The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) paid a visit to Talladega Superspeedway for the third and final race of the Contender Round in the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Jamie McMurray, a two-time winner at NASCAR’s biggest track, quickly moved from his 24th starting position, into the top-10, where he ran for most of the 196-lap race. Unfortunately his bid for a third victory went up in smoke with an engine issue on lap-185, relegating him to a 39th-place finish.
In what is a typical approach for superspeedway racing, the No. 1 Cessna Pink team did not log many laps during the two practice sessions on Friday. The No. 1 team opted to only make sure there were no issues and stay out of trouble with the primary race car. Following a 24th-place qualifying result on Saturday afternoon, the NSCS cars were impounded, meaning teams could not make any adjustments until the start of Sundays race.
Once the Campingworld.com 500 got underway, McMurray quickly drove the No. 1 Chevy into the top-10 and raced among the lead pack throughout most of the race. McMurray was in position to challenge for the win, when he suffered an engine issue while running fifth with just five laps to go. The No. 1 Chevy was forced to the garage and ultimately credited with a 39th-place result.
With his finish, McMurray drops two positions to 13th in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup standings.
NOTES OF INTEREST
· The Campingworld.com 500 was extended by eight laps from cautions and one attempt at a green-white-checkered finish
· McMurray ranked fifth for most green flag passes with 75
· The caution was shown three times for a total of 18 laps
· There were 13 lead changes among 18 drivers
CGRFS Quote board:
Jamie McMurray – No. 1 Cessna Pink Chevrolet SS: – “Just a bummer of a way to end the day. Our Cessna Chevy was really good today. We were able to run up front most of the afternoon and the engine just let go with only a few laps to go. I never had any indication of an issue. The engine just let go really quick and I tried as hard as I could to just hang on and not get anyone else involved as the field passed me.”
NSCS teams will run the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville Speedway next Sunday, Nov. 1. NBC Sports Network, Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90 and MRN Radio will have live coverage beginning at 1:15 p.m. EDT.
About Chip Ganassi Racing Teams
Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 25 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include four cars in the IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and one Prototype in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Overall his teams have 18 championships and 170 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400 and six Rolex 24 At Daytonas and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Brownsburg, Ind. and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.
For more information log onto chipganassiracing.com
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