On Wednesday, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and Chip Ganassi Racing announced a new partnership with Cessna and its parent company, Textron, which will encompass all of Ganassi’s race teams in NASCAR, IndyCar, and the GrandAm Series. Cessna manufactures jets, and other Textron subsidiaries include Bell helicopters, Bad Boy Buggies, and E-Z-Go golf carts, among several others. Cessna will serve as primary Sponsor for the No. 1 Chevrolet of Jamie McMurray in the Sprint Cup Series for ten races in 2013.
Team owner Chip Ganassi told the assembled media that there are four races available for sponsorship on McMurray’s car this year, and all other race teams are fully sponsored for the 2013 season. In addition to the ten races with Cessna, McMurray has primary sponsorship in select races from McDonald’s, D. Pepper, Banana Boat, LiftMaster, and Bass Pro Shops. “Fans associate airplanes with speed,” Ganassi said Wednesday, explaining that that association made for a natural fit with Cessna.
For the upcoming year, McMurray will again be paired with Juan Pablo Montoya in the No. 42 Target Chevrolet. Kyle Larson, the team’s developmental driver is expected to run a full Nationwide Series schedule; announcements on his future, Ganassi claimed will come next week.
Amy is an 20-year veteran NASCAR writer and a six-time National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) writing award winner, including first place awards for both columns and race coverage. As well as serving as Photo Editor, Amy writes The Big 6 (Mondays) after every NASCAR Cup Series race. She can also be found working on her bi-weekly columns Holding A Pretty Wheel (Tuesdays) and Only Yesterday (Wednesdays). A New Hampshire native whose heart is in North Carolina, Amy’s work credits have extended everywhere from driver Kenny Wallace’s website to Athlon Sports. She can also be heard weekly as a panelist on the Hard Left Turn podcast that can be found on AccessWDUN.com's Around the Track page.