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dover2_nscs_mcmurray_pit_100216October 2, 2016

By Mike Hembree
NASCAR Wire Service
DOVER, Del. – It was a double-departure Chase day for Chip Ganassi Racing.

CGR drivers Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray entered Sunday’s Citizen Soldier 400, the first elimination race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, riding on the ragged edge. Larson, 12th in the Chase standings, was five points above the cut line, and McMurray, in 13th, was five points below.

Long before the end of Sunday’s 400-lap marathon at Dover International Speedway, both drivers saw their hopes to advance to the Chase second round essentially evaporate.

Chris Buescher, Tony Stewart, McMurray and Larson were eliminated Sunday. The second round of the Chase is scheduled to begin Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

McMurray’s chances went up in smoke – literally – as the engine in his Chevrolet expired on the frontstretch near the race’s halfway point. Larson lost power in his car early in the race, dropped a lap on pit road and then gave up more ground when the team was penalized for having too many crewmen over the wall as they tried to deal with Larson’s issues. To further cement his demise, Larson slapped the turn 3 wall on lap 182, which brought out the race’s third caution.

“It’s unfortunate that both the No. 42 (Larson) and the No. 1 had a problem today,” McMurray said in the garage. “But it is what it is, and that’s why we race. I’m proud of my team and proud of our guys and all the hard work they’ve put in. And it stinks that it’s over this way, but we get to race next week. So, we’ll come back and try to do it again.”

McMurray said it appeared that he and Austin Dillon would battle for a Chase spot as the race progressed. McMurray’s engine issue blocked that possible drama, and he ultimately finished 40th (last).

“But I’m proud of our whole organization from where we started the year to the point that we are at right now,” McMurray said. “When you run in the top 10 every week – and Kyle won at Michigan – we just have had great cars, and it stinks that it ended this way.”

McMurray, who dropped out of championship contention in the first round of the Chase for the second straight year, said a vibration was the first hint of trouble with his Chevy.

“It vibrated earlier in the race, and it went away,” he said. “And it’s weird because engine issues usually don’t go away. It felt like it had power, and then, I don’t know, about 40 laps before it finally blew up it just started vibrating real bad.”

Larson, who finished 25th, lost a lap because of the electrical problem but suffered a triple-whammy with the penalty for the team having too many crewmen over the wall and, later, the accident.

“I don’t know what happened with the battery or whatever,” Larson said. “I lost power and lost a lap. Then we had too many men over the wall. Really, if it had not been for that, we would have been all right because I was only a lap down. But it was a nice little present there for Austin by both Ganassi cars.”

Dillon, who finished eighth, was the final driver to make the 12-driver cut for the next Chase round.

“We came a long way from where we started the season,” Larson said. “We just didn’t have good luck again this year.”

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dover2_nscs_truexjr_sticker_100216NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Citizen Soldier 400
Dover International Speedway
Dover, Delaware
Sunday, October 02, 2016

1. (2) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 400.
2. (3) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 400.
3. (9) Chase Elliott #, Chevrolet, 400.
4. (1) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 400.
5. (4) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 400.
6. (5) Joey Logano, Ford, 400.
7. (8) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 399.
8. (14) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 399.
9. (7) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 399.
10. (18) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 399.
11. (22) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 399.
12. (17) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 399.
13. (15) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 399.
14. (10) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 399.
15. (11) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 398.
16. (27) Aric Almirola, Ford, 398.
17. (19) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 397.
18. (25) Greg Biffle, Ford, 396.
19. (21) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 396.
20. (23) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 395.
21. (34) Brian Scott #, Ford, 395.
22. (26) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 395.
23. (16) Chris Buescher #, Ford, 394.
24. (28) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 394.
25. (12) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 394.
26. (29) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 394.
27. (35) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 393.
28. (24) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 393.
29. (31) Landon Cassill, Ford, 392.
30. (32) David Ragan, Toyota, 392.
31. (33) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 391.
32. (30) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 390.
33. (37) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 387.
34. (36) * Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, 386.
35. (39) * Reed Sorenson, Toyota, 385.
36. (38) Jeffrey Earnhardt #, Ford, 384.
37. (6) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 354.
38. (20) * Ryan Blaney #, Ford, 281.
39. (40) * Josh Wise, Chevrolet, Engine, 196.
40. (13) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, Engine, 192.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 130.969 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 03 Mins, 15 Secs. Margin of Victory: 7.527 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 4 for 22 laps.
Lead Changes: 14 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: B. Keselowski 1-5; M. Truex Jr. 6-20; Kyle Busch 21-35; M. Truex Jr. 36; Kyle Busch 37-105; M. Truex Jr. 106; Kyle Busch 107-124; M. Truex Jr. 125-188; J. Johnson 189-277; B. Keselowski 278-279; G. Biffle 280-286; M. Truex Jr. 287-365; J. Johnson 366; J. Gordon 367-373; M. Truex Jr. 374-400.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M. Truex Jr. 6 times for 187 laps; Kyle Busch 3 times for 102 laps; J. Johnson 2 times for 90 laps; G. Biffle 1 time for 7 laps; B. Keselowski 2 times for 7 laps; J. Gordon 1 time for 7 laps.
Top 16 in Points: M. Truex Jr. – 2,131; Kyle Busch – 2,125; B. Keselowski – 2,125; M. Kenseth – 2,114; J. Logano – 2,108; C. Elliott # – 2,106; J. Johnson – 2,105; D. Hamlin – 2,103; C. Edwards – 2,095; Kurt Busch – 2,093; A. Dillon – 2,085; K. Harvick – 2,075; T. Stewart – 2,074; K. Larson – 2,073; J. Mcmurray – 2,053; C. Buescher # – 2,045.

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dover2_nscs_truexjr_celebrates_100216October 2, 2016

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

DOVER, Del. – It was a Martin Truex Jr. blowout, a Jamie McMurray blow-up and a Jimmie Johnson “We blew it again.”

Truex cruised to a decisive victory in Sunday’s Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway, a race that pared the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field from 16 drivers to 12.

Winning for a fourth time this season, a second time at Dover and the seventh time in his career, Truex was without peer after a pit road snafu on Lap 279 of 400 knocked Johnson off the lead lap and out of contention for the win.

Racing at the track closest to his Mayetta, N.J. home, Truex beat runner-up Kyle Busch to the finish line by 7.527 seconds, bettering his 7.355 margin of victory at The Monster Mile in his 2007 maiden win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

If Truex wasn’t considered the driver to beat after his Chase-opening victory at Chicagoland, he will be after drubbing the rest of the competition on Sunday.

“We’re not messing around, I guess,” Truex said, understating the case for his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team. “I don’t know—what else can you say? We’re here to get it done, and, golly I’m telling you just the best bunch of guys you could ever ask for. It’s just amazing to drive their race cars and do what we were able to do. I’m just ecstatic.

“I mean, this is just unbelievable. Especially here—I love this race track. It’s been considered a home track for me for a long time. It’s been since ’07 since I won here. Have a lot of heartbreaks here, but all in all, just a phenomenal race car again today. Golly, man, it’s just … I’ve got to pinch myself. We’re ready to go to Charlotte (for the opening race in the Round of 12).”

Chase drivers dominated the top nine in the finishing order, with Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Johnson, Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin running third through ninth, respectively.

All nine drivers advanced to the Chase’s Round of 12, along with Carl Edwards (14th on Sunday), Kurt Busch (15th) and Kevin Harvick, who blew a tire on Lap 34, went to the garage for repairs and finished 37th, one lap down.

But Harvick’s calamity wasn’t costly, because his victory at New Hampshire last weekend provided a guaranteed spot in the Round of 12.

McMurray and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Kyle Larson had no such insurance policy, and both were bounced from the Chase on Sunday. Larson suffered ignition problems early on and later scraped the Turn 3 wall on Lap 182 to cause the third of four cautions.

He finished 25th, six laps down and ceded his spot in the Round of 12 to Dillon, whose strong, steady performance ensured three more races as a championship contender.

After complaining of a drive-train vibration in his No. 1 Chevrolet, McMurray saw his worst fears realized when his car erupted in a huge plume of smoke on Lap 193, causing the final caution. McMurray retired in 40th place, joining Chris Buescher, who was never a factor in the Round of 16, on the Chase sidelines.

Johnson had problems on his Lap 279 pit stop, but issues with the fueling of the car weren’t what cost him a chance to win. Johnson’s jack man stepped over the pit wall early enough to make a phone call before Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet arrived, and the resulting penalty cost the six-time champion a lap he never recovered.

With perhaps the fastest car on the track, however, Johnson drove to seventh at the finish, the first car one lap down.

“When I was coming into my pit box, the No. 18 (Kyle Busch) and the No. 43 (Aric Almirola) were just leaving theirs, and they were directly behind my box,” Johnson explained. “I had to slam on the brakes and get turned and get underneath those guys to come in, and I was pretty close to my box, so I assume that just threw the rhythm off the pit stop and somebody came off the wall early.

“Certainly a mistake, but it’s not one that I’ve ever had happen on the No. 48 team. Thankfully, we had a strong car that we were only a lap down and still ended up seventh. I do feel like one got away, but very proud of this Lowe’s race team. I’m happy to be advancing. We’re certainly thrilled about that, but feel like one got away today.”

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dover2_nscs_keselowski_0930161 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford Charter – 2016 OP 1
2 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota Charter – 2016 OP 2
3 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Core Toyota Charter – 2016 OP 3
4 20 Matt Kenseth DEWALT FLEXVOLT Toyota Charter – 2016 OP 4
5 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford Charter – 2016 OP 5
6 4 Kevin Harvick Jimmy John’s Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 6
7 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota Charter – 2016 OP 7
8 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 8
9 24 Chase Elliott # Mountain Dew Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 9
10 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Surfboard Toyota Charter – 2016 OP 10
11 41 Kurt Busch Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 11
12 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 12
13 1 Jamie McMurray Credit One Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 13
14 3 Austin Dillon AAA Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 14
15 14 Tony Stewart Nature’s Bakery Brownie/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 15
16 34 Chris Buescher # CSX – Play it Safe Ford Charter – 2016 OP 16
17 5 Kasey Kahne Panasonic Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 17
18 88 Jeff Gordon Nationwide Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 18
19 31 Ryan Newman WIX Filters Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 19
20 21 * Ryan Blaney # Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Open- 2016 OP 20
21 47 AJ Allmendinger Bush’s Chili Beans Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 21
22 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford Charter – 2016 OP 22
23 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford Charter – 2016 OP 23
24 10 Danica Patrick Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 24
25 16 Greg Biffle Ford EcoBoost Ford Charter – 2016 OP 25
26 27 Paul Menard Duarcell/Menards Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 26
27 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford Charter – 2016 OP 27
28 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 28
29 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 29
30 95 Ty Dillon(i) Death Wish Coffee Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 30
31 38 Landon Cassill MDS Transport Ford Charter – 2016 OP 31
32 23 David Ragan Life With Cancer Toyota Charter – 2016 OP 32
33 7 Regan Smith Citizen Soldier Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 33
34 44 Brian Scott # ACME Ford Charter – 2016 OP 34
35 83 Matt DiBenedetto E.J. Wade Construction Toyota Charter – 2016 OP 35
36 98 * Timmy Hill(i) Vydox Plus Chevrolet Open – 2016 OP 36
37 46 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Chevrolet Charter – 2016 OP 37
38 32 Jeffrey Earnhardt # Can-Am Ford Charter – 2016 OP 38
39 55 * Reed Sorenson Vydox Plus Toyota Open – 2016 OP 39
40 30 * Josh Wise Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet Open – 2016 OP 40