Earnhardt Ganassi Racing/ Atlanta 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> Atlanta Motor Speedway Advance Notes Race: Emory Healthcare 500 on Sunday, Sept. 5 Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval) Location: Atlanta, Ga. Earnhardt Ganassi Media Contacts at Atlanta Motor Speedway NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Jarrod England No. 1 McDonald's Chevrolet Shayna Keller No. 42 HUGGIES(r) Chevrolet NOTES Jamie McMurray and the No.1 McDonald's Chevrolet Atlanta History: McMurray will be making his 17th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) start at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) this weekend. His best start was third in the March 2009 event while his best finish of sixth came in 2005, with Ganassi. McMurray has four top-10 finishes at the 1.54-mile track. In the last four years at AMS, McMurray has made 720 total green flag lap passes, ranking second among 57 drivers. Bristol Weekend: Jamie McMurray and the No.1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Team headed to Bristol looking to continue their surge towards the top 12 in points-the cutoff for the chase. After starting from the seventh-position, McMurray would work his way towards the top five before the first pit stop on lap 58. Upon entering his pit stall, McMurray slid through his pit stall. The error would force McMurray to reverse his Chevrolet, and the extra time on pit road would cost him six positions. McMurray would retake the green flag in the 12th position, and quickly showed the strength of his Chevrolet, racing back to his starting position of seventh. McMurray would have another pit incident leaving his stall with a missing left-rear lug nut after a pit-stop on lap 125. McMurray would be forced to return to pit road, and the team would take the green flag on lap 131 in the 27th position. Once again, McMurray would race his way back through the field, and by lap 302 he was inside the top five, running in the fourth-position. McMurray led for 11 laps from lap 389 to lap 399 before finishing in the third-position. Welcome Back McDonald's: McMurray and the No. 1 team will carry the "Golden Arches" of McDonald's for this weekend's event at Atlanta. McDonald's was last on the No. 1 Chevrolet four weeks ago at Watkins Glen, as McMurray finished sixth. This will mark the eighth event of 2010 for McDonald's as the sponsor on the No. 1 Chevrolet. McMurray has enjoyed quite a bit of success with the "Golden Arches" thus far this season, with two pole awards (Darlington and Chicago), one outside pole starting position (Watkins Glen), two top-five finishes (Darlington 2nd and Chicago 5th), and a sixth-place finish at Watkins Glen. Race to the Chase: After a third-place finish at Bristol, McMurray advanced two-positions to 13th in the 2010 NSCS point's standings. The finish marked McMurray's third top-five and fourth top-10 finish in the last six races. The No. 1 team now sits just 100 points and one spot back from 12th- the cutoff to the Chase. 2010 in the Numbers: With 12 races remaining this season McMurray has already surpassed previous single-season records. His two wins this season, the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400, mark the first time he has won multiple NSCS races in a season. McMurray currently has three pole awards in 2010, never before having more than one in a season and doubling his career total NSCS poles. He has led 244 laps, beating his previous season best of 224 in 2004. He also sits in the top-10 among the following performance-generated categories: * 207 fastest laps run (tied for 10th with points leader Kevin Harvick) * Laps led (10th) * Miles led (10th) Inside View: McMurray and the No. 1 McDonald's Chevrolet will carry an in-car camera this weekend at Atlanta. Fans be sure to pay attention for the multiple angles and views offered by this camera in this Sunday's 500-mile event as McMurray drives 325 laps around the 1.54-mile oval. Visit McDonald's: Stop at the local McDonald's to curve your hunger tastes for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The McDonald's closest to the speedway is just 1.8 miles north located at 11281 Tara Boulevard, Hampton, GA 30228. Georgia on His Mind: Larry Hart, transporter driver for the No. 1 team, is a Georgia native hailing from Chatsworth, Georgia. Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 HUGGIES(r) Team Atlanta History: Juan Pablo Montoya has competed in seven NSCS and one NNS event at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Montoya had a career best race earlier this season starting and finishing in the third-position. Montoya has two consecutive third-place finishes at AMS to mark three top-five finishes. In the NNS garage, Montoya's one start resulted in an eighth-place finish. Bristol Recap: Juan Pablo Montoya started in the eighth-position and drove the No. 42 Target Chevrolet to the team's third consecutive top-10 finish at Bristol Motor Speedway. The No. 42 was a predominate fixture in the front of the pack throughout the evening, only running two laps outside of the top-10 and averaging a sixth-place running position. Montoya crossed the finish line in seventh. Welcome HUGGIES(r): Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 team will welcome a new sponsor this weekend at Atlanta, HUGGIES(r). This will mark the first appearance for both Kimberly Clark and its brand HUGGIES(r) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on the No. 42 Chevrolet. For all those moments in your day when you need to keep your baby clean, dry and happy, HUGGIES(r) Products have you covered. HUGGIES(r) diapers are uniquely designed for every size and every age, with the proven LeakLock(r) System - and their wipes are the thickest of any national brand. About Kimberly-Clark: Kimberly-Clark and its well known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people - nearly a quarter of the world's population - trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, HUGGIES(r), Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No.1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 138-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com <http://www.kimberly-clark.com> . Team Target and KNEX: Race fans now have the opportunity to build their very own No. 42 Target race car and Target pit crew. KNEX toy's has designed two individual sets for the car and the crew based off of Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 Target team. The building sets are sold separately and are suggested for ages five and up. The Team Target KNEX toys are available exclusively at Target stores nationwide. Montoya Appearance: Visit the Chevrolet stage, located outside of Atlanta Motor Speedway, on Sunday September 5 where Montoya will participate in a Q&A Session from 2:45pm - 3:00pm (ET). During this time race fans also will have the opportunity to win one of the new Team Target KNEX Building Sets. Did You Know?: Montoya has scored five consecutive top-10 starting positions starting with his pole-award at the Brickyard. He has also scored three consecutive top-10 finishes starting with his victory at Watkins Glen followed by two seventh-place finishes at Michigan and Bristol. He has accumulated 487 points over those three races- the most of all drivers. 2010 Statistics: So far this season Montoya and the Target team have amassed two pole awards, 15 top-10 starting positions, one win, five top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. After 24 races Montoya has led for 385 laps, just three laps short of his total laps led in 2009. Along with these statistics Montoya currently sits in the top-10 for the following performance-related categories: * Driver rating of 94.6 placing him seventh, the highest driver not in the Chase * Has 1658 passes under green, the lowest of all drivers * Holds a 76.8% in quality passes, the highest of all drivers * Fastest drivers early in a run (fourth) * Green flag speed (fourth) * Fastest drivers on restarts (fifth) * Fastest drivers late in a run (sixth) * 4686 laps in the top-15 (sixth) * 673.95 miles led (sixth) * 385 laps led (sixth) * 328 fastest laps run (sixth) * Average running position of 13th (seventh) * Quality passes (eighth) * Fastest speed in traffic (ninth) CHASSIS INFO No. 1 McDonald's Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #1016. Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion has elected to bring a brand new chassis #1016 this weekend to the Atlanta Motor Speedway. No. 42 HUGGIES(r) Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #1003. Crew Chief Brian Pattie and the No. 42 team are bringing chassis #1003 to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, marking the third race of the season for this chassis. Montoya previously ran this chassis at Chicagoland where he qualified 10th and finished 16th and in the Coke 600 where he finished 38th due to an on-track incident. 2010 STATS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish Pts. Pos./(Prev) Jamie McMurray 24 2 3 7 9 13.4 17.5 13/15 Juan Pablo Montoya 24 1 2 5 11 11.2 18.6 19/19 CAREER STATS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish Jamie McMurray 282 5 6 37 89 19.8 19.2 Juan Pablo Montoya 133 2 4 17 38 17.8 20.1 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>