Race Report - Daytona

FINAL RESULTS:
1. Jamie McMurray, Ford
2. Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
3. Kurt Busch, Dodge
4. Carl Edwards, Ford
5. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
28. John Andretti, #45 Tire Kingdom Dodge
35. Bobby Labonte, #43 Pillsbury/Cinnabon Dodge

OVERVIEW:

Luck did not visit Bobby Labonte and the #43 Pillsbury/Cinnabon Dodge Saturday night. Labonte had a strong car, but for the second consecutive year at Daytona it had to go to waste by other competitor’s mistakes. Labonte started the evening in the 19th position and looked pretty good early. But, early was when trouble struck up front with leaders Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart. The teammates triggered and accident that sent cars spinning in every direction. An Associated Press photo of the accident clearly shows Labonte driving through the wreckage, but also shows Reed Sorenson pointing directly into the bumper of the Pillsbury/Cinnabon Dodge. It was only moments after the photo was taken when Sorenson hit Labonte from behind. The accident caused severe body damage to the car. It also knocked the steering out. The team made repairs and Labonte was still on the lead lap. Labonte charged through the field and looked strong. The next caution the team took time to make more repairs. Again, Labonte was moving through the field. The march was halted when David Reutimann bounced off the wall into Labonte. Labonte was then hit hard by Juan Montoya. This time the back of the Pillsbury/Cinnabon Dodge was nearly ripped entirely off. The team went behind pit wall and made repairs. They were able to clear enough sheet metal and apply enough tape for Labonte to complete the race and save positions. Labonte finished 35th.

“Well, we pick up and go to Chicago” said Labonte. “We just couldn’t avoid the wrecks. We didn’t cause any, but we sure did get caught up in them. It’s frustrating cause we had a pretty good car. The guys worked hard to get us back out at the end. That saved us from losing a position.”

It took Jamie McMurray a photo finish win to end a winless streak that had lasted over 150 races. McMurray used the outside line at the 2.5-mile Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway to press pass Kyle Busch by near inches at the line to win Saturday night’s 400-mile summer classic.

McMurray’s only previous victory came very early in his career when he subbed for an injured Sterling Marlin in the Ganassi 40 Dodge at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Since that time, McMurray was sent to Roush Racing, but never saw victory lane again until Saturday night. His car was one of the best handling and fastest around the slick track. It looked, however, that McMurray might let this one slip through his fingers. He was caught speeding on pit road and had to serve a “pass through” penalty on pit road. McMurray was able to come back through the field, but waged a fierce battle with Kyle Busch at the end. Thirty of their closest friends were also in attendance right behind each of their bumpers coming down to the line. McMurray got a drafting ‘push’ coming off the tri-oval, and he had just enough momentum to beat Busch at the line. The margin of the victory was measured in inches and thousandths of seconds. It was a spectacular finish with no wrecks- surely showcasing NASCAR’s strength of putting on some of the best finishes in all of sports.

John Andretti and the #45 Tire Kingdom Dodge survived the excitement of the night with a strong 28th place finish. Andretti started the night in the 34th position, but quickly had the car in the top-25. The car was strong and had lap times comparable to those in the top-10. The handling of the car became the team’s biggest obstacle as the night progressed. The car was tight and loose, but crew chief Billy Wilburn made air pressure adjustments to make the car better. Andretti was running comfortably in the field when he suffered some damage on lap 132. Andretti was sent into the wall after cars were avoiding an accident in front of them. The Tire Kingdom Dodge lost a lap in the process of getting the damage repaired, but the team was awarded the ‘lucky dog’ and back on the lead lap. Andretti had to restart at the end of the pack- a place where cars are always attempting to lineup in the correct position. Andretti knew he wanted to go to the front, and had a car capable. The restart, however, cars were lining up and Andretti didn’t get the momentum he wanted on the final run to the finish. Andretti still finished a strong 28th.

“You try to get good restarts,” said Andretti. “But, you get back there with some of those guys. You just don’t know. We didn’t get the restart we wanted, but Billy Wilburn and the guys did a great job tonight. I don’t know what happened in the wreck, but we had to come back from that. We had a pretty good car, but didn’t have some of the luck we needed.”

The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series heads to the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois for next Sunday’s Chicagoland 400. The race will be televised live by TNT and broadcast on MRN Radio.