Thunder Valley in East Tennessee was the site for stop number 24 on the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) schedule at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS). The IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol is typically one of the most anticipated and exciting races on the schedule for intense racing action under the lights. Jamie McMurray drove the McDonald’s/Cessna Chevrolet to an 11th-place finish.
Working hard to overcome a disappointing 21st-place qualifying result on Friday afternoon, the No. 1 team prepared a fast McDonald’s/Cessna Chevy for McMurray. From the start of Saturday night’s 500-lap race, McMurray quickly move forward racing into the top-10 by lap 150.
Shortly past the halfway mark of Saturday’s race, McMurray reported that the handling was going away and he didn’t seem to have as much grip as earlier in the race. At one point he was almost caught one lap down to the leaders. With the assist of good adjustments called by crew chief Matt McCall and quick pit work with the fastest average time on pit road, the No. 1 team put McMurray in position to post a strong 11th-place result.
With his finish, McMurray maintained his 10th-place position in the NSCS point standings.
NOTES OF INTEREST
• Following a 21st starting position tonight, McMurray finished with an 11.4 average running position
• McMurray finished the race ranked fifth for most green flag passes with 67
• McMurray remains the highest seeded driver currently without a win in the Chase standings, with just two races left before the cutoff
• The IRWIN Tools Night Race was slowed by caution eight times for 52 laps
CGRFS Quote board:
Jamie McMurray – No. 1 McDonald’s/Cessna Chevrolet SS: – “Great effort by our guys tonight on this McDonald’s/Cessna team. Our car was really strong up through the middle of the race, then the handling went away a little bit. Matt (McCall) and the guys made some good adjustments and helped us to pick up a few spots at the end. It was a pretty good points night for us also.”
NSCS teams will have a weekend off before returning to action in two weeks for the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway Sept. 6. NBC Sports Network, Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90 and MRN Radio will have live coverage at 7 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 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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