Results (with starting position) from the Quaker State 400 at

1. (9) Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota 2. (4) Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford 3. (8) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota 14. (7) No. 1 Cessna hevrolet SS (McMurray) 35. (1) No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS (Larson)

Cessna Team Overcomes Early Issue For 14th-Place Finish in Kentucky

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) made their lone visit to Kentucky Speedway. For the second consecutive weekend on the schedule rain would dominate the racing plans, affecting events scheduled Wednesday through Friday, including the cancelation of qualifying, thus the starting line-up would be determined by first practice speeds, giving McMurray a seventh-place starting position.

After starting in the top-10 McMurray reported handling issues in the early running. On lap 32, the first pit stop of the night, McMurray would have to make an additional trip down pit road to check for missing lugnuts and make further adjustments. The extra stop would drop McMurray to the back of the field, however the No. 1 crew worked feverishly to make improvements on the handling the rest of the night to get the No. 1 Chevy back to the front, however McMurray would ultimately settle for a 14th-place finish.

With his finish, McMurray dropped one position in the NSCS point standings and is currently in seventh-place

NOTES OF INTEREST

 This was McMurray’s sixth consecutive top-15 finish  The Quaker State 400 was slowed by caution 11 times for 9 laps

CGRFS Quoteboard: Jamie McMurray – No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet SS: – “We just had a difficult time with the Cessna Chevy on short runs. The car was really loose on entry and tight through the center of the corner most of the night, so I had to work on adjusting my line to find . We had a little set back early in the race that put us in the back of the field, but the guys did a great job on pit road and managed another top-15 finish.”

Late Race Incident Slows Larson for 35th-Place Finish

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) headed to Kentucky Speedway this weekend with much anticipation, as a new aerodynamics package was set to be used for the first time in competition. However, rain would play a significant factor, forcing several cancellations to the schedule. When cars finally got on track Friday, for one day of practice, Larson and the Target team proved strong, pacing the field in both practices. After starting the race from the pole position, Larson worked to maintain a spot around the top-10 before an incident late in the race caused damage that slowed him for a 35th place finish.

With a new package meant to reduce downforce set to be used for Kentucky, NSCS teams were scheduled to get on track Wednesday for two test sessions. Unfortunately, teams would be forced to sit and wait for two days as rain cancelled both the planned test on Wednesday and the rescheduled test on Thursday. Weather again played a role on Friday as the first practice was shortened, qualifying was cancelled and a second practice was added. During the initial session, Larson paced the field with a fast Target Chevy and ultimately earned the pole following the cancellation of qualifying. Larson again paced the field in the final practice session before the race.

As Larson led the field to the green flag on Saturday night for the first time this season, he reported to the team that balance issues were affecting the car’s drive. Larson would work through those issues throughout the night but managed to race around the top-10 for much of the race. Unfortunately with 50 laps to go, another car made contact with Larson resulting in enough damage to the left rear fender to cause significant tire rub, forcing several pit stops. After being put a lap down, Larson would ultimately cross the finish line in 35th place.

With the finish, Larson drops to 19th in the NSCS driver point standings, 69 points out of 16th place.

NOTES OF INTEREST:

• For the first time this season, Larson started from the pole position • Larson had an average running position of 14.38 for the 267-lap race • The caution flag was shown 11 times for a total of 49 laps • The lead changed 13 times among eight drivers • The race was the first time the lower-downforce aerodynamics package has been used in competition

TCGRFS QUOTEBOARD

Kyle Larson, Driver, No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS – “We struggled during the race in the Target Chevy, but we were definitely better than where we finished. During most of the race we fought handling issues and just weren’t able to keep the car up front with the leaders. We were starting to pick up some spots late in the race on pit road, but had some contact from another car that caused enough damage to force a few pit stops and affected our handling. Another tough way to finish the race.”

NSCS teams will run the New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway next Sunday, July 19. NBCSN, Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90 and PRN Radio will have live coverage at 1:30 p.m. ET.

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, 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, 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