The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) made the third and final stop of the early-season west coast swing at Auto Club Speedway (ACS) in Fontana, Calif. On Sunday. Jamie McMurray made a late charge following the race’s final caution to cap-off the weekend with his first top-10 finish of the 2016 season in the No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet SS.
The team started the first practice on Friday 26th fastest, but improved in qualifying later that afternoon with a 10th-place result.
At the start of the race, McMurray dropped from 10th position to 17th by the first pit stop on lap 28. Crew chief Matt McCall adjusted to the track conditions on ensuing pit stops to help McMurray gain back track position. On lap 154 McMurray pitted under green flag conditions from the 12th position, and while receiving service on pit road, the caution came out and the No. 1 team was relegated to the back of the field. When the race’s final caution came out on lap 200, which forced an overtime finish for the second consecutive race, McMurray was able to pit for adjustments and pack up with the rest of the field. On the final restart, from the 17th position, McMurray motored past seven cars and captured a 10th-place finish.
With his finish in the Auto Club 400, McMurray moved up three positions and is currently in 12th place in the NSCS point standings.
NOTES OF INTEREST:
· McMurray gained the most positions of any driver in the final 10% of the race
· This was the first top-10 of the season for McMurray
· The race was slowed by caution six times for a total of 33 laps
CGR QUOTEBOARD
Jamie McMurray – No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet SS – “I’m excited that we were able to a get really good finish. We ran around 13th to 15th most of the day. We got caught in the pits on a green flag stop and had to go to the back. I was still able to gain some track position, but man; right before the last caution, we were fading fast. The tires were just gone and I was sliding around and we were going backwards quick. That last caution was a big turnaround for us. I got a really good restart and picked up several spots. It was nice to grab that first top-10 of the season”
NSCS teams will be off next weekend, and will race next in the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, Apr. 3, 2016. FOX Sports 1, Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90 and MRN Radio will have live coverage beginning at 1:00pm 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 Verizon IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, two cars in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, two factory Ford GT’s in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, two factory Ford GT’s in the FIA World Endurance Championship and two Supercars in Red Bull Global Rallycross. 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 Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Penn.
For more information log onto: www.chipganassiracing.com
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