The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) made stop number two for the 2016 season at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS), for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. Jamie McMurray, driving the McDonald’s Chevrolet SS, started the race from the front row with a second-place qualifying effort, but fell victim to rapid changing track conditions and long green-flag runs that resulted with a 21st-place finish.

The No. 1 McDonald’s team unloaded with a fast race car on Friday afternoon, posting top-10 speeds in the first practice along with a second-place qualifying result later that evening. During final practice on Saturday morning, McMurray provided the fastest 10-consecutive lap average speed.

From the onset of Sunday’s race, the No. 1 Chevy battled handling concerns, trying to keep up with changing track conditions on the warmest day of the race weekend. The race featured long green-flag runs that affected the amount of time that could be taken on pit road to make adjustments. In fact, the first caution of the race was not displayed until lap 210 of the 330-lap race. McMurray closed the day with a 21st-place result.

Following the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, McMurray is currently in 19th place in the NSCS point standings.

NOTES OF INTEREST:

· The second-place starting position was McMurray’s best start at AMS in 23 NSCS career starts
· McMurray earned the Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap of the race award as the eligible driver who turned the fastest lap of the race
· The race was slowed by caution three times for a total of 13 laps

CGR QUOTEBOARD

Jamie McMurray – No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet SS – “Not the day that we were hoping for obviously. We just couldn’t keep up with the track and make the changes that we needed. The long green-flag runs didn’t help us at all either. The guys did a great job on pit road today, we just needed some breaks to fall our way and that didn’t happen.”

NSCS teams will run the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next Sunday, Mar. 6, 2015. FOX, Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90 and PRN Radio will have live coverage beginning at 3:30pm EST.

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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