The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) season made the first of two annual visits to the Irish Hills of Michigan and the Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Jamie McMurray started from the 25th position and the McDonald’s team adjusted on the car in the early stages of the race to keep McMurray competitive before taking advantage of pit strategy to capture a seventh-place finish in a rain-shortened the Quicken Loans 400.
The entire race weekend at MIS was greeted with a rainy forecast, as Friday’s first practice session was cut short because of rain, which prompted the No. 1 team to only make mock-qualifying attempts during that session. Later that afternoon, the McDonald’s team missed an opportunity to transfer out of the first-round of qualifying by just thirteen one-hundredths of a second (.013), resulting a 25th-place starting position.
Sunday’s race forecast was also threatening with a 60% chance of rain. McMurray started the race fighting an extremely loose handling race car, but before the team’s first pit stop crew chief Matt McCall ordered changes at the competition caution on lap 40 that made the car better for McMurray as he fought for track position. Four red-flags for rain altered the rhythm of the race and strategy, but put the No. 1 in top-10 contention when the final caution and red-flag were displayed. The McDonald’s team finished seventh when the race was called official after 138 of the scheduled 200-lap distance.
With his finish, McMurray maintained seventh place in the NSCS point standings.
NOTES OF INTEREST
· This was McMurray’s third consecutive top-10 finish
· McMurray now has three seventh-place finishes in a row (Dover, Pocono and Michigan)
· The Quicken Loans 400 was slowed by caution five times for 38 laps and three red flags
CGRFS Quoteboard:
Jamie McMurray – No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet SS: – “What a strange day with all the stop and go because of the weather. Matt (McCall) did a good job making the calls on strategy today. We were able to stay out longer than a lot of other teams before the next-to-last caution. That put us in position for another top-10 and our third straight seventh-place finish. I’m really excited for all the guys on this McDonald’s team for another good finish leading into our off-weekend”.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head to Sonoma Raceway for the Toyota/SaveMart 350 in two weeks on Sunday, June 28, 2015. FOX Sports 1 coverage will begin at 3 p.m. ET, Sirius/XM Channel 90 and PRN affiliated radio stations will also have live coverage.
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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