NASCAR Cup
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing announces driver lineup
Published: Jan 26, 2011, 1:36 PM
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Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Announces 2011 Driver Line-Up
Montoya, McMurray Return for 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season
CONCORD, NC (Jan. 24, 2011) -- Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced today that Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray will return for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) season. Montoya will be behind the wheel of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet for the third consecutive season and his fifth full-season in the NSCS. McMurray will make his return in the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/ McDonalds Chevrolet for his second straight season with the team and ninth overall in the NSCS.
Both drivers look to carry over their 2010 success, which saw them break the organization record for wins in a single season (four), scoring victories in the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, Watkins Glen event and Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Montoya and McMurray will return to the newly re-paved Daytona International Speedway in February for Speedweeks, which kicks off with the Budweiser Shootout Feb. 12 followed by the 53rd running of 'The Great American Race' on Feb. 20.
Notes of Interest:
* McMurray enters 2011 coming off a record 2010 season where he became known as NASCAR's "Big Event" driver, becoming only the third driver in history to win both the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same season. He scored a third win at Charlotte, finished second at Darlington, Talladega and in the Coke 600, and also won the 2010 overall pole award with four.
* Montoya enters the 2011 season coming off a solid 2010, scoring a win at Watkins Glen in August which gave longtime partner Target their first NSCS victory. Montoya is the first foreign-born driver to have wins in NASCAR's elite series. He scored a career-high three poles, and finished third at both Talladega races and Atlanta.
* All six of Ganassi's drivers visited victory lane in 2010, where they accumulated 19 victories across all three series in which they compete (NASCAR - 4, INDYCAR - 6 and GRAND-AM -- 9) winning two championships in the process. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas claimed Ganassi's fourth GRAND-AM Championship and Dario Franchitti captured a third consecutive IZOD IndyCar Series title for Ganassi.
* Ganassi added two more drivers to his 2011 line-up with Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball joining Scott Dixon and Franchitti in the IZOD IndyCar Series. The majority of Ganassi's driver line-up will be on display in the GRAND-AM Rolex 24 At Daytona January 28- 30 as they look to capture a record fourth Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona victory for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.
* In 2010 Chip Ganassi became the first owner to win both of Indianapolis Motor Speedway's marquee events --the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400 and he was able to accomplish it in the same year.
* Chip Ganassi Racing claimed their first-ever weekend sweep, winning races in all three of the major touring series (NASCAR, IndyCar and GRAND-AM) in which they compete. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas won the Rolex GRAND-AM Series event at Watkins Glen, Juan Pablo Montoya picked up a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Watkins Glen, and Dario Franchitti completed the hat-trick with an IZOD IndyCar Series win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
* CGR now boasts 134 total wins (1990-2010): 80 - INDYCAR, 32 - GRAND-AM, 10 - Sprint Cup, 6 -- Nationwide and 6 -- ARCA.
-source: egr
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