BASS PRO SHOP TEAM FINISHES 17TH AT BRISTOL

Results (starting pos.) from the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway

1. (8) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota 
13.  (28) Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet
17.  (26) Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Allstate Chevrolet

BRISTOL, Tenn.  (August 25, 2012) – The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) returned to the newly reconfigured Bristol Motor Speedway for some Saturday night racing action under the lights.  The mild summer evening temperatures didn’t match the hot intensity of the action on the race track.  The No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet started the night in the 26th-position and brought home a 17th-place finish.

Qualifying for the Irwin Tools Night race at Bristol Motor Speedway was rained out Friday evening and the starting order for the 43 car field would be set per the NASCAR rulebook, and determined by the first practice session speeds.  Jamie McMurray started from the 26th-position.  Crew chief Bono Manion would try different pit strategies to gain valuable track position, as passing was challenging with a racing groove that made side-by-side racing difficult. 

McMurray raced among the top-10 on a couple of occasions, however he had a difficult time trying to find the handle on the Bass Pro Shops Chevy, on the new track surface.  McMurray commented one time to the crew, “I wish that I could help you with a suggestion for changes, but I am fighting both loose and tight conditions”.  In the end the Bass Pro Shops team would be credited with a 17th-place finish.

“It was really hard to pass out there tonight,” said McMurray.  “I told Bono that it was like racing at Talladega.  You could be faster than the car in front of you, but you were afraid to pull out and pass.  We worked hard on the handle of our Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet tonight and battled to get that top-20 finish.”

Notes:
- McMurray remains 19th-place in the NSCS point standings
- In 20 career starts at Bristol Motor Speedway McMurray has completed 9753 of 10013 laps (97.4%), at the “World’s Fastest Half-mile”
- McMurray has zero DNF’s in 20 career starts at Bristol Motor Speedway

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Labor Day weekend race Sunday night under the lights.  The AdvoCare 500 will air live on ESPN and radio stations affiliated with PRN on Sunday September 2 at 6:30 p.m. ET.