HAND & MÜLLER WIN LAGUNA SECA

Monterey, CA – September 16, 2019 – At the site of the first Ford GT win in 2016 with Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe; Joey Hand and Dirk Müller won the 2019 IMSA Monterey Sportscar Championship race on Sunday in Monterey, CA. It marked the first win of the season for the No. 66 and the third win for the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team this year.
“Congratulations Joey, Dirk, and Chip” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “It was great to see the No. 66 on top of the podium as the team executed throughout the day. Its special to see the No. 66 return to Victory Lane at the same racetrack the Ford GT captured its first win back in 2016.”
Müller drove a stellar first stint, taking the lead on lap 13 and led 18 laps before turning the car over to Hand for the second stint. Hand battled the No. 4 Corvette and made an incredible move to overtake the No. 4 in the entrance of the famed Corkscrew, to regain the lead and move into P1. The No. 66 took command for the rest of the race, leading the final 31 laps, and building a 20.037 second lead on the field. The FCGR team led a total of 72 laps out of the 114-lap race.
“This one feels pretty good,” Hand said. “I’ve been trying to win at this track for a long, long time, since my first race in 1998. It feels good because it’s my hometown track, but it feels best because of the people I have behind me. Everyone on my team at Ford Chip Ganassi Racing and Ford Performance, but also my family and friends who support me all year long.”
“I can’t say enough about the car today and all of the hard work our guys at Ford CGR put into this race after race,” Müller said in post-race interviews. “It really showed today.”
In the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race in Las Vegas, NV – Stewart-Haas Racing qualified 1-2-3-4. Clint Bowyer won his first pole since 2007; lining up beside him on the front row was Daniel Suárez and in the second row were teammates Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola.
Five Ford Mustangs finished in the top-10 of the South Point 400. Harvick P2, Brad Keselowski P3, Ryan Blaney P5, Stage 1 winner – Joey Logano P9, and Ryan Newman P10.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) also completed its regular season in Las Vegas. Pole winner Cole Custer finished P4 followed by Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Chase Briscoe P11, and Team-Penske driver Austin Cindric in P12.
The NXS Playoff is set with all three Ford Mustangs in the lineup. Cole Custer in P2 with Ford teammates Austin Cindric in P4, and Chase Briscoe in P5.
NASCAR will be back on the track this weekend, under the lights Saturday night, at Richmond Raceway.
23 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 375 WINS – 351 POLES!
* Photos courtesy of Ford Performance and NASCAR Media

Comments are closed.