When Jamie McMurray's No. 26 Ford went sailing off Daytona International Speedway on the 131st lap Saturday night, any chance he had to defend his victory in last year's Pepsi 400 disappeared.
But his Roush Fenway Racing teammates Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and David Ragan stormed towards the front of the Coke Zero 400 as McMurray and their fifth teammate, 2003 Pepsi 400 winner Greg Biffle, faltered. In the end Edwards (second), Kenseth (third) and Ragan (fifth) were packed in the top five when the race ended under caution; the top-three Roush Fenway drivers made gains.
But it wasn't enough to satisfy all of them. Edwards, who came into the race fourth in the standings, remained in fourth. But his No. 99 Ford's nose was scant feet behind the front of Busch's No. 18 Toyota when the 11th and final caution flew, and he definitely wanted more.
Kenseth, whose fourth place was a career best in 15 Daytona starts, had a car that came and went, but it was coming when it mattered most, and a four-point gain in the standings, to ninth, was the payoff. But even he had visions of something better.
Ragan had the most consistent car all night long, as he started sixth, was in the top five for the first 30 laps and only fell out of the top 20 on one 10-lap rundown sheet. Ragan, who scored his second fifth-place finish in only his fourth career Daytona start, said he had a lot of help along the way.
Not much has gone right for Jamie McMurray since winning at Daytona International Speedway last July. He’s had only five top-10 finishes in the 35 races since 2007’s Pepsi 400, but there’s something about being a defending champion of a race that can raise your spirits. McMurray edged Kyle Busch by inches at Daytona last year in the final restrictor-plate race for NASCAR’s old Cup car. The win was the second of McMurray's career and snapped a six-year winless streak.
McMurray’s No. 26 Roush Fenway Racing Ford will sport a special Irwin Industrial Tools paint scheme in this weekend’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, a scheme similar to the one used last year.
McMurray hasn’t been close to victory lane this year, with a best finish of eighth at Martinsville earlier this season. He was 18th at Infineon Raceway and 41st last weekend at New Hampshire after being in a crash with Dale Earnhardt Jr.
There will not be just one IRWIN Industrial Tools driver at Martinsville Speedway this weekend, but two. Roush Fenway Racing driver, Jamie McMurray, who will pilot the No. 26 IRWIN Industrial Tools Ford Fusion at Martinsville this weekend, will be joined by his Australian counterpart, Marcus Marshall. Marshall drives the No. 26 IRWIN Industrial Tools Ford Falcon in the V8 Supercars Series in Australia.
The two IRWIN Industrial Tools drivers have a lot more in common than what they may think. The pair are both sponsored by IRWIN Industrial Tools, both pilot the No. 26, both drive for Ford Racing, and both won Rookie of the Year in their respective series in 2003. Marshall won 2003 Rookie of the Year in the Australian Carrera Cup Championship, while McMurray was honored with the 2003 Sprint Cup Series award. This weekend, the two will get a chance to compare notes.
Both McMurray and Marshall will help promote IRWIN Industrial Tools “Ultimate Tradesman Challenge” which has gone international in 2008. This year, participants from the United States, as well as Australia and New Zealand will compete for a chance to win $1.26 million dollars and a Roush Performance Ford F-150 truck. More information on the challenge can be found at www.irwinchallenge.com.
Cut Tire Relegates Marlin to 40th-place Finish in Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 7, 2007)-- Sterling Marlin's bad luck at Daytona International Speedway continued Saturday night when a cut tire on lap 115 of 160 sent his Waste Management Chevrolet into the outside wall and to a 40th-place finish in the Pepsi 400.
"We can't catch a break," said Marlin, who was running in the 14th spot when the incident occurred. "As much as I like Daytona and as good as these Ginn cars are at superspeedways, we can't seem to get a deserving finish. It's been a frustrating weekend."
Marcos Ambrose returns to the venue of one of his finest performances when he tackles the Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee this weekend. Ambrose was a fine third in his last visit to Nashville while competing in last year’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in the #20 Aussie Vineyards Ford F-150 last August. Now Ambrose gets the opportunity to reacquaint himself with the 1.333-mile concrete-surfaced speedway in the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion as he strives for another strong finish. The Australian sits seventh in the NASCAR Busch Series points standings after six races and is the highest-placed non-Nextel Cup driver. Ambrose is also second in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings, locked in a battle with former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya and the likes of NASCAR young gun David Ragan for the prestigious award.
“I’m really excited about Nashville,” said Ambrose. “For some reason, on those concrete tracks, I get a good feel on them. I ran well at Dover, and I just feel like I can feel the car advancing on the concrete tracks. Nashville being slightly smaller than a one-and-a-half-mile speedway – like Lowe’s or Texas – I think is good for me, too, because the speed is slightly slower and you can be more aggressive behind the wheel. “I’m really looking forward to Nashville, and I hope to duplicate what I did there last year in the truck series this weekend.
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