Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Advance Notes
RACE SETUP
Race: NASCAR Sprint Showdown on Saturday, May 18
Drivers: @jamiemcmurray, @jpmontoya
Cars: No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/National Wild Turkey Federation Chevrolet SS, No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-mile Quad-Oval)
Location: Concord, N.C.
TV: SPEED (7:30 p.m. ET)
Social: @EGRTeams #TeamGanassi #TeamTarget
I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT
How to Advance: Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya have two opportunities to advance into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race Saturday night. They can race their way into the race by finishing first or second in the NASCAR Sprint Showdown or win the Sprint fan vote.
Rock the Vote for EGR Drivers: Rock the EGR Vote” for the 2013 All-Star Race campaign is in its final week. Stay tuned to EGR’s social media channels for giveaways leading up to the green flag of the NASCAR Sprint Showdown. This unique campaign features a number of promotions and giveaways designed to reward EGR fans for supporting McMurray and Montoya in casting votes to see them in the May 18 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, airing live on SPEED. Fans can cast unlimited votes at the following locations: by using the NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile `13 App.; Online at www.nascar.com/allstar; At-Track at the Sprint Experience. The Sprint Fan Vote closes at 5 p.m. (EDT) May 18.
Conservation Effort: Bass Pro Shops will salute the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) this weekend at the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race with a special NWTF paint scheme on the No. 1 Chevy SS. Through vital partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations throughout North America, spending more than $412 million to conserve nearly 17.2 million acres of habitat. The NWTF is a national nonprofit organization that is the leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation in North America. Founded in 1973, the NWTF is headquartered in Edgefield, S.C., and has local chapters in all 50 states and Canada.
Fan Day at EGR: Race fans will have an opportunity to meet their favorite EGR drivers next Thursday, May 23 at the team’s race shop. Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya and Kyle Larson will be on-site to sign autographs at 10 a.m. ET. Please call 704-662-9642 or stop by the gift shop to reserve your wristband. 250 wristbands will be distributed up until the day of the event.
#TEAMGANASSI
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”.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
@jpmontoya after Darlington – “Another great run for our @Target team. Very proud of all the guys.”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/National Wild Turkey Federation Team
Darlington Rewind: The track called “Too Tough to Tame”, proved to be a challenge for the No. 1 McDonald’s team. Not because of the damage that the track tends to inflict on the race cars that circle the 1.375 mile egg-shaped oval, but because of the uncharacteristic long green-flag runs. In the end, Jamie McMurray wheeled the No.1 Chevy SS from two laps down to a 16th-place lead lap finish.
Showdown Numbers: McMurray will make his sixth start in the NASCAR Sprint Showdown, the last-chance qualifying event to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. In five previous starts, he has three top-five and four top-10 finishes including a second-place finish in 2009 that allowed him to transfer to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
All-Star Stats: McMurray has made six starts in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. In his six starts, McMurray has an average starting position of 12.8 and an average finishing position of 17.1. His best start of fourth came in 2010, and his best finish of ninth occurred in the 2009 edition of the race. In 2009, a second place finish in the preliminary event earned McMurray a spot in the All-Star Race.
McMurray at Charlotte: McMurray returns to the site of his first NSCS victory this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Joplin, Mo. native has 32 starts at the track including 21 NSCS point races, five NASCAR Sprint Showdown starts, and six NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race starts. He has accumulated two wins (2002, 2010), seven top-five and 11 top-10s.
Bass Pro Shops: McMurray will make an appearance at the Concord Mills Bass Pro Shops on May 21 at 6 p.m. The driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet SS will be on site to meet fans and sign autographs. Stop by Bass Pro Shops while you are in town for the races and checkout all their camping and tailgating supplies in addition to all of your hunting, fishing and outdoor needs. Bass Pro Shops is located within five miles of Charlotte Motor Speedway. Visit the store at 8181 Concord Mills Boulevard, Concord, N.C. 20827.
Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Target Team
Darlington Recap: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series made a stop at the historic Darlington Raceway for their traditional Mother’s Day weekend race. Juan Pablo Montoya made his best qualifying effort of 12th at the “Lady in Black” and ran within the top-10 throughout the 367-lap race to finish out the evening in the eighth position.
Showdown Stats: Montoya has made four appearances in the preliminary event to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race. He has an average start and finish of 9.25 and 18.25, respectively. His best start was fifth in 2007, while his best finish was 12th in 2009.
All-Star Stats: Montoya has appeared in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race two times during his NSCS career (2008, 2011). He has an average start of 11.5 and an average finish of 13. His best start and finish came in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint All-Star race when he started eighth and finished 12th.
Montoya at Charlotte: Montoya has made 18 starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway (combined total of point and exhibition races) and has accumulated one-top five and two top-10 finishes. His average starting position is 20.83 and average finishing position is 21.38.
99 Wins and Counting for Target … The Target Racing program, which began with Target and Chip Ganassi Racing in 1990, is just one win shy of the 100-win plateau. The first win for the program came in 1994 with Michael Andretti’s Indy car victory at Surfers Paradise, Australia when the team was just a two-car open wheel program. The partnership between Target and Chip Ganassi Racing is one of the longest consecutive team partnerships in motor racing history.
Hit the Bullseye: On the way to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend, stop by Target for all of your race-day essentials. Target is located at 6150 Bayfield Parkway, Concord NC, 28027. Call ahead and make sure they have what you need at 704-262-6080.
WHO TO CONTACT
Jeff Dowling No.1 jdowling@earnhardtganassi.com (704) 906-8182
Shayna Keller No.42 skeller@earnhardtganassi.com (704) 902-8381
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.
For more information log onto: www.earnhardtganassi.com
