Jamie McMurray and the IRWIN Industrial Tools No. 26 team have finished the final race before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase in 27th position at the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond (Virginia) International Raceway.

McMurray started in 25th and within the first three laps gained three positions. The first caution of the evening came on lap six, after an accident in turn-two brought out the yellow flag. Crew chief Donnie Wingo used the break in the action to check in with his driver about the car’s handling, and McMurray radioed back to his team that the car was a bit tight in the middle of the turns.

McMurray restarted 22nd and over the course of the next run, advanced his way up to 17th before the next caution of the night occurred on lap 45. This time Wingo opted to bring his driver down pit road for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure and track bar adjustment. The changes were aimed at tightening up the car’s handling entering and exiting the turns which still continued to be loose for McMurray.

The changes seemed to help at the onset, but eventually, McMurray reported back to his team that the loose conditions with the tightness in the middle of the turns had returned. A caution for debris on lap 108 allowed Wingo and the team to take back some of the changes they had made to the Ford. Wingo also reminded his driver to be smooth in the turns and not to overdrive the car.

During a pit stop on lap 176, the pit crew made another adjustment to the track bar along with putting a round of wedge in the left-rear. The changes still seemed to not be enough to aid McMurray with the extreme loose-handling conditions he was battling throughout the race. Without having a car that he could comfortably control, racing for position at the 0.75-mile track continued to make for a long night for McMurray. Over the course of the next few runs, Wingo called for more adjustments, but the loose conditions would not leave the Ford.

With 80 laps to go and under caution for the eighth time that night, Wingo opted to take his chances with staying out and being one of the wave around cars on the restart. Under NASCAR’s recent double-file restart rules, if a car opts to not pit under yellow, then that car can actually make up track position by staying out to the race leaders. The gamble paid off since McMurray found himself two laps down to the leaders, but by staying out, he restarted 29th and was only one lap down. Another caution came just a lap after the restart so Wingo still had the opportunity to bring the Ford in for a routine pit stop.

“We just had a tough night getting the handling under control. In order for us to have really been able to fight for track position during those long runs, we needed a car that would allow me to get aggressive racing in the turns here, but we just couldn’t get the car handling right tonight. I was loose entering and exiting the turns, but then tight in the center,” said McMurray.

“The crew made a lot of adjustments all race long, but we just didn’t have enough in order to being home the finish that we wanted tonight.”
At the end of 400 laps at Richmond on an important night in the Sprint Cup Series, McMurray and his No. 26 Ford finished 27th for all the challenges faced with the car’s handling under the lights.

NEXT RACE:
Next weekend the Sprint Cup Series travels to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Sylvania 300 and the first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

RESULTS: Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway
Race 26 in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
1. #11 Denny Hamlin
2. #2 Kurt Busch
3. #24 Jeff Gordon
4. #5 Mark Martin
5. #18 Kyle Busch
6. #33 Clint Bowyer
7. #83 Brian Vickers
8. #77 Sam Hornish Jr.
9. #29 Kevin Harvick
10. #39 Ryan Newman
27. #26 Jamie McMurray

2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver’s Standings
After Race 26 of 36
1. Mark Martin 5040
2. Tony Stewart 5030
3. Jimmie Johnson 5030
4. Denny Hamlin 5020
5. Kasey Kahne 5020
6. Jeff Gordon 5010
7. Kurt Busch 5010
8. Brian Vickers 5010
9. Carl Edwards 5000
10. Ryan Newman 5000
11. Juan Montoya 5000
12. Greg Biffle 5000
23. Jamie McMurray 2564