Late-Race Issue Foils Strong Run for Mcmurray in New Hampshire
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Results (with starting position) from the 5-hour Energy 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway 1. (4) Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota 2. (10) Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford 3 (12) Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet SS 26. (11) No. 1 McDonald’s/Cessna Chevrolet SS (McMurray) 31. (17) No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS (Larson) Late-Race Issue Foils Strong Run for McMurray in New Hampshire New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) hosted race No. 19 of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) season. For the first time in several weeks rain did not have a dominate effect on racing action. Jamie McMurray and the McDonald’s/Cessna team looked to cap-off a strong weekend with a top-10 finish, but a late-race mechanical issue dropped the team from contention and ultimately finished with a 26th-place result. McMurray sported a fast McDonald’s/Cessna Chevy all weekend, finishing the first practice on Friday with the third- fastest speed and advancing to the final round of qualifying with and 11th-place result. From the start of Sunday’s race, McMurray had a car that was strong on long-runs. The No.1 crew made several adjustments on pit stops, improving the handling throughout, to put McMurray in contention for a strong finish. Unfortunately with less than 30 laps to go, McMurray reported that he felt the engine was losing power. He was able to nurse the car to the finish and post a 26th- place finish. With his finish, McMurray dropped two positions in the NSCS point standings and is currently in ninth-place NOTES OF INTEREST Despite finishing 26th, McMurray ranked 10th for most green flag passes, with 86 McMurray had the 12th-best average running position of 13.4 and ran 241 of the 301 laps in the top-15 The 5-hour Energy 301 was slowed by caution seven times for 34 laps CGRFS Quoteboard: Jamie McMurray – No. 1 McDonald’s/Cessna Chevrolet SS: – “We had a pretty good car, especially near the end of the race, and the guys made it better with each run. On one of the late restarts I had another car get up underneath me and I just missed a shift, which ended up hurting the engine. I just tried to nurse it as much as I could to get to the finish. That is a disappointing way to end the day, but we had a good McDonald’s/Cessna Chevy here today”. NSCS teams will run the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) on Sunday, July 26. NBC Sports Network, Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90 and IMS Radio Network will have live coverage at 3:30 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 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 Larson 31st at New Hampshire Motor Speedway The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) headed to the northern-most stop of the season this weekend for the first of two races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS). The weekend started off well for the Target team, pacing the field in the initial practice, but ended in a 31st-place finish on Sunday. As practice started on Friday at NHMS under sunny skies, Larson showed good speed throughout the session and finished with the fastest lap leading into qualifying. During qualifying, Larson transferred to the second round and earned a 17th-place start for the race. Saturday saw a big change in the weather as clouds and cooler temperatures hung over the track all day as Larson’s crew continued to make positive gains on the car leading up to the race. The hot, sunny weather returned on Sunday as Larson made his third career start at the Magic Mile. Larson gained several spots to start the race, but would begin to fall back as he fought a tight-handling race car. Although adjustments were made on the Target Chevy to help the balance, Larson continued to experience handling issues throughout the race and finished in 31st place. With the finish, Larson drops to 21st in the NSCS driver point standings, 85 points out of 16th place. NOTES OF INTEREST: • The caution flag was shown seven times for a total of 34 laps • The lead changed nine times among seven drivers • After racing a different aerodynamics package last weekend in Kentucky, NSCS cars returned to the 2015 rules package for Sunday’s race TCGRFS QUOTEBOARD Kyle Larson, Driver, No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS – “We were just off the whole race and were really tight in the center of the corners. The crew worked hard during the race to get us headed in the right direction, but we ran out of laps and didn’t catch any breaks late with the cautions. Not what we wanted, but we’re still working hard and I’m looking forward to a better race next weekend in Indy. We need to get back to running in the top-10, and we’re working hard to get there.” NSCS teams will run the Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at The Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway next Sunday, July 26. NBCSN, Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90 and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio will have live coverage at 3:30 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 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 .