Newman, McMurray also take hits; Kurt Busch closes gap
By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
INDIANAPOLIS -- How will Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s engine failure and resulting 34th-place finish Sunday affect his ability to make this season's Chase for the Nextel Cup?
If history is any indication, it probably won't make much difference. However, what may play a bigger role is the fact that many of Junior's biggest rivals had similar fates in Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
Earnhardt was a contender for the victory for much of the first half of the race, leading a career-high 33 laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and looking like the driver with the best chance of beating Tony Stewart.
But as the No. 8 Chevrolet headed down Indy's famous frontstretch, the engine let go in a telltale puff of smoke, the white plume trailing behind the car as Junior's good run ended after 136 laps. (watch now)
"We broke the pulley off the front end of the motor," a disappointed Junior said after pulling the car into the garage. "The harmonic balance was still there and the pulley's gone. I guess the motor broke. You have bad luck every once in a while.
"We've had great motors all year long and I'm real proud of the engine shop. That's what keeps us running up front at places like this. We need the same power the rest of the year."
It was exactly opposite of the finish Earnhardt wanted -- and deserved -- on Sunday. Coming into Indianapolis with a 30-point lead over Ryan Newman for the 12th and final spot in the Chase, Junior left the Brickyard clinging to a 13-point advantage over Kurt Busch, unofficially.
"You just got to take chances when you're trying to stay in the Chase," Junior admitted. "We had a good car [Sunday]. The car was fast and I was really enjoying myself.
"We finished bad, and that is no good with the points deal. I'm not happy about that, but there's nothing we can do about it."
In 2005, a Lap 62 crash on a restart left Earnhardt 43rd and dropped him from 14th to 16th in the standings, effectively ending his chances at making the Chase. But last season, a pit-road gamble gave him track position and a sixth-place finish, which set off a run of four top-10 finishes in the next five races, solidifying his position in the Chase.
Things could have been worse for Junior if not for similar issues with many of the drivers directly below him in the standings.
Newman qualified third and had hopes of gaining ground. Instead, his No. 12 Dodge immediately suffered handling issues and he quickly fell out of the top 10. Then on Lap 21, he slammed into the wall in Turn 4 and wound up 42nd. (watch video)
"It's unfortunate," Newman said. "It was a pretty good lick into the wall and it ended our day. It's devastating in more than one way. It just depends on how far we have to come back."
Newman switched positions with Busch, and is now 59 points behind Earnhardt with six races remaining before the cutoff. Busch rallied over the last 60 laps to post an 11th-place finish.
Jamie McMurray's dwindling Chase hopes -- and his No. 26 Ford -- took a hit on Sunday. McMurray was involved in a multi-car accident on Lap 46 which included Jimmie Johnson, Ricky Rudd, Scott Riggs, Bill Elliott and Carl Edwards. (watch video)
McMurray said it was a matter of more than one car trying to occupy the same space at the same time, especially on a track as narrow and unforgiving as Indianapolis.
"You just don't realize how much you're sliding around here," McMurray said. "You're pretty much already out of control and when their momentum gets lost or someone makes a fast move like that, it's hard not to run into each other.
"I was trying to stay off of Jimmie and then, I think, maybe [Riggs] or somebody got into me, which is not his fault. It's just one of those deals where maybe [we were] racing a little too hard, too early."
McMurray is still 15th in the standings, but now trails Earnhardt by 113 points.
By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
INDIANAPOLIS -- How will Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s engine failure and resulting 34th-place finish Sunday affect his ability to make this season's Chase for the Nextel Cup?
If history is any indication, it probably won't make much difference. However, what may play a bigger role is the fact that many of Junior's biggest rivals had similar fates in Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
Earnhardt was a contender for the victory for much of the first half of the race, leading a career-high 33 laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and looking like the driver with the best chance of beating Tony Stewart.
But as the No. 8 Chevrolet headed down Indy's famous frontstretch, the engine let go in a telltale puff of smoke, the white plume trailing behind the car as Junior's good run ended after 136 laps. (watch now)
"We broke the pulley off the front end of the motor," a disappointed Junior said after pulling the car into the garage. "The harmonic balance was still there and the pulley's gone. I guess the motor broke. You have bad luck every once in a while.
"We've had great motors all year long and I'm real proud of the engine shop. That's what keeps us running up front at places like this. We need the same power the rest of the year."
It was exactly opposite of the finish Earnhardt wanted -- and deserved -- on Sunday. Coming into Indianapolis with a 30-point lead over Ryan Newman for the 12th and final spot in the Chase, Junior left the Brickyard clinging to a 13-point advantage over Kurt Busch, unofficially.
"You just got to take chances when you're trying to stay in the Chase," Junior admitted. "We had a good car [Sunday]. The car was fast and I was really enjoying myself.
"We finished bad, and that is no good with the points deal. I'm not happy about that, but there's nothing we can do about it."
In 2005, a Lap 62 crash on a restart left Earnhardt 43rd and dropped him from 14th to 16th in the standings, effectively ending his chances at making the Chase. But last season, a pit-road gamble gave him track position and a sixth-place finish, which set off a run of four top-10 finishes in the next five races, solidifying his position in the Chase.
Things could have been worse for Junior if not for similar issues with many of the drivers directly below him in the standings.
Newman qualified third and had hopes of gaining ground. Instead, his No. 12 Dodge immediately suffered handling issues and he quickly fell out of the top 10. Then on Lap 21, he slammed into the wall in Turn 4 and wound up 42nd. (watch video)
"It's unfortunate," Newman said. "It was a pretty good lick into the wall and it ended our day. It's devastating in more than one way. It just depends on how far we have to come back."
Newman switched positions with Busch, and is now 59 points behind Earnhardt with six races remaining before the cutoff. Busch rallied over the last 60 laps to post an 11th-place finish.
Jamie McMurray's dwindling Chase hopes -- and his No. 26 Ford -- took a hit on Sunday. McMurray was involved in a multi-car accident on Lap 46 which included Jimmie Johnson, Ricky Rudd, Scott Riggs, Bill Elliott and Carl Edwards. (watch video)
McMurray said it was a matter of more than one car trying to occupy the same space at the same time, especially on a track as narrow and unforgiving as Indianapolis.
"You just don't realize how much you're sliding around here," McMurray said. "You're pretty much already out of control and when their momentum gets lost or someone makes a fast move like that, it's hard not to run into each other.
"I was trying to stay off of Jimmie and then, I think, maybe [Riggs] or somebody got into me, which is not his fault. It's just one of those deals where maybe [we were] racing a little too hard, too early."
McMurray is still 15th in the standings, but now trails Earnhardt by 113 points.
