McMurray’s win ends my chase
Finally.
After winning the first two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races of the season it had been a long dry spell for those of us in the Ford Racing camp, but that ended last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway as Jamie McMurray avoided two big wrecks down the stretch to win the Amp Energy 500.
And while this race may be remembered for the scary accident that saw Ryan Newman’s car flip and land on its roof, it might also be thought of as the day Jamie sealed a full-time ride for 2010.
The reason he’s looking for a job in the first place stems from a decision NASCAR made in 2005 that limits the number of teams one organization can own to four. The grace period for getting down to that figure ends at the end of this season, meaning Roush Fenway Racing will no longer be able to field five cars each weekend. Due to existing contracts with other sponsors and drivers, Jamie finds himself as the odd man out.
But the way he drove the No. 26 Irwin Industrial Tools Ford Fusion on Sunday definitely made people take notice of his talent. The way he weaved through traffic, and then took advantage of some help from teammate Matt Kenseth to grab the lead and hold off the rest of the field for the final 11 laps was impressive.
Jamie winning a race is obviously good news for Ford, but even better news for me. The main reason I say that is because no driver is harder to catch for a comment after the race than Jamie. He’s like a super hero who has the ability to climb out of his race car and instantly change clothes before vanishing into thin air.
There have been countless times the past three years where I’ve caught up to Jamie and could barely ask a question because I was huffing and puffing from running him down. Earlier this year at Sonoma, I found him behind the wheel of a rental car as he was just about to pull out of the race track. I frantically waved my arms to grab his attention and as I got to the door he rolled down the window and graciously gave me a couple quick comments.
I took a deep breath and thanked him, turned, and started running back toward the garage to find a couple more drivers. That’s when I heard his voice from behind me yell — “Run, Forrest! Run!” Had I been being chased at that moment by a bunch of bullies from school, as Forrest Gump was in the Oscar-winning movie of 1994, I would have surely been caught because I broke out laughing and couldn’t stop. Now, every time I watch that movie and Jenny yells that line, I’m going to think of Jamie.
His disappearing act has become a running joke between the two of us, but, by winning on Sunday, it meant he had to come into the media center for the winner’s post-race press conference. When he finally arrived after all of the celebrating and pictures had been completed in Victory Lane, that trademark smile was still planted on his face. You could see in his eyes how much this win meant to him, so as he sat down behind the microphone I congratulated him on a well-deserved victory.
In his typical humor he just laughed and said, “Hey, at least you didn’t have to chase me down today.”
With three races to go in this season, it would be nice to have one less Ford driver to chase down from here on out. It would be nice to be able and have Jamie or one of his teammates walk through the doors of the media center after winning at Texas, Phoenix or Homestead Miami Speedway.
But racing is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.
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Discuss: McMurray’s win ends my chase
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As a long time race fan and writer, I wanted to say thank you for a wonderful article. There is so much criticism and derogatory reporting about NASCAR these days, it was a pleasure to read a positive article, especially about Jamie. He is so likable and a really good driver. He just seems to have gotten lost in the shuffling madness that is NASCAR racing these days. I hope he lands a new ride soon. I think his best days could very well be ahead. Thanks again.