Results (with starting position) from the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway
1. (2) Matt Kenseth No. 20 Toyota 2. (4) Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota 3. (1) Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford 12. (11) No. 42 Target Carwheel Chevrolet SS (Larson) 13. (20) No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS (McMurray)
McMurray Secures Spot In Chase for NASCAR Sprint Cup 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.”
Consistency Leads to 12th Place Finish for Larson at Richmond
This weekend, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) teams headed to Richmond International Raceway (RIR) for the final race in the regular season before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins. Having tested at RIR twice this season, the Target team felt confident they would have a good car for Saturday night’s race, which Larson needed to win in order to secure a spot in the Chase. After showing good speed on Friday, Larson started the race in 11th place and ran in the top-10 for the entire 400-lap event before finishing in 12th place.
The Target team began practice on Friday by topping the speed chart after Larson turned the fastest lap early in the first session. During practice, the team used data collected from testing to work on the car’s balance and find a setup that would help Larson maintain speed on longer runs during the race. Larson again this week had a solid qualifying effort, earning an 11th place starting position after transferring to the final round.
Although rain looked to threaten Saturday’s race, NASCAR had the track dry and ready to go on schedule following afternoon rain showers. Early in the race, after starting in 11th, Larson ran around the top-10 and showed good pace, but reported the car needed more forward drive to help his speed. Larson would briefly make a move into the top-five on Lap 125 following a quick yellow flag pit stop and a good restart, but would fall back a few spots toward the end of the run. As the race progressed, the pit crew continued to turn fast stops as Larson consistently raced around the top- 10 on the way to finishing on the lead lap in 12th place.
With the finish, Larson moves up to 19th in the NSCS driver point standings.
NOTES OF INTEREST:
• Larson had the eighth best average running position for the race • Larson ran 99.3% of the race in the top-15 • Only 12 cars finished the race on the lead lap • The caution flag was shown six times for a total of 47 laps • The lead changed 13 times among four drivers
TCGRFS QUOTEBOARD
Kyle Larson, Driver, No. 42 Target Cartwheel Chevrolet SS – “Congrats to Jamie and the No. 1 team on making the Chase. It’s disappointing for our team to not be in there with them, but it’s good for our organization to be represented. We worked really hard this weekend with the Target Chevy to put ourselves in a position to challenge for a win tonight, and even though we didn’t get a win, we did a lot of things right during the race to keep consistent. We just have to work on these last 10 races and try to consistently run in the top-10. That’s what we were good at last year, so it would be nice to do it again this year. We haven’t always performed the way that we need to, to win a championship, but we’ve still got 10 races to prove that and I know we’ll work hard to finish on a high note.”
NSCS teams will run the MyAFibRisk.com at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, Sep. 20. NBCSN, SiriusXM Channel 90 and MRN 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 Verizon 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, 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