Earnhardt Ganassi Racing/ New Hampshire 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> New Hampshire Motor Speedway Advance Notes Race: Lenox Industrial Tools 301 on Sunday, June 27 Track: New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1.058-mile oval) Location: Loudon, N.H. Earnhardt Ganassi Media Contacts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Jarrod England No. 1 Suave Chevrolet Shayna Keller No. 42 Target Chevrolet NOTES Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Suave Team New Hampshire History: Jamie McMurray will be making his 15th NASCAR Sprint Cup series start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday. At the 1.058-mile oval McMurray has two top-five starts of third and fifth (2004, 2003). His best finish at NHMS also came in 2004 when McMurray drove to a fifth-place finish. Sonoma Recap: Jamie McMurray and the No. 1 McDonald's Team traveled to the Napa Valley of Northern California and the Infineon Raceway this past weekend for the first road-course event on the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. McMurray would face two on-track altercations in the early stages of the Toyota/SaveMart 350 but, would battle his way back for a 15th-place finish. In the Points: Following a 15th-place finish at Sonoma McMurray and the No. 1 Team gained two positions in the NSCS points standings moving to the 16th position, 142 points out of 12th- the cutoff for the Chase. Suave on the Car: Jamie McMurray and the No. 1 Chevrolet will welcome a new sponsor, Suave, this weekend when the team returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The partnership with the team is a follow-up from last year's program where Unilever brand Vaseline MEN served as the primary sponsor for two races with the No.1 Team at Dover and Martinsville. About Suave: Suave products are designed to offer the same performance as salon and specialty brands without the salon price tag. Suave's lineup includes the Suave Professionals and Suave Naturals lines of shampoos, conditioners and body washes, Suave Men products designed for the grooming needs of guys, and Suave Kids, which includes 2 in 1 and 3 in 1 shampoos and conditioners as well as body washes formulated just for kids. Suave products are available at drug, mass merchandisers, and supermarkets nationwide. For more information visit www.suave.com. McMurray Returns to Daytona: This Tuesday, June 22, Jamie McMurray returned to Daytona International Speedway for the first time since winning the Daytona 500 in February. McMurray attended Daytona's Coke Zero 400 Media Day along with fellow Bass Pro Shops sponsored athlete and 2010 Bassmaster Classic Champion, Kevin "KVD" VanDam. The two Bass Pro Shops Champions fished Lake Lloyd together and then hit the kart track located in turns three and four at the speedway. McMurray and Vandam are also part of a special "Reels and Wheels" ticket package for the upcoming Coke Zero 400 on July 3. The package includes: ticket to the 52nd annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola / Brumos Porsche 250 doubleheader on Saturday, July 3, Sprint FANZONE / Pre-Race Pit Pass offering behind the scenes access to driver interviews, garage viewing, pre-race concert and more, fishing 101 fan forum with five-time Angler of the Year, and three-time Bassmaster Classic Champion Kevin VanDam and 2010 Daytona 500 Champion Jamie McMurray. VanDam and McMurray will demonstrate techniques, discuss different types of equipment and share other helpful fishing tips. Fans interested in purchasing the "Reels and Wheels" ticket package for the Coke Zero 400 can do so by visiting Daytona International Speedway online at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. "Bono" goes Modified Racing: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and Car Chief Gary Putnam will be pulling double duty this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Manion is bringing his Whelen Modified Car to the race track with Ryan Newman behind the wheel to race in the New England 100 on Saturday, June 26 at 1:00 ET. This will be the first race of the year for Newman, Manion and Putnam's Modified. The Modified is the Daytona 500 winning Crew and Car Chief's "labor of love" in their down time away from the hectic NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Target Team MEDIA ALERT: Juan Pablo Montoya will be available at the No. 42 Target hauler for a brief media Q&A session on Saturday, June 26th at 8:30 a.m. (ET) Loudon Background: Montoya will make his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday. Montoya dominated this race last September when he broke the track qualifying record and captured the pole position, led all practice sessions and led 105 of the 300 laps before coming home in third. He has finished in all races competed with 1754 of 1757 laps (99.8%) complete. Infineon Review: Montoya returned to the site of his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Infineon Raceway over the weekend. The Target team would endure a lot of on-track beating and banging and rally back from 32nd in the closing laps of the 110 lap race to finish in the 10th position. The top-10 would mark the eighth of the season for the Target team. Race to the Chase: Securing a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup means doing the math: 10 tracks in 10 weeks equals intense competition. The "Race to the Chase" begins this Sunday at New Hampshire and concludes with Saturday night racing in Richmond. The 10 week shootout includes the flat tracks at New Hampshire and Michigan, three 2.5 mile racetracks with all different configurations, a road course, two short-tracks and two 1.5-mile tracks. Five of the 10 races will fall under the lights as well. Montoya currently sits 20th in the NSCS point standings and 161 points out of the top-12. That is just 16 points gained per race and the No. 42 Target Chevrolet will be in the Chase for the Sprint Cup two years in a row. In the first 16 events of 2010 Montoya has four top-five and eight top-10 finishes. Target Race Carts Finale: Attention Race Fans- Look for the Target Race Carts this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This will be the fourth and final NSCS stop for the Target At-Track Mobile Series this season. The 10-foot tall Race Carts are patterned after a Target shopping cart accompanied with trained Target street teams distributing samples and coupon books with a $60 value for valued sponsor partners. Home Track: Mike Bodick, mechanic and gas man for the 42 team, hails from Norwalk, Conn. Bodick is a former football player and graduate of West Point Military Academy. He has been involved with racing for the past 19 years and is a 13 year veteran of the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates race team. Eco-Friendly Moms and Target: Target has recently announced it will partner with The Little Seed Organic Baby Clothing line starting next month. The Little Seed is an organic clothing line started a year ago by former child star Soliel Moon Frye who played Punky Brewster. The new line will accompany Target's already established eco-friendly baby gear section that can be found at www.target.com. CHASSIS INFO No. 1 Suave Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #1008. Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion has elected to bring Chassis number #1008 to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. McMurray raced the chassis in April at Phoenix International Raceway where McMurray battled handling issues after an on track altercation forcing a 24th-place finish. No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #907. The Target team will bring Chassis #907 to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. This chassis was used twice during the 2009 season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September and Martinsville Speedway in October where Montoya finished third in both events. 2010 STATS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish Pts. Pos./(Prev) Jamie McMurray 16 1 2 4 5 14.7 19.1 16/18 Juan Pablo Montoya 16 0 0 4 8 13.5 19.1 20/20 CAREER STATS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish Jamie McMurray 274 4 5 34 85 20.1 19.4 Juan Pablo Montoya 125 1 2 16 35 18.5 20.2 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