Twenty-five cars took the green-flag for the 75-lap Sprint Unlimited at Daytona on Saturday night. Jamie McMurray started next-to-last but quickly showed strength by racing to the front of the field. McMurray was involved in a last-lap accident that collected several cars and eliminated the McDonald’s team from top-10 contention and was ultimately credited with a 14th-place result.
The 2016 edition of the Sprint Unlimited included pole winners from 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races along with 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup participants. The field was also extended to former Sprint Unlimited race winners and Daytona 500 pole winners who competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series full time in 2015.
McMurray quickly maneuvered the McDonald’s Chevy SS through the field from the start, advancing from his 24th starting position to the lead by lap 11. He was able to race among the top-five for a majority of the race, leading 14 laps. On the races final caution, McMurray suffered minor damage on the No. 1 machine, but was able to continue, restarting eighth on the final restart in the overtime session. On that final lap, McMurray was collected in multi-car accident and limped the McDonald’s Chevy back to the garage with a 14th-place finish.
NOTES OF INTEREST:
· This was McMurray’s 10th time racing in the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona
· McMurray led 14 laps and had an average running position of 6.5
· The Sprint Unlimited was extended by four laps for one attempt at an overtime finish (new in 2016)
· McMurray has a total of 36 career starts at Daytona International Speedway in NSCS competition. (10 Sprint Unlimited, 13 Daytona 500, 13 Coke Zero 400). He claims two victories (2007 Coke Zero 400 & 2010 Daytona 500)
CGRFS QUOTE BOARD
Jamie McMurray – No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet SS: – “We had a really good McDonald’s Chevy tonight. We were able to race to the front pretty quickly and lead some laps. My car handled as well as I have experienced in this race in a long time, so I am pretty encouraged by what we have for next week. Just unfortunate to get caught up in that last lap crash, but that is just a product of racing at Daytona”.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will remain in Daytona for another week with the CanAm Duel Qualifying Races and the Daytona 500 next on the schedule. CanAm Duels will take place Thursday Feb. 18, 7 p.m. ET and the Daytona 500 on Sunday Feb. 21, 1 p.m. ET. FOX, Sirius/XM NASCAR Channel 90 and MRN affiliated radio stations 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 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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