Thirteenth-Place Finish at Watkins Glen Propels McMurray to Ninth in the Standings
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (Aug. 14, 2005)
--- Jamie McMurray moved up three positions to eighth entering the first corner after the drop of the green flag at Watkins Glen International. Two laps later he was in seventh, and had it not been for a clutch problem late in the race the competition was in trouble. McMurray raced up to as high as fourth during the 90-lap Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen, but a clutch that wouldn't disengage during the Home123/Texaco/Havoline team's final pit stop on lap 54 relegated them to a 13th-place finish. The solid effort on the 2.45-mile road course, however, gained McMurray and the team two crucial positions in the point standings with just four races remaining before the cutoff for 'The Chase'.
Qualifying was a washout on Saturday afternoon so McMurray took the initial green flag in 11th, based on the current owner's points standings heading into the race. He wasted no time blasting his way through the field, and when the first of seven cautions came out on lap 10, he had positioned himself in eighth place. McMurray radioed in that the car was slightly loose in the right hand corners, but overall it was "pretty good". Crew chief Donnie Wingo told him to stay on track because the team was not within its window to make it on two pit stops, which was the strategy for most if not all of the 43 teams.
Racing resumed on lap 12, and by lap 17 McMurray overtook fourth position and was gaining on third before pitting under green on lap 22. During the stop, the Home123/Texaco/Havoline team changed four tires, added fuel and lowered the air pressure in the left rear one half of a pound. After the stop McMurray cycled out in 20th because many teams were on different strategies and pitted earlier or during the caution.
The second caution flag flew on lap 24 and when the field went green on lap 27, the No. 42 was back up to 12th. Once again, varying pit strategies shook up the running order, this particular time playing to McMurray's favor.
During the next run McMurray radioed in to the crew that his car was much faster than he was showing, but he was saving his equipment, mainly the brakes, for the closing laps of the event. He went on to race up to sixth before making his final green flag pit stop on lap 54 for four tires, fuel and one half of a pound out of both rear tires to tighten up the chassis in the right-hand corners.
Unfortunately a faulty clutch cost the team valuable track position on pit road. When McMurray went to put the car in neutral so the crew could perform the service, the clutch wouldn't disengage and the motor choked itself out. Unable to get the car re-fired, the crew had to give McMurray a hefty push in order to get him going, dropping him to 19th when he returned to the track.
Everyone was optimistic about their chances to regain the lost positions, however, but the lack of passing zones throughout the course made it challenging for McMurray. Since most everyone had completed their final stop, he was going to have to fight for each and every position. He gave it his all and rallied back to 13th before taking the checkered flag.
Most importantly, the strong performance by the No. 42 Home123 team moved them up two positions to ninth in the overall standings heading into the 23rd of 26 races leading up to the "Chase for the NEXTEL Cup". They are only 47 points out of eighth, 183 out of fifth and 514 out of first place heading into the next event at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 21.
"I'm very pleased with how the car performed today," said McMurray after emerging from his car. "We had a top-five car, but the clutch went out on pit road during our last stop and we couldn't get the car going. The guys had to push me and we lost about eight seconds because of that. We came in the pits in front of Rusty (Wallace) and he finished sixth, so we definitely could've finished that good if not better.
"I'm really proud of the effort of the Home123 team this weekend. We moved up to ninth in the standings, and that certainly helps with just a few races remaining before the cutoff. I'm trying not to pay too much attention to the points because I worried myself sick over them last year. We're going to give it our all though, and we'll see where we end up after the next four races."
McMurray's Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammates Scott Pruett, substituting for Sterling Marlin whose father passed away this weekend, and Casey Mears finished fourth and 23rd respectively.
View the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen
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Media Relations Contact Information
Heather Kincel
Chip Ganassi Racing
with Felix Sabates
8500 Westmoreland Drive
Concord, NC 28027
Ph: (704) 662-9642
Fax: (704) 662-9643
Email: Heather Kincel
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