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July 16, 2003
5:14 PM EDT (2114 GMT)
We had a really good weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. We scored top-10 finishes in both the Winston Cup and Busch Series races.
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| Jamie McMurray and owner Chip Ganassi had a good weekend at Chicagoland. Credit: Autostock |
Our Havoline Dodge was quick right out of the gate during Sunday's race. We qualified 10th, and by lap 20, I think we were running in the top three. It's a great feeling for a driver when your car is that fast at the start of the race.
We were running second by Lap 50 and crew chief Donnie Wingo kept telling me that I was catching leader Tony Stewart. We had a strong car all day and should have finished better than eighth. We just didn't make enough adjustments to the car as the race went along, and that's what hurt us in the end.
It's one of those things where when you have a strong car so you're scared to make too many changes -- and that's what happened to us during the race. But I'm really happy with our run and finish. That's what we're capable of running each week and a run like that helps build momentum for the team.
After the race on Sunday, the Havoline team, including myself, drove over to Indianapolis for what was to be a two-day test Monday and Tuesday in preparation for next month's Brickyard 400. We got testing in on Monday, but it rained most of Tuesday, so we're staying another day to get two complete days of testing under our belt.
The three days at testing means we will get home Wednesday night, unpack and then repack to leave Thursday afternoon for Loudon, N.H.
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I'm looking forward to this weekend's race in Loudon. I've run there a couple of times in the Busch car, and we're taking the same car that we ran at Martinsville and Richmond earlier this year and had good runs going until the engine let go in both races. Passing is very difficult at Loudon, so it's all about timing when we go for a pass. Our Havoline Dodge should be really good this weekend.
I'm running the Busch race too this weekend in Loudon, so I'll get double seat time, which always helps.
Hopefully we'll get some time to try out the famous New England seafood this weekend...
As a driver, what do you do to combat the intense heat in the car during the summer months? How uncomfortable are the driving suits when it's that hot?
--Justin Roberts, Lawrence, Kan.
Justin, that's a good question, and one I'm sure a lot of people wonder about. We do have cooling systems in the cars during the summer months that work as an air conditioner. We have a tube that runs from the cooling system into our helmets that blows cool air on our face. That helps out a ton, but it still gets pretty hot inside those cars. And yes, the driving suits are very hot. But once you get use to it, it's not that bad. Don't get me wrong, it's still hot, but tolerable.
Do you ever try to make it to the local dirt tracks during the season?
--Roxanne Beil, Duke Center, Pa.
Roxanne, I wish I did have time to visit some of the local tracks in the areas that we race in, but to be honest, I usually spend my nights at the track in the motorcoach with my girlfriend. And weekends that I run both the Busch and Winston Cup cars, I'm usually worn out and just want to rest.
What is a typical Sunday evening like for you after a race? What is your "have to do" list?
--Carlie, Highlands, N.J.
Carlie, I don't know that I have a "have to do" list. Once the race is over and I get out of the car, I usually run up into the hauler to change clothes and begin the mad dash out of the track to get to the airport. If we have a strong finish, like last weekend in Chicago, I went to the media center to be interviewed and then did more interviews at the hauler after the race. If it was a bad race for us, I usually change clothes, head to the motorcoach, hop in the car and head to the airport. We usually get home around 8 or 9 o'clock on Sunday nights and then it's time to crash and go to bed.
Jamie McMurray drives the No. 42 Texaco Havoline Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. His diary appears weekly on SI.com.
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