Jamie McMurray, No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge
Pennsylvania 500 – Pocono Raceway Advance
Texaco/Havoline Team Fast Facts:
Race for the Chase: Jamie McMurray and the No. 42 Team took a big hit in their bid to make the 2005 “Chase for the NEXTEL Cup” after being wrecked on lap 25 last weekend at New Hampshire. Prior to the accident they were eighth in the standings, but at the conclusion of the event and a 40th-place finish, they fell to 11th. McMurray and team are only 21 points out of 10th, 114 out of fifth place and 439 out of the lead heading into the 20th race of the season. There are just seven races remaining before the cut off for “The Chase”.
Special Recognition: McMurray received an achievement award from the Autism Society of America recognizing his commitment to raising autism awareness. The award was presented to him at the Autism Society of America’s 36th Annual National Conference and Exposition on July 14th in Nashville, Tenn.
Chassis: Crew Chief Donnie Wingo and the Texaco/Havoline Team will bring chassis #403 to Pocono this weekend. This is the same car McMurray finished 10th with at Pocono in June. The car has also run an additional seven times this season: California (fourth-place finish), Las Vegas (15th), Atlanta (11th), Texas (second), Darlington (sixth), Michigan (13th) and Chicagoland (22nd).
Pocono Performance: McMurray has two top-10 finishes in five starts at the 2.5 mile raceway. His average starting position is 13.0 and his average finish is 21.8.
Native Pennsylvanians: No. 42 Texaco/Havoline crew members Billy Curwood and Matt Gimble are originally from the Keystone State. Curwood is from Shickshinny, Pa., and he serves as the front-end mechanic. Gimble comes from North Hampton and he is the team’s engineer.
Jamie McMurray on Pocono:
“I’m anxious to return to Pocono this weekend. We finished 10th there earlier this season and we’re taking the same car back. We’ve run this car (chassis #403) more than any other this season and it has been a solid performer for us. Hopefully the same will hold true this weekend.
“Pocono presents a fun challenge for the drivers because all three corners are different. It’s almost impossible to get the car perfect all the way around, so basically you try to focus on getting the car really good in one corner and let the driver take care of the others. Turn three or the final corner is the most important with the new gear rule. You have to be able to get through there without losing a lot of momentum so you can make passes down the long frontstretch.
“We took a pretty big hit in the points last week, but it’s nothing this team can’t overcome before the cut off for ‘The Chase’. Our plan is to start getting it all back with a good run at Pocono this weekend.”
Jamie McMurray Cumulative NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Record
Career Best Start: First at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, 2003
Career Best Finish: First at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on October 13, 2002
Last Top-Five Finish: Second at Daytona Int’l. Speedway on July 2, 2005
