Strategy shuffle pays off for trio at Texas

McMurray served as the test case following pit stops on a Lap 229 caution, jumping from outside the top 10 to running third on the ensuing restart after a two-tire call. When another caution came at Lap 251, McMurray had only fallen three positions to sixth — and with the leaders all pitting again, the No. 1 team could then take four tires and be on even footing with the race’s strongest cars.

That gleaning was on the mind of multiple teams when the final caution at Texas Motor Speedway, host of the seventh Sprint Cup Series race of the year, sent cars down pit road on Lap 311 (of 334). McMurray again took two tires, but so did Jeff Gordon, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr.

Larson was hit with a pit road penalty, but the other three drivers all went on to claim top-10 finishes on a night where none of their cars consistently ran there. McMurray finished sixth, with Gordon in seventh and Truex Jr. in 9th.

“We did two (tires) two other times in the race and it worked out really well for us,” McMurray said on pit road after the race. “I thought we had a legitimate shot at winning … but once the guys with four tires got clear, their cars were a little better than ours and they had better tires. You just can’t hold them up here.

“But the cautions fell right where there was a little bit of tire strategy, guys staying out and guys doing two (tires). I think that just makes for really good racing.”

Gordon may have been the most fortuitous to earn a top-10, his fourth of the season, all of which have come consecutively. The No. 24 was a tick slower than his Hendrick Motorsports teammates’ Chevrolets throughout the weekend, although Gordon finished one spot ahead of Kasey Kahne.

When the sun went down, so did Gordon’s position on the board. By Lap 115, he hovered around 15th place until the final pit stop. The end-race scenario was reminiscent of last year’s spring Texas race when a two-tire call lifted Gordon to a second-place finish.

“That was a great gamble, great call by (crew chief) Alan (Gustafson), and we saw early some guys take two tires and made it work for a short period of time,” Gordon said after his run. “I don’t know, we just struggled. I’m not really sure where we are missing it. Obviously our teammates have it worked out because all of them were fast, and obviously we have got some work to do and I have got to figure this package out.”

Someone who has been comfortable in this package all year is Truex, who continued his career best start to a season. The Furniture Row Racing driver struggled with both handling and slow pit stops, particularly after a Lap 296 caution when he came down pit road in eighth place and lost ground.

The late-race rally kept Truex’s streak alive; he’s finished in the top 10 in every race so far this season. Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano are the only drivers who can match that distinction. Prior to this year, the last driver to open a season with seven straight top-10s was Jimmie Johnson in 2005.

“At the end we had to start doing some strategy stuff to get our track position back, and probably gave up a few spots doing it,” Truex said. “I think it was the right call. We’re taking some gambles and they’ve been paying off.”

MORE: