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Grand Am Prototypes - Chevron To Sponsor Second GRAND-AM Entry For Ganassi At Indy


PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)

INDIANAPOLIS, June 22, 2012: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced today a partnership with Chevron to field a second Daytona Prototype (DP) in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series’ inaugural race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) July 27 (4:30 PM ET, SPEED).

The No.02 Chevron Dinan-Prepared BMW Riley and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (EGR) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray will return to action for the team for the first time since January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. The second entry will run alongside the season-long effort (No.01 TELMEX Dinan-Prepared BMW Riley) driven by Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, who hold the distinction of being the most successful driving duo in series history with 23 race wins.

NOTES OF INTEREST:

· Ganassi’s IMS Glory: Team Owner Chip Ganassi’s history at IMS over the years includes five wins as an owner in the Indianapolis 500 (1989, 2000, 2008, 2010, 2012) in addition to winning the 2010 NSCS Brickyard 400. He was also the fastest rookie at the 1982 Indianapolis 500.

· GRAND-AM History: CGRFS has five championships (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010,2011) and 37 race wins since their introduction to the circuit in 2004– all GRAND-AM records. CGRFS has the greatest six-race stretch in Rolex 24 At Daytona history with four wins (2006, 2007, 2008, 2011) and two second-place finishes (2009, 2010) dating back to 2006. Their one-two finish in the 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona marked the quickest a team had done so in the race’s 50-year history. In its last race, the No. 02 car led a total of 52 laps in the 2012 Rolex 24 At Daytona with drivers Montoya, McMurray, Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon. In 20 total starts, the No.02 has led 813 laps, completed 6,207 of 7,034 laps (88%) with an average start of 6.25 and an average finish 8.15.

Driver Lineup In-Depth: Montoya is the 2007 and 2008 Rolex 24 At Daytona Overall Winner, a two-time NSCS Race Winner, the 2007 NSCS Series Rookie of The Year, 2000 Indianapolis 500 Winner and the 1999 CART Series Champion. He is the only driver to compete in NASCAR, INDYCAR and Formula 1 races at IMS and will look to add GRAND-AM to his resume and extend that record. The July race will mark his 13th start at IMS (Formula 1-six, NSCS-five and INDYCAR-one). He also has four previous starts at IMS in a BMW (BMW Williams F1 2001-04). McMurray is the 2010 Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 Winner, a six-time NSCS Race Winner and the 2003 NSCS Rookie of The Year.

· Backed By BMW: Through the support and assistance of BMW of North America, LLC and Dinan Engineering, BMW Power will provide the 5.0-liter BMW M S62 V8 power plant that has driven the team to 14 Daytona Prototype class victories in 24 races over the last two seasons. 2012 marks the 40th anniversary of BMW Motorsport and Dinan Engineering’s ninth season (2004-2012) in the series and third with CGRFS.

QUOTEBOARD:

Chip Ganassi, Owner, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams:

· “Partnering with a worldwide organization like Chevron and displaying their brand to motor racing on the world’s biggest racing stage is something we’re very proud of. We previously enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Chevron’s Texaco brand in the sponsorship of NASCAR entries for both Juan and Jamie”

 
 
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