Late Race Accident Voids McMurray's Near Perfect Run at Lowe's
CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 15, 2005)
--- The UAW Quality 500 appeared to be shaping up as a race to remember for Jamie McMurray and the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline team. They had a near perfect car that ran in the top 10 for a majority of the 334-lap event and incredibly fast pit stops to accompany it. While battling for position with Michael Waltrip on lap 278, however, the two made contact and the race quickly became one the team would soon like to erase from the memory book. McMurray took a ride through the frontstretch grass and then made heavy contact with the outside retaining wall. Needless to say, their day was over.
McMurray took the opening green flag in 29th, and when the 43-car field was slowed for the second of 14 caution periods on lap 30 he had maneuvered his way up to 21st. The caution was mandated by NASCAR to give the teams an opportunity to inspect their tires because there were many issues the previous evening in the Busch Series event. As expected, many teams were experiencing some blistering on the right rear tires, including McMurray and crew, and others some uncharacteristic wear on the right fronts.
During the caution McMurray radioed in that the car was slightly tight in the low groove and a touch loose up high, but overall it was fairly neutral. He brought the No. 42 Dodge down pit road for four tires, fuel and no adjustments and returned to competition in 16th.
McMurray's impressive run towards the front of the pack continued on lap 37. He manhandled all those in front of him and in a handful of laps he cracked into the top 10 before the next caution on lap 61. Still very pleased with the handling of his race car, McMurray pitted for four tires and fuel only. The crew performed a lightening fast stop and returned the Texaco/Havoline Dodge to competition in seventh.
Racing resumed on lap 67 and by lap 79 McMurray overtook fourth position. He pitted for tires and fuel during another caution on lap 95 and soon thereafter moved into a race high of second on lap 102. McMurray could see the rabbit and began to really flex some muscle, chasing down the leader with each passing lap before taking the fifth caution on lap 124.
"The car feels pretty good guys, no adjustments," said McMurray prior to bringing his car down pit road.
After another solid stop by the Texaco/Havoline crew, McMurray took the next green flag on lap 130. The next segment of the race was much of the same for the No. 42 team, with McMurray maintaining position in the top five until the seventh caution of the race on lap 172. At this point many teams began practicing varying pit strategies, such as two-tire stops, and therefore McMurray would start the next run of the race on lap 179 in ninth place.
Four tires proved to be the right call for McMurray and crew as they were quickly able to regain the lost track position. As the race drew to a close, many teams started testing the two-tire strategy, including the Texaco/Havoline team. Just after a two tire stop on lap 269 though, McMurray's strong run at the 1.5-mile speedway came to an abrupt halt. Waltrip, who pitted for right side tires only during the previous caution, cut a left rear tire while he and McMurray were battling for position. As a result the two made contact and the rest is history.
"I don't know what really happened there," said a dejected McMurray after climbing from his severely damaged race car. "My car didn't appear to be sliding up or anything so I don't know if Michael had trouble or cut a tire or what. He made contact with the wall a few laps before and was struggling to maintain speed. He may have had a tire going down, I don't know.
"Tonight was somewhat like playing Russian Roulette. You would basically sit there and wait for a tire to blow out and hope it wasn't yours. It's pretty frustrating because this is the best car we've had all year and I believe we could've been competing for a win at the end. The guys didn't a great job preparing this car. We made about two minor air pressure adjustments and that is it. The guys were flawless on pit road and it's unfortunate we weren't able to bring this one home. That's just the kind of luck we've had this year."
McMurray and crew dropped two positions to 14th in the overall standings with their 31st place finish, but they are only 21 points out of 11th and the season-ending $1 million bonus heading into the next event at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 23. McMurray's Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammates Casey Mears, David Stremme and Sterling Marlin finished sixth, 36th and 40th respectively.
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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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