MCDONALD'S TEAM 15TH AT KENTUCKY

Results (starting pos.) from Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway
1. (8) Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Dodge
14.  (31) Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet
15.  (17) Jamie McMurray, No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet

McDonald’s Team Finishes 15th at Kentucky

SPARTA, Ky.  (June 30, 2012) – The second visit to the Kentucky Speedway for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) was a scorcher as teams’ battled triple-digit temperatures throughout the race weekend.  Jamie McMurray qualified the McDonald’s Chevrolet in the 17th-position on Friday afternoon and brought home a 15th-place finish in the Quaker State 400 Saturday night under the lights in the Bluegrass State.

The McDonald’s team unloaded off the truck with a fast car and had the No. 1 Chevrolet in the top-10 on the speed charts during the first of two practice sessions on Friday.  With temperatures over 100 degrees in the late afternoon during qualifying the track was very slick and McMurray would qualifying in the 17th-positoion.  McMurray commented before the race, “I think we have a good car, we will just need to make minor adjustments.”

In the end, McMurray was right as he would log some of the fastest laps during the 267-lap race on the 1.5 mile track.  However, with slick track conditions and limited number of cautions it was hard to make up any track position as the team would post a 15th-place finish.

“We had a really solid effort by our McDonald’s team.  We fought a loose car all night and they worked hard in the pits to make the right adjustments.”  McMurray continued, “I felt that we had a top-10 car after our final practice yesterday, but this track is very rough and hard to get a handle on.  Our car was pretty good we just needed that valuable track position.”

Notes:
- McMurray moved up one spot in the NSCS point standings to 19th-place
- This is the fourth time in 2012 that McMurray and teammate Juan Pablo Montoya have finished in back-to-back positions
- McMurray ranked third among all competitors for green flag passes (81) in the Quaker State 400

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head back to Daytona Beach, Fla for next Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, on July 7.  TNT and MRN affiliated radio stations will have live coverage at 7:30 p.m. ET.