No. 15 Pit Crew wins Richmond II

Waltrip's Crew Wins in Richmond; Sadler's Crew Extends Points Lead

Michael Waltrip's crew captured the McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade in Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

It was the third time the No. 15 crew claimed the $20,000 weekly prize. The team's other wins were at Texas and the Daytona race in July.

Waltrip's crew edged Elliott Sadler's crew for the Richmond victory. But coming in second for Sadler's No. 38 crew earned them enough points to enjoy their biggest lead in the McDonald's/POWERade standings. With 10 Nextel Cup races remaining, Sadler's crew has a 27-point lead over Dale Earnhardt's crew - 941 to 914. The season champion will receive a $200,000 bonus.

Waltrip's crew, which finished second overall in last year's McDonald's/POWERade competition, moved into seventh place with 855 points.

Waltrip's No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet spent 121.762 seconds on Richmond's pit road. The pit road time for Sadler's No. 38 M&M's Ford was 123.926. Jeff Burton's No. 30 AOL Chevy came in third at 124.054.

"It's always very cool to win the McDonald's/POWERade pit crew competition," said crew chief Richard "Slugger" Labbe. "The guys were awesome in Richmond, averaging 13.20 seconds a stop.

"We didn't make the Chase for the Nextel Cup, but there's one championship we can still win and that's the McDonald's/POWERade championship. There are 10 races remaining and we're still in the hunt for the title. We need to pick up eight to nine points a race - that's doable. We finished second in the championship last year and would love to come back and win it this year."

The over-the-wall pit crew for Waltrip's team consists of: Brian Chase (jackman), Jeff Opal (gasman), Chris Crumley (front tire changer), Greg Osborne (rear tire changer), Shawn Ward (front tire carrier), Chad Walter (rear tire carrier) and Tom Vigue (catch can). The team's pit crew coach is Walt Smith.

<pre> Top 10 Pit Crews in Saturday's (Sept. 11) Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway

    Team                        Time            Car#    Points
1.  Michael Waltrip team        121.762 seconds   15    43
2.  Elliott Sadler Team         123.926 "         38    42
3.  Jeff Burton Team            124.054 "         30    41
4.  Bobby Labonte Team          124.611 "         18    40
5.  Tony Stewart Team           125.483 "         20    39
6.  Kurt Busch Team             152.663 "         97    38
7.  Kevin Harvick Team          158.673 "         29    37
8.  Jeff Green Team             167.250 "         43    36
9.  Mike Bliss Team             169.049 "        180    35
10. Joe Nemechek Team           181.759 "         01    34

2004 Winners of The McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade:

Daytona (2/15)          Tony Stewart Team
Rockingham (2/22)       Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team
Las Vegas (3/7)         Kurt Busch Team
Atlanta (3/14)          Robby Gordon Team
Darlington (3/21)       Greg Biffle Team
Bristol (3/28)          Sterling Marlin Team
Texas (4/4)             Michael Waltrip Team
Martinsville (4/18)     Kurt Busch Team
Talladega (4/25)        Robby Gordon Team
California (5/2)        Robby Gordon Team
Richmond (5/15)         Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team
Charlotte (May 30)      Jamie McMurray Team
Dover (6/6)             Tony Stewart Team
Pocono (6/13)           Casey Mears Team
Michigan (6/20)         Elliott Sadler Team
Sonoma (6/27)           Elliott Sadler Team
Daytona (7/3)           Michael Waltrip Team
Chicago (7/11)          Elliott Sadler Team
N. Hampshire (7/25)     Kurt Busch Team
Pocono (8/1)            Greg Biffle Team
Indianapolis (8/8)      Elliott Sadler Team
Watkins Glen (8/15)     Tony Stewart Team
Michigan (8/22)         Greg Biffle Team
Bristol (8/28)          Robby Gordon Team
California (9/5)        Elliott Sadler Team
Richmond (9/11)         Michael Waltrip Team

Point Standings for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Teams Competing in The McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERADE: Following Richmond (9/11); pit crew wins in parentheses

 Pos.   Car#    Pit Crew of                     Points  Prize Money
 1      38      Elliott Sadler Team (5)         941     100,000
 2       8      Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team (2)     914     40,000
 3      20      Tony Stewart Team (3)           908     60,000
 4      29      Kevin Harvick Team              896
 5      97      Kurt Busch Team (3)             895     60,000
 6      30      Jeff Burton Team                861
 7      15      Michael Waltrip Team (3)        855     60,000
 8      31      Robby Gordon Team (4)           854     80,000
 9      42      Jamie McMurray Team (1)         850     20,000
 10     18      Bobby Labonte Team              849
 11     88      Dale Jarrett Team               840
 12     01      Joe Nemechek Team               830
 13     40      Sterling Marlin Team (1)        826     20,000
 14     41      Casey Mears Team (1)            819     20,000
 15     99      Carl Edwards Team               814
 16     16      Greg Biffle Team (3)            792     60,000
 17     21      Ricky Rudd Team                 791
 18     43      Jeff Green Team                 753
 19     49      Ken Schrader Team               748
 20      0      Ward Burton Team                709
 21     45      Kyle Petty Team                 698
 22     50      Arnold Motorsports              615
 23     09      James Finch Team (owner)        438
 24    198      William Edwards (owner)         371
 25     89      Morgan Shepherd Team            286
 26     02      Hermie Sadler Team              274
 27     72      Kirk Shelmerdine Team           175
 28      1      DEI Team                        168
 29    280      Andy Hillenburg Team            152
 30    251      Kevin Lepage Team               105
 31     91      Bill Elliott Team                88
 32    194      Stanton Barrett Team             80
 33    100      Kenny Wallace Team               77
 34     36      Boris Said Team                  73
 T-35   91      Bill Elliott Team                72
 T-35   14      Larry Foyt Team                  72
 37    180      Mike Bliss Team                  59
 38    133      Kerry Earnhardt Team             54
 39      7      Jim Smith Team (owner)           48

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