PROMISING DAY ENDS EARLY FOR NO.1 TEAM AT PIR

Results (starting pos.) from Phoenix International Speedway
1. (13) Denny Hamlin, No.11 Toyota 
11.  (5) Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet
37.  (21) Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet

PROMISING DAY FOR BASS PRO SHOPS TEAM ENDS EARLY IN PHOENIX

Avondale, Ariz. (March 4, 2012) – The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) made the second stop of the 2012 season in at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR).  Jamie McMurray and the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops team, battled throughout to improve on their 21st starting position, however in the end the No. 1 Chevrolet fell victim to mechanical woes and came home with a 37th-place finish in the Valley of the Sun.

Crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and team were confident that the No. 1 Chevrolet would be strong in race conditions after posting the 21st fastest time in qualifying on Saturday.  The team would work to make adjustments and gain track position under the first couple of cautions, until McMurray fell victim to one of the cautions that involved contact with another competitor on lap 133.  The Bass Pro Shops crew worked diligently to make repairs and keep position on the lead lap. 

After repairs on the No. 1 car, the team would have a long green-flag run and continued to run competitive lap times, hoping to catch a break with a caution and gain valuable track position.  The No. 1 team stayed out long enough to lead a lap as green flag stops cycled through, however the lucky break never materialized and the team would be forced to pit on lap 208; four laps later the hopes for a strong finish would come to an abrupt end when the engine on the Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet let go resulting in a 37th-place finish. 

McMurray commented, "I hate this for our team.  We worked hard on our car and the guys did a great job to make repairs to maintain position on the lead lap after our accident.  I’m not sure what caused us to lose power in the end, but we will regroup and go to Las Vegas next week to try to and make up on some lost ground.”

Notes:
- This was McMurray’s 18th career start at Phoenix International Raceway
- In his 18 starts McMurray has completed 93.1% of the laps run, (5,294 of 5,686 total laps)

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next for the Kobalt Tools 400 on Sunday March 11, 2012. FOX and PRN affiliated radio stations will have live coverage.

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