Jamie McMurray started 9th in the 2006 Neighborhood Excellence 400 at Dover. However, due to changing an engine during the weekend, he had to start the race at the back of the field.
He wasn't much of a factor until a caution with less than 110 laps to go. He got the lucky dog pass and got back onto the lead lap. He pitted for fuel and restarted at the tail end of the longest line per the rule. Then, another quick caution came out. The leaders pitted as they had enough fuel to make it to the finish. McMurray gambled and stayed out.
McMurray held off a lot of challenges and restarts from Kevin Harvick. Then, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton came onto the scene. The final 30 laps or so are some of the most competitive moments that I can remember at Dover. McMurray did a great job pinning Harvick down or using lap cars as a pick to desperately keep the lead.
However, when fighting with his teammate Matt Kenseth with 4 laps to go, he seemed to go too high in turn 4 and slowed down some. This allowed Kenseth to get alongside him and take the lead in the next straightaway. Kenseth ended up winning the race. McMurray would get a season-best 2nd place finish.
It was heartbreaking to see McMurray get so close to his first win in 4 years, and his first for Roush. But, it wasn't meant to be. He would struggle in the second half of the year and fall down to 25th in points by season's end. Remember that he took over for Kurt Busch with the team that just won the championship two years' prior. McMurray would get that first win for Roush in the 2007 Pepsi 400.
Race uploaded by KingCuervo88. Video is for awareness purposes only. All credit to NASCAR and FX.
30 сен 2024
