In a three hour and 55 minute battle at Dover International Speedway, Jamie McMurray and the No. 26 IRWIN Industrial Tools team pulled together to earn their eighth top-10 finish of the season. After coming close to going a lap down on lap 203, being caught in a wreck on lap 228, and avoiding a huge late-race wreck on lap 385, McMurray posted an eighth-place finish at the "Monster Mile.”
Trouble struck for McMurray on lap 203, as he was racing the No. 42 machine of Juan Pablo Montoya. McMurray’s car was hit from behind as he exited turn two, sending McMurray spinning down the backstretch. McMurray was able to keep his car off the wall and out of trouble. Quickly, the No. 26 team was on pit wall and ready to change the tires, as McMurray knew he had at least one tire going flat. In an effort to maintain their position on the lead lap,Crew Chief Larry Carter calledMcMurray down pit road for left-side tires. On the ensuing lap, Carter called McMurray back down pit road for right-side tires. And two laps later, Carter radioed McMurray again down pit road for additional service to the car. During the final stop, the team pulled out the fenders and added tape to the right-rear quarter panel. McMurray returned to the race track in the 15th position and on the lead lap thanks to the heads-up call from Carter.
Following a restart on lap 361, McMurray noted the handling on his race car was still too tight, but felt like he could continue and maintain his position. On lap 385 a large wreck started off of turn two as the No. 2 car hit the outside retaining wall and came back down onto the track, gathering up 10 cars in the aftermath. McMurray, with the help of his spotter, avoided a number of spinning race cars and debris scattered all over the track. After the dust settled, McMurray found himself in the 11th position.
After the final restart of the race on lap 397, McMurray was able to work his way around the No. 20 race car, and was able to pass two additional cars before the checkered flag was flown on lap 400. McMurray improved 22 positions from the start of the race to the finish.
“I’m really proud of how hard all the guys on this No. 26 IRWIN Industrial Tools team worked this afternoon,” said McMurray after climbing from his Ford Fusion after the race. “The car started out great and then towards the middle of the race, it was everything I could do to stay on the lead lap and keep the car out of the wall. We threw a lot of things at this car and in the end, we were the ones who missed all those wrecks and were able to finish in the top 10. Needless to say, it was a long day, but we hung in there and came out with a pretty good finish.”
McDonald's NASCAR Busch Series driver Bobby Hamilton, Jr. continues his push to grab the fifth position in the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series Point's Championship. With his 12th place finish at Dover International Speedway, the Tennessee native stands just 42 points behind Nextel Cup driver David Ragan in the point's championship. With six races remaining in the season, Hamilton has his eyes focused on fifth or higher.
"Another good race for our McDonald's team," said Hamilton. "We want to finish inside the top-five this year and today helped. The guys are all working hard and the cars are running better each week."
In many ways Martin Truex Jr. couldn't have picked a better time to shine. Truex, 27 and a native of Mayetta, N.J., earned his first Nextel Cup victory last weekend at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. It was Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s first Cup win since May 2006, when teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. won in Richmond, Va. While much of the attention at DEI has been on Earnhardt Jr. and his recent decision to leave the organization at the end of the season, Truex's win helped show that he and DEI plan to remain a serious contender.
"It feels good to hush up all that (Earnhardt Jr. talk) and solidify the fact that we're here for real and we're going to win races and contend for championships in the future," Truex said. "It doesn't get any better than this, you know. This has been probably one of the biggest accomplishments for everybody on my whole team -- the biggest accomplishment of their racing careers. Championships in the Busch Series were great, but if you win at this level, you have beat the best of the best."
DEI will remain a serious contender.
The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated ... Mark Twain quotation after hearing that his obituary had been published in the New York Journal.
Reports of DEI's death have been greatly exagerated
The lady doth protest too much, methinks...William Shakespeare
Marcos Ambrose currently sits 13th in the NASCAR Busch Series standings and is third among Busch regulars. This weekend Ambrose will make his second start at Dover International Speedway, a tough, portland cement concrete surfaced one-mile oval known as ‘The Monster Mile’. The Australian was 27th in his fifth race in last year’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Dover. Ambrose will be looking for his fourth Raybestos Rookie of the Race Award this weekend as he seeks to improve on his third place in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings.
2007 NASCAR Busch Series Points Standings – After Race 13 1. Carl Edwards 2075 2. Kevin Harvick 1652 3. Dave Blaney 1483 4. Matt Kenseth 1431 5. David Reutimann 1393 6. Regan Smith 1393 7. David Ragan 1358 8. Clint Bowyer 1349 9. Jeff Burton 1340 10. Greg Biffle 1320 11. Kyle Busch 1318 12. Bobby Hamilton Jr 1316 13. Marcos Ambrose 1303 14. Casey Mears 1302 15. Juan Pablo Montoya 1302
Ken Schrader knew Mansfield Motorsports Park was his type of race track the moment he laid eyes on it Friday morning. He consistently proved that during the rain drenched weekend. Schrader unloaded as the fastest truck in practice and qualified the No. 18 Fastenal Dodge in the 14th position. Once the race began he didn't stay there long. By lap 79 of the Ohio 250 lap the short track guru cracked the top 10 and never looked back. After two red flags for thunderstorms, 13 caution flags and 250 laps of bumper to bumper action Schrader drove the No. 18 Fastenal Dodge home in third place. It was the team's best finish of the season. The top-five finish moved the team up four spots into 13th place in the NCTS Owner Points.
"This is a team building day," said Schrader after the event. "We have been getting better and better each week. This week it really paid off for us. This was big for this team. They really needed a boost of confidence and I think today we did that. I love driving this truck and I am really looking forward to what is ahead for all of us."
Dennis Setzer won the The Ohio 250 before an estimated crowd of 15,000. Jack Sprague, Schrader, Mike Skinner and Johnny Benson rounded out the top five finishers. The next event for the NCTS will be at Dover International Speedway on June 1, 2007 with Schrader driving the Fastenal Dodge.
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