McMurray Finishes 13th at Infineon, Moves up to 10th Place in the Chase
SONOMA, Calif. (June 26, 2005)
--- After 110-laps and only two pit stops, Jamie McMurray crossed the start/finish line at Infineon Raceway 13th. He took the initial green flag in 17th, but quickly raced into the top 10 by lap 25, where he would run for the majority of the race. Late race pit strategy relegated the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Team to 20th with just 38 laps to go, but McMurray was able to skillfully maneuver his way around a handful of competitors before the checkered flag waved. More importantly, the Texaco/Havoline Team moved back into the top 10 in the overall standings for the "Chase for the NEXTEL Cup."
Shortly after the start of the Dodge/Save Mart 350, McMurray radioed to crew chief Donnie Wingo that his car was tight in the right-hand corners. Track position is a premium at road course races because it is so hard to pass, so McMurray had to ride it out until pitting under green on lap 33. During the stop the Texaco/Havoline Team bolted on four scuffed (one lap of practice) tires, along with making a track bar adjustment to remedy the handling issues. McMurray entered pit road running in ninth and cycled out in 20th after the round of green flag stops because many competitors were on a different pit sequence.
McMurray got his track position back when the teams on opposite strategy chose to pit during the third caution on lap 42. The Texaco/Havoline Team stayed out and McMurray took the next green flag on lap 44 in 10th. He would go on to maintain 10th place until pitting during the seventh caution on lap 69.
During the caution prior on lap 63, many teams decided to gamble and hope that enough caution flags would fly in order to allow them to make it until the end on fuel. Being so close to the top 10 in the standings, Wingo just couldn't take the chance and because of that McMurray took the next green flag on lap 72 in 20th. His car was good enough to get him up to 13th, but because it was so difficult to pass he would have to settle with that position. Late in the race McMurray had a brief altercation with Robby Gordon, who decided to drive into the side of the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline "Shine On" Dodge to make a pass, but in the end McMurray was able to regain the position.
"Today was a solid run for us, unfortunately we fell victim to pit strategy and weren't able to go as far as some other teams on fuel" said McMurray after climbing from his Texaco/Havoline "Shine On" Dodge. "We discussed making the gamble like some of the other guys did, but we have a ton to lose and 13th is a lot better than 30th."
"Overall, it was a great effort by the Texaco/Havoline Team. We moved in to the top 10 in points, which is really important to us as we get closer to the 'Chase.' Hopefully we'll be able to maintain or move up some more with a solid run at Daytona next weekend."
The Texaco/Havoline Team moved up one position to 10th in the overall standings. They are just 40 points out of ninth and only 99 points out of fifth heading into the next event at Daytona International Speedway on July 2. McMurray's Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammates Casey Mears, Sterling Marlin and Scott Pruett finished 20th, 26th and 31st respectively.
|
Return to top
