NSCS)

Hometown

Hometown

Crew Chief:  Kevin Manion

Boylston, MA

Rear Tire Changer: Jeremy Fuller

Newnan, GA

Chief Mechanic:  Scott Kilbury

Hialeah, FL

Rear Tire Carrier:  Doug Riepe

Danbury , CT

Front Tire Changer:  Bryan Jacobsen

Honesdale,  PA

Gas Man:  Benjy Grubbs

Richmond, VA

Front Tire Carrier:  Brett Morrell

Windham, ME

Spotter:   Lorin Ranier

Prestonsburg, KY

Jack Man:  Mitch Lash

Salisbury, NC

No. 42 (NSCS)

Hometown

Hometown

Crew Chief:  Chris Heroy

Angola, IN

Rear Tire Changer:  Chris McMullen

Canton, MI

Chief Mechanic:  David Bryant

Concord, NC

Rear Tire Carrier:  Chip Goode

Statesville, NC

Front Tire Changer:  Dennis Kincaid

Port Bryon, NY

Gas Man:  Ed Watkins

Richmond, VA

Front Tire Carrier: Eric Bilyeu

Detroit, MI

Spotter:  Derek Kneeland

Windham, CT

Jack Man:  Mark Jacobs

Fort Walton Beach, FL

For more information log onto: www.earnhardtganassi.com