Tuesday

Jamie McMurray & Juan Pablo Montoya, 2011 NSCS Ford 400 Race Previews

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

Follow EGR on Twitter: Continue to follow Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates on their official team Twitter page. Find in-race updates and weekly news on the No. 1 and No. 42 teams throughout the 2011 season by following “@EGRTeams”.

There’s an App for that: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (CGRT) and SapientNitro SM recently launched one of the first mobile applications for the high-velocity world of racing. This new application brings fans updated driver and event information, and exclusive content in one centralized and expansive mobile experience, bringing to life the rich heritage and legendary success of Chip Ganassi Racing Teams. The unique mobile application conveys the high-octane rush of the racing experience for a team that competes at the highest levels in three series – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, IZOD IndyCar Series and Rolex GRAND-AM Series.

Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Team

McMurray at Homestead-Miami: In McMurray’s Sprint Cup career, he has made nine starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In those races, he has scored one top-five, and three top-10 finishes, and has an average start of 14.3. He has one pole award at the speedway when driving for car owner Chip Ganassi during the 2003 season. He has completed 2,388 laps (99.2%) of a possible 2,408 laps run at the track. McMurray has been running at the finish in eight of his nine races. His best career finish came in the 2008 season finale where he finished third.

Milestone 330^th: McMurray will be making his 330^th career start at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend. McMurray is currently in his 10^th season in Sprint Cup. To date, he has six wins, 41 top-fives, and 96 top-10s. He has also grabbed eight poles, including his first career pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2003, and has led 1,356 laps along the way.

Phoenix Recap: When the green flag dropped on the Kobalt Tools 500, the No. 1 quickly fell to mid-pack, as McMurray reported, “tire pressures seem to be too low”. With the competition caution on lap 40 the crew made the necessary adjustments to the car and McMurray swiftly drove from 19^th up into the top-10, where he would race until lap 160, getting as high as fifth on the board. The team would struggle to regain the lost track position and would finish the day in 17^th-position.

Going to Bass Pro: Jamie McMurray will be at the Miami Bass Pro Shops store on Thursday Nov 17, 2011. to sign autographs and meet race fans. The event begins at 5:30 PM ET. The address of the store is 11551 Northwest 12^th Street Miami, FL 33172

Fishing Trackside: Jamie McMurray will join a host of other NASCAR stars as they come together to support the 10th Annual Hot Shot ‘Hot Rods & Reels’ Charity Fishing Tournament this Saturday, Nov 19 at the infield lake at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This will mark McMurray’s fourth appearance in the tournament. The event benefits the Darrell Gwynn Foundation to Cure Paralysis and the “Speediatrics” unit at Homestead Hospital. The tournament begins at 8:30AM ET, and race fans are encouraged to attend.

Green Flag Passer: McMurray is currently ranked 10^th in the statistical category of “Green Flag Passes”. This category measures the number of passes a driver had under green conditions. He has made a total of 389 green flag passes in the last six races at Homestead Miami Speedway.

Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Target Team

Home Sweet Home: Juan Pablo Montoya will return home to close out the 2011 season this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Not only do the Montoya’s call Miami home, this weekend’s start will mark five years since Montoya climbed behind the wheel of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car. In his inaugural race, Montoya started 29^th and finished 34^th due to an accident.

Homestead History: Montoya has made five starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway during his Sprint Cup Career. He has completed 93.6% of the laps run (1,251 of 1,336) at Homestead since his first start. His best start came in the 2008 season finale where he started 11^th, and best finish came in 2007 where he finished 15^th.

About Phoenix: After a brief rain shower Sunday morning, the sun finally came though allowing the race to get underway on time. Montoya radioed in some handling concerns early on and the team quickly went to work to change things around. It didn’t take long, as Montoya was the fastest car out on the track by lap 77. An untimely caution just past halfway of the race slowed the momentum as the No. 42 team was a lap down due to a green flag pit stop just a few laps before. The Target team rebounded and quickly got back on the lead lap and was making a final charge before a brake issue halted the run to the front. When the checkered flag waved, the Target Chevrolet was credited with the 15^th position.

Montoya Makes an Appearance: On Sunday before the running of the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Montoya will be participating in a question and answer session for race fans. The event takes place at the Sprint Fan Display from 11:00 AM-11:10 AM ET.

Milestone Fifth Year: This weekend, Montoya has approached his fifth full year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS). To date, Montoya has 180 starts, racked up two wins (Sonoma 2007 and Watkins Glen 2010), 20 top-fives, 49 top-10s and seven poles. He has an average start of 17.5 and an average finish of 19.5 and has led 962 laps.

BeLive 2011: Formula Smiles, a foundation created by Juan Pablo Montoya and wife Connie Freydell, will be one of the organizations represented in the fifth annual BeLive gala this week in Miami. The BeLive gala will take place on Thursday, November 17 at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. BeLive is joined by four important Colombian non-profit organizations, based in the U.S.: Give to Colombia, Formula Smiles, Genesis Foundation and ArtNexus Foundation, which have joined forces to raise much-needed funds and create awareness within the international community of the dire social needs in Colombia. BeLive will have a spectacular concert, cocktails, sumptuous dinner, live entertainment, fun fashion show and much more.

CHASSIS INFO

No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #1120. Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and the No.1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats team will be bringing Chassis #1120 to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend. This chassis was previously run at Charlotte this past October.

No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #1111. Pohlman and the No. 42 Target Team are bringing chassis #1111 to Homestead this weekend. This chassis is new and has not seen any track time, it only has been run in aerodyne on November 9.

2011 STATS

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

CAREER STATS

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

TEAM ROSTERS

Tony Glover – Team Manager

Steve Hmiel – Director of Competition

- Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Press Release