Team News

Going Full Speed at The Tricky Triangle

June 2, 2010

Going Full Speed at The Tricky Triangle

Race:  Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 presented by Target on Sunday, June 6
Track:  Pocono Raceway (2.5-mile tri-oval)
Location:  Long Pond, Pa.

NOTES

Jamie McMurray and No. 1 McDonald’s Team

Pocono History:   McMurray will be making his 15th start at Pocono Raceway when the team returns to the triangle shaped speedway in the mountains of Pennsylvania.  His best start came in his last visit to the track with Ganassi when he won the pole in 2005. McMurray’s best finish of ninth came during the first race at the speedway in 2004, and he matched that finish again at the second race in 2008. 

Coke 600 Review:  Jamie McMurray and the Bass Pro Shops team looked to make team owner Chip Ganassi’s Memorial Day weekend that much more special on Sunday evening as the green flag dropped for NASCAR’s longest race, the Coke 600.  McMurray had the lead by a large margin over Kurt Busch when a caution flag was thrown with just 23 laps remaining.  Better in the short run, the caution gave Busch the fresh tires and restart that he needed to jump out in front of McMurray.  The 2010 Daytona 500 Champion wasn’t finished however as he continued to knock time off of Busch’s lead during the final laps.  However, McMurray just ran out of time, coming home with his third second-place finish of the 2010 season.

In the Points:  The second-place finish at Charlotte moved McMurray and the No. 1 Team up two spots to 15th in the NSCS Championship standings, just 26 points out of 12th – the cutoff for the Chase. 

Making History:  Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team owner, Chip Ganassi now holds the coveted title as the only team owner to have won the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 in the same year.  Dario Franchitti dominated last Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 while Jamie McMurray won February’s Daytona 500.  Prior to last Sunday’s event Ganassi was one of two owners (including Roger Penske) to have won both events in their career, but not in the same year.  

Celebrating In Indy:  After finishing second in the Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday night, 2010 Daytona 500 Champion Jamie McMurray flew to Indianapolis Monday morning to congratulate, Ganassi teammate Dario Franchitti on his Indianapolis 500 win and to honor his team owner, Chip Ganassi, for doing something that no other car owner in the history of auto racing had ever done; win the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 in the same season.

Welcome to the Family:  Congratulations to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Account Manager and Front-Tire carrier for the No.1 Team, Doug Riepe and his wife, on welcoming a baby boy to the family on Wednesday, June 2nd.  Henry Patrick Riepe was born at 1:36pm at a Charlotte area hospital weighing in at 7lbs 8oz and 19 inches long.

Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Target Team

Last Weekend: NASCAR’s longest race of the season proved to be not so kind to the No. 42 Target team and Juan Pablo Montoya. What started out as a promising performance, with the top speed in first practice, soon turned dismal 61 laps into a 400- lap marathon. The Target Chevrolet got loose and collided with the inside wall sustaining significant damage. The team tried to rally back but would end the evening in the 38th- place position.

Pocono History:  This weekend Montoya will be making his seventh start at Pocono Raceway and hopes to better his 2009 August finish at the 2.5-mile track with a win.  His best start came in 2007 with a ninth-place position, while he best finish came last year in the August race where he finished second, not having a top-10 before last year.

Gillette Gliding into Pocono: Gillette will have a presence on the No. 42 Target Chevrolet this weekend as they will be displayed on the rear quarter panels. The Gillette brand is synonymous with shaving and personal care products and is a brand of Procter & Gamble.

Introducing the New Gillette Fusion ProGlide: Gillette is launching its new razor, the ProGlide razor on June 6, the largest launch for P&G in 2010. As part of its launch, Gillette and Target have teamed up with Pocono Raceway to title sponsor the NASCAR Sprint Cup race. The Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 presented by Target will air on TNT Sunday, June 6 at 1:00 pm (ET).

Montoya Guides the Way: Ever wish you had a professional race car driver as your co-pilot?  TomTom, the world’s leading provider of location and navigation solutions, now makes that possible. Users that have installed TomTom HOME, can download for free Juan Pablo Montoya’s voice at www.tomtom.com/racevoices. TomTom portable navigation devices guide drivers with audible, turn-by-turn instructions and 3D maps that work right out of the box. On the road, Montoya will help safely and efficiently guide TomTom users to their destinations as he gives funny and witty instructions, putting the fun back into the daily commute.

2010 in the Numbers: One-third of the way into the 2010 season, Montoya has had a whirlwind season thus far. In 13 starts, Team Target has four top-five and six top-10 finishes and has led a total of 172 laps. Montoya currently sits 20th in the point standings, 176 points out of 12th – the cut-off for Chase contention.

CHASSIS INFO

No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #031. Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion has elected to bring Chassis number #031 to Pocono Raceway.  This is the chassis that McMurray drove to the pole position at Auto Club Speedway.

No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS):  Chassis #910. Crew Chief Brian Pattie and the No. 42 team will bring chassis #910 to Pocono Raceway this weekend.  Montoya last drove this chassis to a 37th-place finish after being involved in an accident at Las Vegas Motor Speedway while running in the top-10.  This chassis also ran at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the 2009 season finale where a mid-race incident forced the team to a 38th-place finish.