Solid Run for Cessna Team at Richmond Heading to Post-Season
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) hosted its final “regular season” race and the cutoff to make the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup (Chase) at Richmond International Raceway (RIR). Jamie McMurray overcame a disappointing qualifying result, to have one of his strongest runs of the season, while securing his place in the 16-driver Chase field and the chance to race for the 2015 NSCS Championship.
The No. 1 team had a difficult afternoon on Friday during the day’s two practice sessions and qualifying, while trying to find the balance on the Cessna Chevy. After a 31st-place qualifying result, crew chief Matt McCall had the No. 1 team busy making changes to the car before Saturday night’s race, going over every detail to make the No. 1 Chevy SS race ready.
From the drop of the green flag, McMurray drove like a man on a mission, advancing from his 31st starting position to 13th-place, prior to the competition caution on lap 40 and into the top-10 by lap 65 of the 400-lap race. Ironically McMurray’s fast Cessna Chevy is what foiled his bid for victory at RIR when he was penalized for speeding on pit road on lap 291. The penalty relegated McMurray to the tail-end of the lead lap and he was unable to catch a break with timely cautions to regain track-position and battle for the victory, ultimately finishing with a 13th-place result.
With a reset of the points to begin the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, McMurray will be in 12th-position heading to the first race of the Challenger Round next week at Chicagoland Speedway.
NOTES OF INTEREST
• McMurray will compete in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for the first time in his NSCS career
• McMurray had an average running position of 10.3 during the Federated Auto Parts 400
• The No. 1 pit crew was ranked fourth for average time on pit road during their five pit stops, boasting an average of 38.962 seconds
• The Federated Auto Parts 400 was slowed by caution six times for 47 laps
CGRFS Quote board:
Jamie McMurray – No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS: – “I’m really excited to have made the Chase. Our team has been so solid all year long and I feel like we just need to keep doing exactly what we’re doing. As proud as I am to be in the Chase, I’m probably more proud right now that we’re top-10 in points throughout the first 26 races of the season. Matt (McCall, crew chief) has done a really good job as a rookie crew chief coming in, which is a lot of pressure. Each week, he’s done a good job calling these races. We’ve made a lot of developments in recent weeks, so I’m anxious to get to Chicago and see how we can race.”
NSCS teams will run the MyAFibRisk.com at Chicagoland Speedway next Sunday, September 20. NBC Sports Network will have live coverage beginning at 3:00 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 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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