Earnhardt Ganassi Racing/ Bristol Motor Speedway Advance Notes
NEWS RELEASE Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates 8500 Westmoreland Drive * Concord, NC 28027 USA Phone (704) 662-9642 www.earnhardtganassi.com <http://www.earnhardtganassi.com> Bristol Motor Speedway Advance Notes Race: Food City 500 on Sunday, March 21 Track: Bristol Motor Speedway (0.533-Mile Oval) Location: Bristol, Tenn. Earnhardt Ganassi Media Contacts at Bristol Motor Speedway: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Jarrod England No. 1 Bass Pro Shops(r)/Tracker Boats Chevrolet Shayna Keller No. 42 Target Chevrolet NOTES Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Bass Pro Shops(r)/Tracker Boats Team Bristol Stats: McMurray will be making his 15th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) start at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. His best start was third in 2007. His best finish is also third in August of 2003 with Chip Ganassi. McMurray has four top-10, one top-five and zero DNF's at the "World's Fastest Half-Mile." Last Week: McMurray and the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats team finished 29th two weeks ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway. McMurray was running solidly in the top-15 when a late race pit stop taking two tires put him in the top-five before an incident on the race track relegated him to a 29th-place finishing position. Bass Pro Shopping: Outdoor enthusiasts in the Bristol area can get all of their hunting, fishing and camping supplies at the Bass Pro Shops in Kodak, Tennessee at 3629 Outdoor Sportsmans Place. The store is approximately 90 min from Bristol Motor Speedway and can be reached at 865-932-5600. Fan Appreciation: Jamie McMurray will be at the Food City Race Night this Friday March 19th at Bristol Motor Speedway. McMurray will be participating in a Q&A Session from 6-6:30pm (ET) with fellow Daytona 500 Champions Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson as well as driver David Ragan. The event, located at the hospitality area of BMS, will start at 4pm and conclude at 9pm with free admission for fans. Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Target Team MEDIA ALERT: Juan Pablo Montoya will be available at the No. 42 hauler for a brief media Q&A session on Saturday, March 20th at 10:30 a.m. ET Bristol History: Montoya will be making his seventh NSCS start at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday. He earned the outside pole in fall 2007 in just his second attempt at the 0.533-mile track, and went on to finish 17th on the lead lap. In this race last year, he scored his best NSCS finish to date at the track, driving his No. 42 to a ninth-place finish. Montoya has finished in all previous six starts and has completed 3001 of the 3013 laps raced (99.6%). Race Review: Two weeks ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway saw the No. 42 Target Chevrolet bring home a third-place finish after running in the top-10 for all but 17 laps of the 341 laps completed. The third-place finish was the first top- five of the season for Team Target and helped advance the No. 42 five positions to 21st in the point standings. High Rating: Montoya has the ninth-best Driver Rating, yet sits outside the top 20 in points. But luck has plagued his season. At Auto Club Speedway, Montoya suffered a DNF because of a motor problem. A week later in Las Vegas, he got caught up in an on-track incident that left the team 20 laps down to the leader. Both races ended with 37th-place finishes. At Auto Club Speedway, Montoya had a solid Driver Rating of 89.9. In Vegas, his Driver Rating was 71.5. A maximum of 150 points per race is allotted based off the following categories: win, finish, top-15 finish, average running position while on lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, led most laps, lead-lap finish. Consistency in Qualifying: Montoya has been on a hot streak when it comes to his qualifying efforts in 2010. In the first four races of the season, Montoya has qualified eighth (Daytona), second (Fontana), 10th (Las Vegas) and third (Atlanta). This gives Montoya an average starting position of 5.8 heading into Bristol this weekend. Flashback: After Montoya drove the Target Chevrolet to a third-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway the No. 42 gained five positions in the point standings to currently sit 21st, 226 points behind leader Kevin Harvick. The irony of that is last season after the AMS event, Montoya was again 21st in the point standings, 226 points behind the leader, the only difference being who the leader was and this year Montoya has 10 more points in the exact same position. Local natives: Tony Glover-a Kingsport, Tenn., native-is a team manager at the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Concord, N.C. race shop. He has been in racing for 36 years and throughout his career Glover has built the reputation as one of the top mechanical minds in motorsports. Also, cousins Heath Silver and Andy Silver call Bristol their home track, as they are from the Asheville area. Heath is the Car Chief of the Target Chevrolet and Andy is a mechanic on the team during the race weekend. CHASSIS INFO No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #031. Kevin "Bono" Manion has decided to bring chassis #031. This chassis was last used during the 2009 season at Loudon (September) where it finished 19th. No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #903. Pattie and the No. 42 Target team are bringing chassis #903 to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. This chassis ran twice last year by the 42 team (Michigan- June, Chicago- July) where it finished sixth and 10th. 2010 STATS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish Pts. Pos./(Prev) Jamie McMurray 4 1 1 1 1 15.5 20.2 19/14 Juan Pablo Montoya 4 0 0 1 2 5.8 21.8 21/26 CAREER STATS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish Jamie McMurray 262 4 4 31 81 20.3 19.4 Juan Pablo Montoya 113 1 2 13 29 18.8 20.5 TEAM ROSTERS Tony Glover - Team Manager Steve Hmiel - Director of Competition No. 1 (NSCS) Hometown Hometown Crew Chief: Kevin Manion Boylston, MA Rear Tire Changer: Chris Taylor West Plains, MO Chief Mechanic: Gary Putnam Vernon, CT Rear Tire Carrier: Adam Mosher Fort Mill, SC Front Tire Changer: Cory DeMarco St. Louis, MO Gas Man: Benjy Grubbs Richmond, VA Front Tire Carrier: Doug Riepe Danbury, CT Catch Can: Eric Hoyle Asheville, NC Jack Man: Tracy Duncan Lincolnton, NC Spotter: Keith Barnwell Hudson, NC No. 42 (NSCS) Hometown Hometown Crew Chief: Brian Pattie Zephyrhills, FL Rear Tire Changer: Chris McMullen Troutman, NC Chief Mechanic: Heath Silver Asheville, NC Rear Tire Carrier: Chip Goode Statesville, NC Front Tire Changer: Trevor Lysne Fergus Falls, MN Gas Man: Mike Bodick Norwalk, CT Front Tire Carrier: Eric Bilyeu Waterford, MI Catch Can: Heath Silver Asheville, NC Jack Man: TJ Ford Charlotte, NC Spotter: Tab Boyd Pensacola, FL For more information log onto: www.earnhardtganassi.com <http://www.earnhardtganassi.com>