NASCAR
AdventHealth Expanding Sponsorship Of Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR Team
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – AdventHealth is expanding its relationship with Chip Ganassi Racing‘s NASCAR team for 2020.
AdventHealth is teaming up with CGR to sponsor Kyle Larson and CGR development driver Ross Chastain in select races this season beginning in February at Daytona.
“We’ve been a proud supporter of Chip Ganassi Racing since 2016, and I’m really excited to further expand our winning partnership by teaming-up with both Kyle and Ross,” said David Banks, Chief Strategy Officer, Advent Health. “This collaboration is something all of our employees across the nation can get excited about.”
“We are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with AdventHealth for a fifth year,” said Doug Duchardt, Chief Operating Officer, Chip Ganassi Racing. “The partnership has generated some exciting moments on track.”
Larson took AdventHealth to Victory Lane in May 2019 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“We had a great run with Kyle last year and are excited about the 2020 season,” said Banks. “In our first race on Kyle’s car, he not only raced his way into the NASCAR All-Star race, but also went on to win it! We are looking forward to continuing that momentum and success together in 2020.”
“It’s great to have AdventHealth back with the No. 42 team for some races in 2020,” said Larson. “It was awesome to win with AdventHealth on our car at the All-Star Race, in their first race with the 42 team, and I hope we can have more exciting races with them this year.”
Florida-based AdventHealth will be on Larson’s No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the Clash at Daytona and on Florida-native Chastain’s No. 77 Camaro, prepared by CGR in conjunction with Spire Motorsports, for the Daytona 500.
“To have the opportunity to run the Daytona 500 is awesome, and it’s great to do it this year with AdventHealth on-board my car,” said Chastain. “I’ve only had one start in the Daytona 500 and can’t wait to run that race again in what I know will be a competitive car.”
In addition to the races at Daytona, AdventHealth will be on Chastain’s No. 77 Chevy at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May and later in the year on Larson’s No. 42 at the Fall playoff race at Kansas Speedway, where they sponsored Kurt Busch’s No. 1 Camaro in 2019.
“I’m looking forward to racing the Coca-Cola 600,” said Chastain. “That’s another iconic race that all of us want to win.”
AdventHealth also supports the Human Innovation and Development Lab (HIDL) at CGR. Headed by Josh Wise, the HIDL features tools, technology and unique training to improve the performance of CGR’s pit crews and drivers to help them prepare for upcoming races both mentally and physically. Larson and Chastain utilize the resources made available in the HIDL. Watch for a full-story on the HIDL in 2020 here at PittsburghRacingNow.com.
AdventHealth has been a partner of Daytona International Speedway since 2014 as their Official Healthcare Partner of the Speedway providing care for more than 1,000 patients each year on-site. In case of an emergency at the track, there are 11 AdventHealth ambulances, two care centers and nine first aid stations ready to serve anybody at the Speedway.
The AdventHealth injector (or gate entrance) at the Daytona Beach, Florida track is a 20,000-plus-square-foot oasis that features messages of health and well-being as well as interactive games that naturally tie the sport of racing to health and wellness, testing race fans hand-eye coordination – a vital skill on the race track.
“With our injector at the Daytona International Speedway, we’ve been able to engage with the hundreds of thousands of race fans that attend Speedweeks, but are beyond thrilled to have an AdventHealth car racing in the Daytona 500 for the first time ever,” said Banks. “I can’t wait to watch Florida’s own ‘Melon Man’ race on the track this year in our watermelon-themed AdventHealth Chevy.”
Practice for the Busch Clash and Daytona 500 begins Saturday February 8th with Daytona 500 qualifying on Sunday February 9th at 12:30 ET, followed by the Busch Clash at 3 p.m. ET.
FONTANA, CA (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – The pairing of Kyle Busch and Richard Childress Racing is paying dividends as two races into their partnership, they were celebrating victory at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Busch beat Hendrick Motorsports Chase Elliott by ?.?-seconds to pick up his ??-career Cup Series victory and the ?? of his NASCAR career.
“I felt like there was going to be a little bit of a learning experience, a little bit of a growth pattern, but also on the flipside of that, I always just kind of looked back and watched some of their results and success that they had last year with Austin,” explained Busch. “He ran second here last year, and Reddick was super, super fast. They were fast at the Clash before they broke, the 8 car was.”
Busch said the transition to a new team has been good.
“It’s just been really, really cool, and it’s been a great piece of — we’re making history, right, but a great piece of opportunity to go out there and continue to win races at a new team with RCR, so I can’t say enough about Austin giving me a call, first and foremost, but then Richard and Judy giving me this opportunity to go out here and race for wins.”
Elliott was happy for his manufacturer teammate and former Champ and to get a finish after getting crashed out of the Daytona 500.
“Congratulations to Kyle,” said Elliott. “For him to leave and then to go get the job done like that is pretty cool. He’s always been really good to me, so happy for them. Obviously I think we still have some work to do, but it was really nice to just see a lot of that hard work pay off and have the car driving like we were wanting it to do. So that’s always a good thing. Appreciate everybody on our NAPA team, Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet for just sticking with it and sticking with each other. Looking forward to getting to Vegas and hopefully competing for some more wins.”
Ross Chastain, who led a race high 92-laps, finished third in the No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing.
“Our balance was building loose most of the day, so I thought we did everything right,” said Chatain. “We kept up with it. It would just feel pretty loose late in the runs, and at times it was enough, and at times they got way better.”
The NASCAR Cup Series moves on to Las Vegas for the Pennzoil 400 March 5th.
DAYTONA, FL (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – Ricky Stenhouse Jr was leading NASCAR Cup Series Champion Joey Logano when a spinning Kyle Larson brought out the final caution of the day, giving Stenhouse the Daytona 500 win in double-overtime.
Stenhouse and Logano were battling for the lead on Lap 212 when contact from Aric Almirola’s Ford started Travis Pastrana’s Toyota spinning in Turn 2. Pastrana’s Camry clipped Larson Chevrolet and set it rocketing into the outside wall. NASCAR officials reviewed the timing and scoring loops to verify Stenhouse was the winner.
“The 22 had a huge run,” explained Stenhouse. “Got to my outside. Kyle had a huge run and he kind of shipped the middle, and then I looked in my mirror and here comes Christopher and gave me a big shot down the short chute there into 1 caution and got out front enough for when the caution came out.
So everything played out perfectly for us at the end of that.”
“Second is the worst, man,” lamented Logano. “You’re so close. Leading the white flag lap there, I was up front. Kyle gave me a good push and, yeah, you’re watching in the mirror and you’re three wide across there. I felt like the three wide was going a hurt a lane; looked like Kyle was getting pushed ahead, and then Ricky started getting pushed ahead.”
“If you would have told me pre-race I was going to run third, I would have jumped up and down and been smiling ear to ear, which I am very happy and very, very thankful that I could get this Rheem and DeWalt Camry a good solid finish,” said Bell. “But man, just so close to a crown jewel. I feel like if it would have stayed green I would have been on offense, and obviously who knows. But very proud and thankful to be here and Joe Gibbs Racing, and happy for Ricky. That’s really cool. Very, very happy for Ricky.”
The next NASCAR Cup Series race is Sunday, February 26 at Auto Club Raceway in Fontana, California.
DAYTONA, FL (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – Austin Hill won his second-straight NASCAR Xfinity Series season-opening race on Saturday, narrowly beating John Hunter Nemechek and Justin Allgaier after NASCAR officials reviewed the tape following Sam Mayer’s caution.
“As soon as the caution lights came on, I thought I had it, but it was so close,” said Hill. “To get back-to-back here at Daytona, it’s really special. That’s three wins for me now, two in the Xfinity, one in the truck here. We came from the back two different times. I hope everyone enjoyed it. It was such a blast. I had so much fun.”
“I’ve been short my whole life, so I guess it’s just fitting,” joked Allgaier. “But really proud of everybody at JR Motorsports. Our Chevy Camaros tonight were absolutely blazing fast. Obviously, I’m glad Sam is OK. He had a heck of a run there at the end.”
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