McMurray Marches Through Field in Fontana to Score Fourth-Place Honors; Moves to Within 25 points of NASCAR Top 10
FONTANA, Calif., (September 5, 2004)
--- The countdown is on and the competition is fierce. Jamie McMurray and the Texaco/Havoline team proved again that they're in the middle of the fight for the Chase for the Championship as the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge scored a fourth-place finish last night in the Pop Secret 500 at California Speedway.
As a result of the strong finish, McMurray moves to within 25 points of breaking into the NASCAR Top 10 and earning a spot in the final 10-race playoff championship series. McMurray heads into the final elimination race this weekend in Richmond sitting 11th in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup points. The fourth-place finish was McMurray's sixth top-five and 14th top-10 finish of the 2004 season.
"Donnie (crew chief Wingo) made some real good changes tonight, and I'm really proud of him," McMurray said. "The pit crew did a good job tonight. We had struggled a little bit there. Really, all-in-all it was a good night for the Texaco/Havoline team. We came from 18th with about 75 laps to go to get a top five. We had to make huge adjustments after the sun went down. Our first run we were great. The next run was pretty good and then I couldn't believe how tight the car got. We made huge changes during the race. Donnie definitely earned his salary tonight."
After qualifying 23rd, McMurray wasted little time rocketing through the field as the Texaco/Havoline Dodge was running in eighth place by lap 30.
During a caution period on lap 74, McMurray headed for pit road for a four-tire stop while the Texaco/Havoline pit crew topped off the fuel cell and made an air pressure adjustment. McMurray exited pit road in seventh place.
By lap 100, McMurray had worked his way into fourth place as he radioed the team that his car was "really balanced."
As the laps clicked off and the sun set on California Speedway, McMurray began to fight a "loose in and tight off" condition as the Texaco/Havoline Dodge was running 12th by lap 140.
During a scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 158, McMurray came to the attention of the Texaco/Havoline pit crew and was fitted with four tires and fuel while a chassis adjustment was made. He exited the pits in 13th place.
Over the final 100 laps of the race, McMurray continued to fight a tight-handling race car as the Texaco/Havoline Dodge was running in 12th place by lap 200.
During a caution period on lap 220, McMurray made a pit stop for four tires and fuel while the team made another set of chassis adjustments. A lightning-fast stop by the crew rocketed McMurray out of the pits in sixth place.
Over the final 30 laps, McMurray's Texaco/Havoline Dodge looked like a rocket ship as he blasted his way towards the front. With five laps to go, McMurray shot past Brian Vickers to take over fourth place. When the checkered flag waved on the Pop Secret 500, the Texaco/Havoline Dodge crossed the finish line in fourth place.
Next up for the Texaco/Havoline team is the short track at Richmond International Raceway for the running of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 this Saturday night. The Richmond event is the final race before the 10-race Chase for the Championship begins.
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