For a while Sunday, it appeared that the only car that could challenge Kurt Busch for the Toyota Owners 400 win was Jamie McMurray.
McMurray started ninth in Sunday’s rain postponed race, but as the event settled into a nearly 100-lap green flag run, McMurray hustled his way to the front, taking the lead momentarily on Lap 259, and then again on Lap 262 for three laps, before heading to pit road for a routine stop.
When a caution flag flew shortly before the stops cycled through, McMurray found himself a beneficiary of the free pass, but having to climb from behind once again. The Joplin, Missouri native made his way back to second, but had to settle for fourth at the race’s conclusion.
“Well, this Energizer Chevy was just good on the long runs,” said McMurray who jumped to ninth in points after his fourth top 10 of 2015.
“It was a lot of fun to get to be the guy that had the speed at the end. Kurt’s (Busch) car just took off so much faster than ours. I’m really proud of our guys. We had a little bit of a hiccup in the pits at the beginning, and those guys did a good job of brushing that off and giving me good pit stops toward the end.”
McMurray’s energizing performance not only gives momentum to his Chip Ganassi Racing team, but also sends a message to his competition that a win and, more importantly, a possible berth into this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup may not be too far off the horizon.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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