Jamie McMurray led a race-high 93 laps. Credit: Autostock

McMurray can't hold off Kenseth, finishes second

No. 26 team feeling momentum of second consecutive top-10 run

DOVER, Del. -- "Seventeen laps to go. Nice and smooth,'' crew chief Bob Osborne told driver Jamie McMurray late Sunday afternoon over his in-car radio.

"Thirteen to go, still nice and smooth, bud,'' Osborne echoed a few laps later.

Jamie McMurray is getting more acclimated to his Roush Racing surroundings. Credit: Autostock

Official Results Neighborhood Excellence 400 Pos. Driver Make 1. M. Kenseth Ford 2. J. McMurray Ford 3. K. Harvick Chevrolet 4. J. Burton Chevrolet 5. Ky. Busch Chevrolet 6. J. Johnson Chevrolet 7. K. Kahne Dodge 8. G. Biffle Ford 9. M. Martin Ford 10. D. Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet • Complete results, click here • Driver standings, click here Victory LaneMatt Kenseth celebrates his second NNC win of the season Final lapsMcMurray, Kenseth and Harvick battle in the final laps Neighborhood 400Watch all the highlights from Dover Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

"Ten to go, just be cool,'' Osborne said.

Osborne counted down the final laps at Dover International Speedway like Dick Clark counting down the final seconds of another year. With each lap his voice squeaked higher, anticipating and hoping McMurray could hang on for his first win with Roush Racing.

It didn't happen.

Roush teammate Matt Kenseth passed McMurray, who started last after a last-minute engine change and lost a lap early, with three-and-a-half laps remaining. The excitement disappeared from Osborne's voice.

McMurray was equally disappointed.

"Yeah, you're very disappointed, especially to come that close,'' said McMurray, who hasn't won a Cup race since he replaced Sterling Marlin at Chip Ganassi Racing in 2002. "When Matt passed me I lost all of my momentum.

"I went up to kind of block him, and when I did I lost all of my speed. If he hadn't cleared me I think I could've gotten back around him. I knew when he cleared me I had no chance unless something happened to his car.''

Amidst the disappointment there also was excitement. A month ago, McMurray was coming off a 42nd-place finish at Darlington that had him 20th in points.

Running for a victory wasn't a part of the equation.

Now he has two top-10s in a row -- he was eighth last week at Charlotte -- and is 15th in points. He led the most laps (93) for only the second time in is career, the other being his win at Lowe's in 2002.

"It's very disappointing when you want to win,'' McMurray said. "But we've come a long ways in the last 15 races. We made a crew chief change and we're changing cars and doing all kinds of stuff'

Inside the Numbers Jamie McMurray in 2006 Site Start Finish Points Daytona 6 37 36 Fontana 25 6 18 Las Vegas 19 23 20 Atlanta 34 14 16 Bristol 8 35 24 Martinsville 2 9 17 Texas 41 37 21 Phoenix 26 14 20 Talladega 8 5 17 Richmond 31 19 17 Darlington 15 42 20 Lowe's 33 8 18 Dover 9 2 15 SUPERSTORE •   Jamie McMurray merchandise!

"For our team, we were trying to take a 25th-place car at the beginning of the year and just try to get in the top 10. To be able to compete for a win, that's a big deal for us right now.''

Team owner Jack Roush was excited for McMurray, who was signed during the offseason after a lengthy dispute over whether he would be allowed to leave Chip Ganassi Racing in 2006 or 2007.

"What about Jamie McMurray?'' he said. "Was that not awesome [Sunday]? ... Jamie was certainly the underdog given the season he's had and the fact that he's the newest in the fold.

"Until Matt passed him, I was standing besides Bob Osborne rooting for him as hard as I could.''

Roush has been rooting for McMurray all season. He took much of the blame for McMurray's struggles because he couldn't find the right setup to match the driver.

Free VideoA day's worth of news in 90 seconds

That's why he moved Osborne, who had been with Carl Edwards, to the No. 26 team.

"The confidence never wavered on Jamie McMurray,'' Roush said. "To the contrary, I felt I was not able to help him find what he needed. The results we had today shows we're making progress there.''

McMurray, who took the lead under caution on Lap 302, hopes so.

"It's very, very disappointing and very frustrating when you have four other teammates [Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin and Edwards] who have shots to win races almost every single week, and you know everything they have,'' he said.

"That's frustrating when you can't make that work. So, it definitely feels good [Sunday].''