Anytime you can come out of the third race of the season and still be in the top 10 in points it is a good thing. It is a great way to start the season. So many times you hope for a good start to the season and bad luck comes your way and ends that. I am excited about being ninth in points, but I am more excited about making the drive to get inside the top five over the coming weeks.
I know the average person cannot see how much our team as grown since Daytona, but we have come a long way in a short time. The guys have put in a lot of long hours to make our trucks run more competitively and I think that is just beginning to show. Our team is only going to get better as the races go on.
Thanks to Dodge we are spending a substantial amount of time in the wind tunnel and at the eight post shaker rig. The Martinsville test went really well, but we still spent time in the tunnel and at the eight post after the test to make ourselves better. On top of that we tested at the Monster Mile to get some more track time before this weekend. If we can stay out of trouble at Martinsville I think we will be on our way to a solid spot in the top 10 in points.
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.”
In one quick motion, the hopes of Bobby Hamilton went down the drain at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Early in the 200 lap race, the driver of the McDonald’s Ford was forced to pit under green flag conditions for a tire issue. The untimely pit stop costs Hamilton two laps to the leaders and placed the Tennessee native in a bad position he would never recover from. The trouble led him to a 33rd place finish and a drop of 5 positions in the Busch Series Point’s Championship. Four of the five drivers to pass in the point’s race were full-time Nextel Cup drivers.
“We will put this entire weekend in the rearview mirror and head to Dover next weekend,” Hamilton said. “I have come close to winning on the Monster Mile before, and hope we can put the McDonald’s Ford up front on Saturday afternoon.”
The Busch Series will take the green flag in Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm on ESPN.
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