McMurray Motors to Seventh-Place Finish in Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan., (October 10, 2004)
--- Jamie McMurray gave his hometown fans something to cheer about as the Joplin, Mo. native scored a seventh-place finish in the Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway. It was the Texaco/Havoline team's 18th top-10 finish of the season. McMurray has posted seven top-10 finishes in the last eight races.
"We stayed out there at the end and kind of gambled on our fuel," McMurray said. "I thought once we got out in clean air we'd be really good, but the car was really loose on that set of tires. I just couldn't hang on. We needed those cautions to make it. We gambled for sure. If it had gone green and we would have had won, we'd look like heroes."
"If we just keep doing this every week we'll be good in the standings," McMurray said. "My mom and sister and brother-in-law were here today, and I saw more Havoline hats and shirts than I've ever seen, so that was pretty cool."
After qualifying 10th, McMurray began his march towards the front as the Texaco/Havoline Dodge was running in eighth place by lap 50.
During a scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 75, McMurray headed for pit road and was fitted with four tires and fuel while the team made an air pressure adjustment to free up the car. McMurray exited pit road in 11th place.
As the laps clicked off, McMurray continued to fight a loose in, tight in the middle condition. When the caution flag waved on lap 142, McMurray headed for pit road with the leaders. He took four tires and fuel while another round of chassis adjustments was made to the Texaco/Havoline Dodge. He re-started the race in 12th place.
McMurray made his final pit stop of the day during a caution period on lap 197. After taking four tires and fuel, McMurray left pit road in eighth place.
When the caution flag waved again a few laps later, the Texaco/Havoline team elected to stay on the track and not pit with the leaders. As a result, McMurray grabbed the lead on lap 210. As crew chief Donnie Wingo reminded McMurray to conserve fuel, McMurray led the field back to the green flag on lap 213.
McMurray would hold the top spot until lap 228 when he fell to fourth place. A number of caution flags waved during the closing laps of the race, but each time the Texaco/Havoline team stayed out to maintain track position.
With 10 laps to go, McMurray was running in seventh place. When the checkered flag waved, the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge crossed the finish line in seventh place.
McMurray leaves Kansas maintaining 11th place in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup points. He holds an 82-point lead over 12th-place pursuer Dale Jarrett.
The Texaco/Havoline team returns home to the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. this weekend for the running of the UAW-GM Quality 500 on Saturday night.
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