McMurray Secures Top-10 Spot with Sixth-Place Finish at Darlington
DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 8, 2005)
--- Jamie McMurray moved up to eighth-place in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championship standings after he piloted the Texaco/Havoline Dodge to a sixth-place finish at Darlington Raceway. McMurray drove in the top 15 for most of the 367-lap race before bringing home his fourth top-10 finish of 2005.
When the green-flag dropped for the Dodge Charger 500 the Texaco/Havoline Dodge started from the 13th spot, but quickly began to move up in the field. When the caution came out on lap 39, McMurray was 11th and reporting that the car was good but needed more grip. The No. 42 Texaco/Havoline crew put on four fresh tires, added fuel, lowered the trackbar and made an air pressure adjustment before sending McMurray back out on the track.
When racing resumed on lap 44, McMurray was in the 14th position. McMurray wasted no time maneuvering the Texaco/Havoline Dodge back up to 11th by lap 52. The yellow flag waved again on lap 80, and McMurray radioed that the car was tight the first two laps and loose once the tires began to wear. Crew chief Donnie Wingo called McMurray down pit road for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment on lap 82.
The Texaco/Havoline team continued to make chassis adjustments to tighten up the car. McMurray continued to run in the top 10 for the next 100 laps. When the yellow flag waved on lap 282, he reported that the car was extremely loose so Wingo called him down pit road. The No. 42 Dodge was in the ninth spot when the crew went to work putting on four tires, adding fuel, and making chassis adjustments.
Racing resumed on lap 287, and McMurray was 12th. McMurray continued to experience slight handling problems, and when the final caution came out with just four laps to go he dipped down onto pit road. The Texaco/Havoline crew put on four tires, added fuel and made an air pressure adjustment and McMurray restarted 10th on lap 369.
With just two laps remaining, McMurray immediately moved up to the outside line and was able to gain four spots on the fresh tires. When the checkered flag waved, McMurray was in the sixth position.
"We stayed in the top 10 most of the night and got a good finish out of it," McMurray said. "The car was so loose all night. I don't know what else we could have done to tighten the Texaco/Havoline Dodge up, it was just a loose racecar. We had terrible grip all night, so racing under the lights didn't help us much, but I'm thrilled with our finish. We didn't have a sixth-place car today but the Texaco/Havoline team was able to work together and get another top-10 finish."
McMurray's sixth-place finish elevated him two spots to eighth in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, just 302 points back from leader Jimmie Johnson. Ganassi teammates Mears and Marlin finished 39th and 41st, respectively.
The Texaco/Havoline team travels to Richmond International Raceway next weekend for the American Revolution 400. The race will be broadcast on FX television and MRN radio at 7 p.m. EST.
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