McMurray Fights Way to 17th-Place Finish at the Brickyard
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Aug. 7, 2005)
--- After starting 23rd, McMurray was clearly making his way towards the front of the pack in the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Although he was battling a tight handling race car early in the event, he was able to clip the curb that lined the inside of the race track to help the car turn. Unfortunately by doing so the left front fender brace broke, allowing the lower front fender itself to get pushed in towards the tire. The damage severely hurt the handling of the race car and as a result McMurray would battle a tight condition for the remainder of the event.
Immediately after the initial green flag flew over the 2.5-mile speedway, McMurray radioed that the Texaco/Havoline Dodge was really tight in the corners. He began to use the curb for turning assistance and by doing so he was able to race up to 19th before the first of 10 caution periods on lap 22. Although the car was really loose when using that line through the corners, McMurray felt like his car was at its fastest, so he asked crew chief Donnie Wingo and the team to tighten up the chassis slightly with air pressure adjustments. He brought the car in for service and returned to the track in 17th.
Racing resumed on lap 26 and the positive results of the adjustments began to show as McMurray began overtaking positions on the racetrack. Shortly after the restart the speed was reduced on lap 38 for the second caution. Prior to pitting McMurray radioed in that the car had become extremely tight even though he hadn't changed his line. When he arrived in his pit stall, it was discovered that the lower left front fender had been pushed in. The crew performed a four tire stop, including a few adjustments to loosen up the chassis, and front tire carrier Chip Goode pulled the fender out to ensure the car was getting optimal down force.
The field was unleashed once again on lap 45 with the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge positioned in 23rd. McMurray raced up to 16th before the fourth caution on lap 57. Fairly happy with the car's handling at this point he pitted for four tires, fuel, a minor track bar adjustment and air pressure changes. He exited pit road in 21st because many team opted to take only two tires.
McMurray went on to run in the top 20 as the 160-lap event pressed on, all the while commenting that none of the changes made to the chassis were helping. Finally, during one of the stops, the team discovered that the brace that holds the left front fender in place had broken away from the sheet metal, therefore allowing the fender to fold back with ease. This explained why their adjustments to loosen the chassis had little or no effect. The crew did their best to re-position the brace during the stops, but contact with the curbs would cause it to breakaway shortly after a restart.
Because it was so late in the race, sacrificing track position to make lengthy repairs would not benefit the team enough in the end, so McMurray would have to battle the condition for the remainder of the event. He fended off numerous challenges as the race drew to a close, maintaining a position in the top 20. The Texaco/Havoline team dropped to 25th after making a final pit stop for four tires and fuel with just 12 laps remaining, but McMurray was able to rally back to 16th before taking the checkered flag. Had they not pitted, the team probably would've finished 25th or worse, so the gutsy call paid huge dividends.
"It was just a frustrating day because we had a car capable of finishing in the top 10," said McMurray. "It was really fast on the restarts, but once the fender would get pushed in the car got so tight I could barely drive it."
"The guys did an incredible job in the pits today. We threw all kinds of changes at the car and nothing seemed to work, but now we know why. We're still hanging close to the top 10 in the points, but we've got to finish in the top 10 in these final races to give ourselves a shot at making 'The Chase.' I feel confident in this team's ability to do that."
McMurray and the Texaco/Havoline Team maintained 11th in the overall standings with their 17th-place finish at Indianapolis. They are only 12 points out of 10th, 171 out of fifth and 448 out of first heading into the next event at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 14.
McMurray's Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammates Casey Mears and Sterling Marling finished sixth and ninth respectively.
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