Team News

Heading Back to the Poconos

July 28, 2010

Heading Back to the Poconos

Race:  Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 on Sunday, August 1
Track:  Pocono Raceway (2.5-mile oval)
Location:  Long Pond, Pa.

NOTES
Jamie McMurray and No. 1 AXE Twist Team

Tricky Triangle History:  McMurray will be making his 16th start at Pocono Raceway when the team returns to the triangle-shaped speedway in the mountains of Pennsylvania for the second time this season.  His best start came in his last fulltime NSCS season with Ganassi when he won the pole in 2005. McMurray’s best finish of ninth came during his first race at the speedway in 2004.  He also matched that finish at this same event in 2008. 

McMurray Wins at the Brickyard:  Jamie McMurray and the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats team headed north to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway this past weekend with one goal in mind- win the Brickyard 400 and assist team owner Chip Ganassi in capturing what could be considered the “Triple Crown” of motorsports.  Ganassi had already won the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 earlier this season, a feat no other car owner has ever accomplished in the same season.  McMurray placed his No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet in the second row, lining up in the fourth position.  After running no lower than sixth, McMurray led for 16 laps on the way to winning the 17th annual Brickyard 400.
  
Welcome AXE Twist:  This weekend the No. 1 Chevrolet will welcome a new paint scheme in AXE Twist.  AXE Twist was developed by world-renowned fragrance experts. Twist starts with fresh hints of citrus and lime, and then over time adds more depth with earthy notes of cedar and sandalwood.  AXE Twist is available in a Deodorant Bodyspray, Deodorant Stick, Antiperspirant Stick and Shower Gel.  Race fans can purchase AXE Twist at most food, drug, club and mass retail outlets.

“Changing” Technology Applied to Car Paint Scheme:  For the first time in the history of NASCAR, a car in competition on the race track will have a color changing paint scheme.  The No.1 AXE Twist Chevrolet will feature a color-changing hood when it takes the green flag on Sunday, Aug. 1 at Pocono Raceway.  The paint scheme is representative of the AXE Twist fragrance itself, which changes scents throughout the day.  The vinyl used on the hood uses liquid crystals that can be accurately set to show color at specific temperatures and was specifically engineered to meet the exact temperature range needed to show changing colors on the hood of a NSCS car.  Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Unilever hope this color-changing hood will keep the thousands of race fans at Pocono and millions watching from the comfort of their homes locked in on McMurray’s No.1 Chevrolet.

About AXE:  AXE, a leader in men’s care, is an iconic personal care brand around the world that helps guys look, smell and feel their best.  The Unilever-manufactured brand is available in a line of deodorant bodysprays, deodorant and anti-perspirant sticks, shower gels and hair care products.  AXE is the No. 1 men’s grooming brand in the U.S., excluding shaving hardware, and achieved this status only seven years after launch.  Including deodorant bodysprays, AXE is the largest men’s deodorant brand in the U.S.  The brand’s mission is to help guys get the girl with grooming products that reflect individual personality and lifestyle.  For more information, visit www.theaxeeffect.com.

In the Points:  After winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jamie McMurray and the No.1 Team advanced two positions to 16th, just 151 points out 12th- the cutoff to the Chase.

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, July 31 at 8:30 a.m. (ET)

Pocono History:  This weekend Montoya will be making his eighth 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 just this season at the first visit to the Tricky Triangle when Montoya qualified seventh.  His best finish came last year in the August race where he finished second.  After not having a top-10 at the track before last season Montoya now has three consecutive top-10 finishes after an eighth-place finish in June.

Brickyard Review:  Former Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya looked to make history Sunday afternoon at the Brickyard 400. Montoya was well on his way when he grabbed his second Pole Award of the season and led 86 out of 159 laps before a late race incident sent him to the garage with 15 laps remaining. The Target team finished out the day in the 32nd position.

EGR Leads The Way: Juan Pablo Montoya won the pole position for Sunday’s Brickyard 400 with a lap of 182.278 mph. Montoya’s Pole Award marked the second for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in two weeks time, as teammate Jamie McMurray won the Pole at Chicagoland Speedway two weeks ago. It also marks Montoya’s second Pole Award for the 2010 season and the fifth for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing which leads all other teams in Pole Awards.

2010 in the Numbers:  Juan Pablo Montoya currently sits in the top-10 in 11 different 2010 performance generated categories.  Among the categories are: average running position (8th), fastest drivers early in a run (6th), fastest drivers late in a run (9th), fastest laps run (8th), fastest drivers on restarts (6th), fastest green flag speed (6th), laps in top-15 (7th), laps led (7th), mile leaders (6th), quality passes (10th).  Montoya is also ranked eighth in the driver ratings, the highest driver outside of the Chase contenders.  The No. 42 Target Chevrolet has also been passed the least amount of times under green flag conditions.

Did you know?: Although the first Target store opened in 1962, the company's roots go back to 1881. Target set the standard for a new kind of store that offers both quality and low prices. At Target, they call their customers "guests," and serve them with their brand promise of "Expect More. Pay Less."

CHASSIS INFO
No. 1 Axe Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #1004. Chassis #1004 will be making its third start of the season at Pocono. Jamie McMurray drove the chassis just six weeks prior at Michigan finishing 24th. This chassis was also used at Texas Motor Speedway where McMurray started 15th and finished 30th after being caught in a nine-car on-track incident. 

No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS):  Chassis #910.  The Target team will bring Chassis #910 to Pocono Raceway this weekend.  Montoya last drove this chassis at the first Pocono event where he qualified seventh and finished eighth.  Earlier in the season the chassis was used at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway where Montoya finished in the 37th-position after being involved in an altercation while running in the top-10.