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Q&A: Jamie McMurray

Sporting News, The, Oct 11, 2004

Jamie McMurray missed the Chase cutoff by 31 points. The 28-year-old sophomore sensation is 11th in the standings--a position coveted by drivers outside the Chase because of the $1 million consolation prize and the honor of joining the top 10 on stage in New York at the Nextel Cup awards banquet. McMurray recently chatted with Insider Lee Spencer.

TSN: How do you keep yourself and the team upbeat for the remainder of the season?

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JM: I think it's tougher if you've already been in the top 10 and don't make it. For us, we were only in the top 10 for (one week), and we had to fight our way back. We knew it was going to be really close, and we were there. We raced well enough to be there, and with 20 laps to go (at Richmond), we broke another part in an engine and ended up not making it. It really was almost like a relief to me when we didn't make it. I was very disappointed that we didn't make it. It was probably one of the most disappointing things that ever happened to me in racing, but at the same time it was like, "Whew, it's over, and we can still go on." You're still racing for 11th, but it's not the same pressure as it was when we were racing before.

TSN: How do you keep your team upbeat?

JM: I don't have to. When you run in the top 10 every week, they're upbeat. They're ready to go. We've raced so well all year, but the last 10 weeks have been awesome. So they're pretty pumped.

TSN: Is the goal to finish 11th?

JM: I think so, but we want to win some races. I look at the points, and everyone ahead of us has won a race except for us. Our deal is that we have a ton of top 10s but not a lot of top fives. So we need to be a lot faster. We're very consistent from about fourth to eighth. We need to get to that next step where we can win races. We have a few things to work on. Our chassis need to be a bit better, and we really need to improve on our pit stops for next year.

TSN: Where do you have the best shot at winning a race on the final seven tracks?

JM: I'd have to say Darlington. I think we should have won the spring Darlington race. We were leading, but we left a lugnut loose and had to pit under green and lost a lap. I think there's a lot of good tracks coming up for me, and I think we'll be good everywhere.

TSN: Will you be in the No. 42 car (Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates team) again next year?

JM: Yeah. I'm going to be here next year. I'm also going to do 24 Busch races for Rusty (Wallace). We don't have everything finalized right now, but we're really close to getting things done. I want to be there. He wants me to be there. So, I'm looking forward to that.

TSN: Will you be the heir apparent to the No. 2 (Penske Racing) when Rusty retires after next year?

JM: There's not really anything to talk about yet. No one has approached me about driving that car. I think people are looking at the coincidence since I'm driving the Busch car. But Rusty has said to the media a million times that he really likes Chip (Ganassi) and Felix (Sabates), and he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his relationship with them. That's never been discussed between Rusty and I. I just laugh when I see it.

Q&A: Jamie McMurray

Sporting News, The, Oct 11, 2004

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