The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) made a stop at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 31st running of the Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday night. Jamie McMurray looked to defend his 2014 victory in the $1 million-to-win non-points paying event. The hope for a repeat turned out to not be in the cards for the driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, who crossed the finish line in the 16th position.
Following one practice session on Friday, McMurray felt optimistic about his chances for a strong run in the 2015 edition of the Sprint All-Star Race, after posting the second best speed. Saturday’s qualifying format for the Sprint All-Star Race differs from any other NSCS event as teams qualify in single-car format for three laps with a mandatory four-tire pit stop, and no pit road speed is enforced during the pit stop.
McMurray qualified 14th to start the first of four 25-lap segments and finished 12th, 14th, 11th, and 15th respectively in those segment leading into the final 10-lap segment for the $1 million prize. The Bass Pro Shops Chevy started that final segment in the 13th position and battled a loose handling car to cross the finish line with a 16th-place result.
NOTES OF INTEREST
• McMurray was the defending winner of the Sprint All-Star Race
• McMurray has appeared in the Sprint All-Star Race nine times in his NSCS career
CGRFS Quoteboard:
Jamie McMurray – No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS: – “A tough night for our Bass Pro Shops team. We battled the handling tonight and our car wasn’t as good as it was during the day in practice yesterday. We were able to learn some things that we will do differently when we come back here next week for the Coca-Cola 600. I wish that we could have competed for the repeat, but track position is so crucial here, you need to restart that final segment up front to have a chance”.
NSCS will run the Coca-Cola 600 next Sunday May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. FOX Sports 1, Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90 and PRN Radio will have live coverage of both events.
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 17 championships and over 160 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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