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: Irwin Tools Night Race on Saturday, Aug. 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 / Tracker Boats Chevrolet Shayna Keller No. 42 Target Chevrolet NOTES Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Team Fastest Half-Mile History: McMurray will be making his 16th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) start at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. His best start was third in the Spring 2007 event. His best finish is also third at this event in 2003 with Chip Ganassi. McMurray has six top-10 starts, one top-five finish, five top-10 finishes and zero DNF's (96.6% of laps completed) at the "World's Fastest Half-Mile." Last Weekend: Jamie McMurray and the No.1 Team welcomed new partner Philips Norelco, and one of their newest products, the Bodygroom Pro as sponsor of their Chevrolet last weekend as the team returned to Michigan International Speedway. Coming off an impressive sixth-place run at Watkins Glen, which propelled them two positions to 15th in the points, the No. 1 team looked to put together a more impressive run than the last time the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) ran at the speedway located just outside of Detroit. The race-trim speed didn't transfer to the team's qualifying setup and the No.1 Philips Norelco Bodygroom Pro Chevrolet would qualify in the 19th-postiion for the Carfax 400. Handling issues of "extremely loose" early to "too tight" as the race wore on was the story of the day for the No. 1 team. McMurray would finish in the 20th position. Bass Pro Returns: Bass Pro Shops returns as primary sponsor of the No. 1 Chevrolet team this weekend. This marks the first time Bass Pro Shops has been on the No. 1 since winning at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month. Bass Pro Shops has been the primary sponsor for 14 NSCS events this season. Bass Pro Shops Sevierville: Heading South on Interstate 81 from Bristol Motor Speedway is the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Sevierville. The Bass Pro Shops retail store in Sevierville is a leader among Tennessee hunting outfitters hosting seminars and classes on everything from fishing and hunting to educating about the outdoors. The Outdoor World can be found at 3629 Outdoor Sportsmans Place, Kodak, TN 37764 and can be reached at 865-932-5600. McMurray Visit's Virginia: McMurray and Richmond International Raceway are teaming up to promote the upcoming Air Guard 400. McMurray will spend today, Tuesday, August 17 in Virginia beginning in Norfolk touring F-22's and the Langley Air Force Base. McMurray will then head to Richmond to the G-Force Karts facility to participate in a go-karting and Q&A Session with media and fans. In the Points: McMurray and the No. 1 team remained in 15th-position in the NSCS points standings, just 105 points out of 12th- the cutoff to the Chase. 2010 in the Numbers: So far this season McMurray and the No. 1 team have amassed three pole awards, six top-five and eight top-10 finishes, including two of the most prestigious NSCS victories- the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400. Along with the on-track results McMurray currently sits in the top-12 among drivers ranked in the following categories: * 233 laps led (10th) * 394.56 miles led (11th) * 161 fastest laps run (12th) * Fastest driver early in a run (13th) * Green flag speed (13th) * Driver rating of 85.1 (14th), ranking higher than three drivers currently ahead of McMurray in the points standings- 1. One spot ahead of Matt Kenseth (9th in points) 2. Four spots ahead of Mark Martin (13th in points) 3. Five spots ahead of Ryan Newman (14th in points) Modified Racing Returns: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and Car Chief Gary Putnam will head to Bristol Motor Speedway a few days early for a different type of racing- Modified racing. The Crew and Car Chief combo will bring the No. 7NY Modified piloted by Ryan Newman to compete in the UNOH Perfect Storm 150 on Wednesday night at 6:00pm ET live on SPEED. This will mark their second event in 2010 after running at Loudon in June where Newman captured the pole-position and drove to victory. The Modified is the 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 Look Back at Bristol: Montoya will be making his eighth NSCS start at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday. He earned the outside pole-position for the fall 2007event in just his second attempt at the "World's fastest half-mile." The 2009 March race marked his best NSCS finish at BMS, driving his No. 42 to a ninth-place finish. Montoya has finished in all previous seven starts and has completed 3499 of the 3513 laps raced (99.6%). About Michigan: Juan Pablo Montoya and Team Target had another solid finish in the Irish Hills of Michigan over the weekend. The No. 42 qualified in the fifth position and ran in the top-15 the majority of the 200-lap event. In the closing laps pit strategy came into play and Montoya found himself in position for a top-10 finish. The Target Chevrolet crossed the finish line in the seventh position and gave the team their 10th top-10 finish of the season. Did You Know?: Montoya has one win, two pole awards, five top-five, and 10 top-10 finishes (43.5%) in 23 starts this season. He has a driver rating of 94.0 which ranks him seventh among drivers making him the only driver not in the top-12 in points in the top-10 in the driver rating category. Along with the on-track success Montoya is currently ranked in the top-10 in the following categories: * Leads all active drivers this season for the least amount of times passed under green flag conditions with 1629 * Fourth fastest driver early in a run * Fifth fastest laps run with 307 * Fifth fastest driver on restarts * Fifth fastest green flag speed * Sixth highest laps led with 385 (three laps shy of the total laps he led last season) * Sixth highest mile leaders with 673.95 * Seventh fastest driver late in a run * Eighth among laps in top-15 with 4186 laps of 6451 total this season * Ninth in quality passes with 1268 * 10th fastest speed in traffic Bristol Natives: Tony Glover hails from Kingsport, Tenn. He 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. In addition, Glover has a knack for developing drivers and winning big races. Under his guidance, Ernie Irvan, Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek captured their first NASCAR Sprint Cup wins. Cousins Heath Silver and Andy Silver are natives of Asheville, N.C. and both call Bristol their home track. Heath is the Car Chief of the Target Chevrolet and Andy is a mechanic on the team during the race weekend. Target School Spree: As part of Target's commitment to education, Target supports the back-to-school efforts of The Salvation Army by hosting Target School Spree events. In 2009, Target provided Gift-Cards for 2,000 children selected by The Salvation Army. With the success of the program Target will expand to reach 12,000 children nationwide this school year. Each child will receive an $80 Gift-Card and one-on-one shopping assistance to meet all of their back-to-school needs. CHASSIS INFO No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #803. Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion has elected to bring chassis #803 to Bristol this weekend. The chassis was last used in the 2009 season at both Pocono events and the second Auto Club Speedway event finishing 18th, 19th and 22nd. This chassis was also tested in June at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #903. Pattie and the No. 42 team are bringing chassis #903 to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. This chassis was last used in May at Dover where Montoya had mechanical problems forcing a 35th-place finish. Earlier in the season at Bristol Motor Speedway Montoya qualified sixth and finished 26th after being involved in a 13-car incident. This chassis also ran twice last year by the No. 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 23 2 3 6 8 13.7 18.1 15/15 Juan Pablo Montoya 23 1 2 5 10 11.3 19.1 19/19 CAREER STATS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish Jamie McMurray 281 5 6 36 88 19.8 19.3 Juan Pablo Montoya 132 2 4 17 37 17.9 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 <http://www.earnhardtganassi.com>