By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
It was a day the doctor ordered for Chip Ganassi Racing during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray both finished in the top-10.
For Larson, the race started from the 11th position. Larson stayed up in the front of the field for the majority of the race. However, things looked like it could have ended early for the young driver. Larson went for a spin on Lap 274 in Turn 1. Luckily, he was able to continue after slight contact with the wall.
“I’m bummed I gave up some track position when I got into the wall, but I was glad to see our team stay with it and come back for a top-10 finish tonight,” Larson said.
Throughout the race, Larson’s pit crew was trying to stay ahead of vibrations in the rear of the car.
“We had to adjust on it throughout the race to stay ahead of some vibrations in the rear of the car. We had a shake to start the race, and I think that’s what upset me when I got into the wall, but we were able to work around it,” Larson said.
For McMurray, the Coca-Cola 600 was the chance to be the darkhorse. With tires being a hot commodity throughout the event, McMurray believed that he had a loose wheel and pitted under green conditions.
“I don’t know what was wrong with the tires we had two sets that they felt loose like it shook so bad that I pitted that one time under green and then we had a real short run and I had to pit again. I was just positive they were loose, but they said there was nothing wrong, but it was shaking so bad I mean I was scared so I went ahead and pitted,” McMurray stated.
Despite the issues, McMurray believes that they will be in contention to win very soon.
“We had a really good car and we’ve come a long way, especially the Chevy’s from the beginning of the year 1.5-miles. I think in less than a month we will contend to win. That is a good feeling,” McMurray continued.
McMurray and Larson finished sixth and seventh, respectively.