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Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced today that  they will add NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jamie McMurray as a teammate of Juan Pablo Montoya, to drive the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet for the 2010 NSCS season.

Fresh off his win at the Talladega Superspeedway on Nov. 1, McMurray will return to Ganassi whom he raced for from 2002-05.  Bass Pro Shops will once again return for their fifth season as one of the primary partners on the No. 1 Chevrolet.

“To be able to sign a veteran driver with the talent and experience of Jamie was important to us,” team co-owner Chip Ganassi said. “We know Jamie and understand what makes him tick as a driver.  We had a lot of success with Jamie in the early part of his career and are looking for more of the same.

“We also think he will be a tremendous compliment to Juan Pablo Montoya as well.  The duo of McMurray and Montoya creates a very formidable team as we look to continue the momentum that has been established this year in our chase for the championship.”

The Joplin, Mo. native has won three NSCS races since he entered the series near the end of 2002.  In his seven years and 258 races at NASCAR’s highest level he has 30 career top-five finishes and 80 top-10 results.

“I am really excited about this opportunity with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing as I think Juan Pablo and Martin have shown this season, their equipment is as good as anyone’s in the garage,” McMurray said. “I am really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of their cars and once again competing for a NASCAR championship.  It will also be fun to work with some of the people that I worked with when I was there a few years ago.  They have really good people there.

“As an added bonus, I am really happy to have the opportunity to work with Bass Pro Shops as I grew up near Bass Pro’s headquarters in Springfield, MO and am a huge fan of their stores.”

McMurray broke into the NSCS in 2002 as a member of the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates team of drivers and spent three full seasons there from 2003-05.  Those three seasons are statistically the best seasons of McMurray’s career.

He has raced for Roush Fenway Racing since leaving Ganassi in 2006. He won twice for that team.

In the three  Ganassi years he had a combined 18 top-five finishes and 46 top-10s and competed until the end for a spot in the 10-member Chase field every year.  He finished 13th, 11th and 12th in those three seasons.  His 23 top-10 finishes in 2004 were tied for second most with Jimmie Johnson and behind only Jeff Gordon in the NSCS.

Bass Pro Shops, of Springfield, Missouri, will enter their fifth season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as one of the primary sponsors of the No. 1 Chevrolet.  With 56 retail stores in 26 states and Canada, Bass Pro Shops are visited by over 100 million people annually.  Their international catalog and internet retailing are second to none.  The American Rod & Gun wholesale division sells to over 7,000 independently owned retail stores worldwide, and the Outdoor World Incentives sell Bass Pro Shops gift cards through over 132,000 retail outlets across America.  Bass Pro Shops is also extremely proud of their restaurant division, featuring 26 unique locations.

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