Fuel mileage was the name of the game at Infineon Raceway on Sunday as several cars gambled during the final caution period on lap 66, electing to stretch their fuel more than 40 miles to the end of the race. Dale Jarrett and the #44 UPS Team was one group to take the gamble and make it work for a 26th-place finish in the Toyota Save Mart 350 on Sunday.
Jarrett started the event in 16th place and maintained a top-20 running position throughout the first several laps of the event. The first caution of the race waved on lap three at which time the running order started to jumble with teams embarking on their respective pit strategies for the day.
The UPS Team employed the strategy of making the race on two pit stops only but that agenda came to a screeching halt when Johnny Sauter turned the #44 UPS Toyota on lap 51. Jarrett lost a lap during the melee but had the good fortune of securing the "lucky dog" award during the next caution on lap 56.
When the seventh and final caution of the race waved on lap 66, Jarrett and a host of other drivers came down pit road with the intention of making that particular stop their last of the day. Jarrett feathered the throttle on the UPS Toyota, stretching his fuel to finish the day in 26th after running as low as 42nd.
"We still have work to do on our Car of Tomorrow program," Jarrett said after the race. "We know going into these races that they will come down to strategy and we made the most of what we had today even after getting wrecked there early on. Jason (Burdett, crew chief) made a great call to come down and pit when we did."
Jarrett's temporary teammates for the day, P.J. Jones and Terry Labonte, made the most of their respective days with Jones coming out the better of the two. Jones stretched his fuel mileage to finish the day in 12th place after starting from the 43rd position. Labonte, having tire issues, was forced to make an extra pit stop at the end of the race and finished the event in 35th place.
Juan Pablo Montoya outlasted pole winner Jamie McMurray in a battle that came down to fuel mileage. Car sputtering on fumes, Montoya coasted to his first ever NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race in just his 16th start in the series.
It's off to New Hampshire International Speedway next weekend for the running of the Lenox Tools 300. TNT once again provides live television coverage of the racing action with the green flag waving at 2:30 p.m. EDT.
