Jamie McMurray

At 48 years old, Jamie McMurray has this physical status:

James Christopher McMurray (born June 3, 1976), also known as Jamie Mac, is an American retired professional stock car racing driver and now an analyst for Fox NASCAR.

He last competed part-time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, leading the No. Spire Motorsports' 40 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was a one-off event. He is best known for winning the 2010 Daytona 500 for Chip Ganassi Racing and is one of only three drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year.

Personal life

McMurray was born in Joplin, Missouri. He grew up racing go-karts and competed in virtually every form of karting around the country before transferring to late-model stock cars. McMurray returned to the karting ranks in 2007 and continues to compete in World Karting Association tournaments on several weekends. In late December, he competed at Daytona KartWeek, a World Karting Association event.

In July 2009, McMurray married Christy Futrell. Carter Scott McMurray was born on November 25, 2010, the first child for their first child. Hazel, the couple's second child, was born on February 11, 2013.

McMurray discovered the power of prayer through his turbulent 2009 and his contrasting 2010 experience. "I was thinking about Daytona and why I cry, as well as the strength of prayer," McMurray said in his post-race interview. Last year, I had a rough year. I discovered the power of prayer and what it can do for you. It's just makes you a believer" when you get to victory lane and you get to experience it.

McMurray has also been running and cycling with other drivers throughout 2017. McMurray completed the Assault on Mt. Mitchell ran in his first marathon, the Kiawah Island Golf Resort Marathon, on May 5, and again on December 12.

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Racing career

McMurray made five starts in the Craftsman Truck Series in 1999. He participated in 16 Truck races in 2000, with one top-five and four top-ten finishes. He competed full-time in the Busch Series between 2001 and 2002, winning the No. 1 position. 27 Williams Travel Centers Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Brewco Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo. McMurray's second year was better for him as he won two races and finished sixth in overall points standings.

He won his first NASCAR Busch Series victory at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Charlotte in the 40 Winston Cup by beating Joe Nemechek and Michael Waltrip on fuel mileage in October. McMurray was only leading 1 lap laps and became the 100th different driver to win in the Grand National Series for the 100th time. Jeff Green and Michael Waltrip crashed each other on the last lap at the Sam's Club 200 at North Carolina Motor Speedway next weekend, winning the Sam's Club 200 at North Carolina Motor Speedway by leading just the last two laps. McMurray finished 6th in final points, 772 points behind Champion Greg Biffle, who would be his rookie rival in 2003.

McMurray's entry into Cup racing was not as anticipated. McMurray had a limited number of days to travel in a No. 1stue. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge was built in 2002 in preparation for a full-time 2003 rookie of the year campaign in the No. 93. Texaco/Havoline is the 42nd sponsored product with a new sponsor. However, he was later recalled as an interim replacement for injured Ganassi Cup driver Sterling Marlin, who fractured a vertebra in a crash at Kansas Speedway. McMurray made his Cup debut in the No. 119. At Talladega, Robert Coors Light Dodge at the Coors Light Dodge. McMurray defeated the Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiacs of Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart in only his second race of his career and the first non-restrictor plate to start, just over a week. McMurray had been consistent throughout the night and had won 96 of the final 100 laps. It is considered one of NASCAR's biggest upsets. This win was the first time a driver won in a 1.5-mile track, setting a modern-era record for fewest starts before a loss (which has since been tied only by Trevor Bayne in the 2011 Daytona 500), and it was also the first time a driver won in a race. Except for the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville, McMurray rode for six of the remaining seven races, except for Mike Bliss's driving as planned in the No. 81. 40.

McMurray joined the Cup Series full-time in 2003. He received Rookie of the Year awards by 37 points over Greg Biffle. In the overall standings, McMurray had five top five's, 13 top tens, and finished 13th. He first started playing part-time in the Busch Series.

McMurray and his staff were fined 25 points after the Food City 500 for an inaccurate "x-measurement," a method of comparing the roof with the chassis's center, which was costly as McMurray's season came later this year. McMurray would have finished fourth in points if he had made it to the playoffs, leading to his strong showing in the Chase competitions. McMurray was fined $15,000 by NASCAR for intentionally causing a fire after the race was over.

During the season, he had 23 top tens, including 12 in the last 14 races, and finished 11th in the points standings, earning him a $1 million bonus. He won a Truck Series race in the same year as the first in NASCAR's top touring series.

McMurray finished 12th in points with four top fives and ten top tens. McMurray came in tenth in points with a one-point advantage over Ryan Newman in the final race before the chase at Richmond International Raceway began. Tony Raines crashed McMurray's hopes later in the season, putting an end to his aspirations.

McMurray was voted No. 2 by McMurray. Roush Racing's 42 team came from 2005 to race for the first time. Owner Chip Ganassi was initially confident that McMurray would be kept to his terms, but McMurray was fired on November 7, 2005, when Ganassi and partner Felix Sabates discovered that McMurray had signed a deal with Roush well before the season ended. McMurray was supposed to reach the No. 1st base on the planet. Doug 6 Ford in 2006, but McMurray took over for Kurt Busch in the No. 05 after Mark Martin declared he would contest for another year. 97 Crown Royal/IRWIN Tools Ford (which was then renumbered No. 1) 26.

Jack Roush transferred Jimmy Fennig from crew chief of the No. 58 in April 2006. 26 Ford will head Roush's Busch operations. Bob Osbourne, the crew's chief for Carl Edwards, volunteered to lead the crew for McMurray. McMurray's 2006 was a rough season. McMurray's best finish of the season came at Dover International Speedway, where he came in second place after leading the most laps. McMurray is expected to finish ranked No. 202, seven top tens, and a disappointing 25th in points.

Larry Carter, McMurray's crew chief, began the 2007 season. He captured his third pole for the Toyota Save/Mart 350 on June 22, 2007. On lap 1, he was passed by Robby Gordon for the lead, but he was left holding off Boris Said and Jeff Burton for second place in the first quarter of the season. McMurray traded the lead repeatedly after Robby Gordon pitted after 34 laps. McMurray led the pack and dominated the final laps with 45 laps remaining, but McMurray's future teammate Juan Pablo Montoya followed him and kept him off until McMurray ran out of gas with 2 to go, ending in 37th. McMurray led a few laps in the first stages on July 7 at the Pepsi 400. McMurray was then black-flagged by NASCAR for missing out of bounds on lap 30, but not before. He spent the remainder of the race charging back through the field, eventually returning to the front on lap 155. McMurray led the final stages until being challenged by Kyle Busch for five laps. On the last lap, Busch was the leader and charged to the finish, but McMurray charged one last time and barely beat Busch for his second straight Cup victory. The margin was 0.005 of a second, and the finish resembled the Daytona 500 of the year's finish, when Kevin Harvick defeated Mark Martin in the last second of the race that year. The photo finish, at that time, was the closest finish in Daytona International Speedway history and tied for the second closest finish (1993 DieHard 500) since the introduction of electronic scoring in 1993. McMurray finished 17th in the point standings this year.

McMurray's rookie season in 2008 was plagued by a string of weak finishes that dropped him to 36th in points and, therefore, not guaranteed a spot in the spring Martinsville race. McMurray had to qualify for the race based on his time around the track when the new points were introduced to determine those who were locked in the competition. He qualified 5th, placing himself in the field as the fastest of the teams not locked in the competition. He earned his 8th-place finish in the event, securing himself a spot in the Top 35 in points and a guaranteed starting position for the upcoming race. He climbed in the standings and ranked in the Top 20 in points during the remainder of the season. McMurray finished fifth in the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway on October 11, 2008. It was his first Top-five finish since winning in Daytona in July of last year. McMurray came in 16th in the standings.

In 2009, McMurray was reunited with Donnie Wingo, the former crew chief. Larry Carter, the crew chief, has moved to Yates Racing to be crew chief for Paul Menard. McMurray began the 2009 season by dominating the final stages of the Budweiser Shootout, but he came in second place after losing the lead to Kevin Harvick on the last lap. McMurray had a fantastic Speedweek finishing ninth in his Gatorade Duel. McMurray started on the front and was a favorite, but his coworker Matt Kenseth won the Daytona 500, and his teammate Matt Kenseth was a winner. Roush Fenway Racing informed McMurray that he will leave the team later this year as they needed to trim their squads down to the NASCAR-mandated four. McMurray won the AMP Energy 500 in Talladega on November 1, 2009 after leading over 20 laps and passing David Stremme with 8 laps to go. He won his second restrictor plate battle after a green-white checkered finish. Roush and the No. 1 were released together, with Roush being named as the No. 1. Due to NASCAR's four team limit and Roush Fenway Racing's exemption that allowed a 5th team, there was 26 players at the end of the season. Following his dissatisfaction with Roush-Fenway Racing and Ganassi's agreement, McMurray has chosen Chip Ganassi for a second shot. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing is a racing team that competes for his merged team.

McMurray was the No. 10 in 2010 before being transferred to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the No. 10 chassis. Martin Truex Jr. McMurray resurfaced with Chip Ganassi after he competed in the 2010 24 Hours of Daytona for the first time since 2005; it was the first time he had been with Ganassi since 2005.

McMurray would start the year off with a bang in 2005, his first appearance for Ganassi since 2005. He led for only two laps, the few in Daytona 500 history at the time, after stalling Greg Biffle and his new sponsors for giving him another shot. At Las Vegas, McMurray mistakenly collided with new colleague Juan Pablo Montoya. McMurray apologised, but Montoya said after the race that he felt like McMurray wasn't helping the team much, although later they improved. McMurray came close to winning the Aaron's 499 this spring, but Kevin Harvick came close to beating him in a.011-second drag race to the finish line. McMurray led the 27 laps. Harvick went below the yellow line when he passed by McMurray's car owner Felix Sabates, but NASCAR denied it.

McMurray finished second behind Kurt Busch in the Coca-Cola 600 in May and had a few other top-ten finishes before winning the Brickyard 400 in the same year, the first time anyone has beat the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400. Chip Ganassi became the first owner to win both races (with McMurray) and the Indianapolis 500 (with Dario Franchitti) in the same year. Kyle Busch was able to win the Great Clips 300 in the Nationwide Series at Atlanta in September. Despite the fact that he did not make the Chase, he did win the Bank of America 500 at the site of his first victory, Charlotte Motor Speedway. McMurray finished 14th in the standings with three victories, nine Top 5s, and 12 top tens.

McMurray was on the No. 2 in 2011, after a multi-year contract with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing to continue driving the No. 1 Chevrolet. He captured the pole at Martinsville, where he finished 7th in the Goody's Fast Relief 500. McMurray named Joplin as one of his racing sponsors to support his town after the devastating tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, killing McMurray's home city. While fighting Matt Kenseth for the race lead, he blew his engine during the Coca-Cola 600. McMurray came close to winning the Brickyard 400 in July by passing Paul Menard with nine laps left, but Menard took the lead with four laps remaining, and McMurray finished 4th, marking a good run in July. When McMurray was asked about his finish, he congratulated Menard publicly during the run. McMurray's second season with Earnardt Ganassi Racing was a letdown compared to his first; he had only four Top 10s and finished in 27th in points, with four others.

McMurray's 2012 was not much better. He began the season off with a crash in the Daytona 500. McMurray's first week in Phoenix had an accident before blowing an engine; he then finished in both Las Vegas and Bristol in a series of 7th-place finishes. He would not post another top ten until the Pocono race in June. McMurray dominated Talladega in the fall race, but Harvick spun McMurray in the final laps; McMurray ended the season with only three Top 10s and no victories.

McMurray began his season on a low note by crashing in the Daytona 500 on lap 33, relegating him to a 32nd-place finish at Phoenix, followed by a 22nd-place finish. McMurray's finish at Las Vegas, the year's third race, was an improvement. Despite spinning out in the middle of the season, he reached his 10th-place finish at Bristol this week; this was his first Top ten of the season. McMurray won a season-best 7th place in Martinsville despite being involved in a young collision with Clint Bowyer early in the season. McMurray then had a 16th-place finish at Texas and a seventh-place finish at Kansas, taking him up to three Top 10 and six top 20 finishes.

In the non-points-paying 2013 Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway, McMurray came home first. The Cup was his first since the 2010 Bank of America 500, which also took place at Charlotte, with the winning streak leading all 40 laps. In the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, he will finish eighth. McMurray would finish in 19th place in the Coca-Cola 600 and a 33rd-place finish at Dover, both in 19th place. At Pocono, he finished 13th overall, with a 13th-place finish. McMurray led 21 laps but finished 33rd after a late crash in Michigan. McMurray was barely beaten by Marcos Ambrose to win his first pole of the season this week.

McMurray finished second with two strong runs, including a runner-up finish to Matt Kenseth at Kentucky, and then the Coke Zero 400, where he led 10 laps and finished seventh. He finished at New Hampshire in a good 12th-place finish.

McMurray beat Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in October, snapping a 108-race winless streak. This was his seventh victory and fourth on a restrictor plate (with victories at Daytona and 2010 as well as Talladega in November 2009).

McMurray had a slow start to the 2014 season, finishing 14th at Daytona after a last lap crash, although he finished in top ten at Fontana. His results at the All-Star Race have increased. McMurray led 40% of the 90 lap race, passed over leader Carl Edwards on the final restart, and kept Kevin Harvick off for $1,370,400 after starting in the Top 10. He was very emotional about his victory and praised his pit crew for his victory, thanking his new crew chief Keith Rodden.

McMurray went wrong on lap 165 of the FedEx 400, causing his car to turn sideways. The resulting pothole, which was 8 in.x 10 in.x., resulted in a red flag that lasted 22 minutes and 22 seconds.

McMurray captured the pole for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 for his first pole of the 2014 season and his tenth pole of his career on June 21, 2014. McMurray's debut at New Hampshire ranked 16th in the overall rankings, despite a solid 5th finish. McMurray had a car to beat, led the most laps (148), and had the lead with 67 laps to go, but fell toward the end of the competition and finished eighth. McMurray had a good start to the season, winning a Top 10 at Homestead Miami. He came in 18th in overall rankings, seven points behind his teammate Kyle Larson.

McMurray's second swap in two years brought about another crew change in 2015. Former RCR Engineer Matt McCall is the newest crew chief on the team. McMurray's year started off poorly with finishes in 27th and 40th at Daytona and Atlanta, after being involved in two accidents. He scored his 11th at Las Vegas and earned his 11th. He ran with Kevin Harvick for the victory but ended in 2nd in the fourth race of the season (Phoenix). He was ranked 21st at Auto Club in the 21st century. However, he had a good run, his 10th at Martinsville, Texas, a sixth at Bristol, and a fourth at Richmond, where it appeared that McMurray was one of the few drivers to challenge winner Kurt Busch. At Talladega, he came in 11th. McMurray finished 7th in the standings after ten races, the highest he had ever been since the second race of 2010. He had a 44-point advantage over 17th in position over 17th.

McMurray's 13th-place finish at Kansas began in the summer portion of the season. After leading Segment 3, he finished 16th at the All-Star race. In the Coco-Cola 600, he came in 19th place. Afterward, McMurray had a good run, finishing seventh at Dover, Pocono, and Michigan consecutively. He finished 11th at Sonoma after a tire leak early in the season's schedule put a wrench in the team's plans. McMurray's car was involved in a nine-car accident and was forced to a backup vehicle for the Coke Zero 400 in Daytona next week; the backup vehicle was slowed during the race, and he was involved in multiple major accidents. Despite this, McMurray was able to finish 15th despite the majority of the field being involved in disasters. McMurray came in sixth place in points after 17 races, the highest winless driver in the points. He had an 85-point cushion over Aric Almirola. After starting 7th, McMurray finished 14th at Kentucky, placing him 14th. McMurray dropped one spot in the standings to seventh place in seventh place. McMurray had hoped to finish first in New Hampshire until he lost a cylinder in his engine and finished 26th. As a result, he finished 9th in the standings. Due to his 40th birthday at Watkins Glen, he didn't pick up many points in the next two races. He resurfaced at Bristol for an 11th birthday, putting him in 10th place in the driver standings. For the first time in his career, he made the Chase, ranking 12th in the standings.

McMurray's debut in Chicago began 13th and ended 16th. He started 23rd and finished 14th in New Hampshire, and he continued his journey to New Hampshire. He started 11th in qualifying for the rain. He came in 11th in the points, just two points over the cut line for who would be banned from the Chase going into the Contender Round, and one point above Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was on the cutoff line. McMurray will be locked in a burgeoning battle for supremacy over the final transfer spot during the run. In the end, Earnhardt came third and McMurray fourth, tying them in points, which was ruled out in favor of Earnhardt, which dropped McMurray from the Chase.

McMurray was a guest analyst on NBC for the Xfinity Series race in Chicagoland on September 19, 2015.

McMurray's finish in 24th place was expected at 1 lap down in Martinsville. McMurray got back on the lead lap and had the fastest car in the field after a warning with less than 50 laps to go triggered by Matt Kenseth intentionally wrecking Joey Logano. McMurray, the fastest car on the track, came second, behind Jeff Gordon, who came second, behind him.

McMurray took home 17th place at Daytona in the 2016 season. He finished 16th, 16th, and 21st in the first three events before winning his first top ten at Fontana, his first tenth. McMurray will spin in Martinsville and finish outside the top 20. McMurray will be involved in the big one in Talladega after finishing in the top 20 in the first three races. However, he will return to his fourth position, his first top-five finish, and his second top ten of the year.

McMurray's first two weeks were challenging, as he was suspended by NASCAR and ordered to compensate damage caused by a crewman who body slammed the car (NASCAR determined this was an unlawful body modification). He spent the remainder of the season trying to catch up and eventually ending in 26th. He was caught up in the big one at Dover and ended several laps behind in 21st, a record that was unbeatable. McMurray will finish ninth at Michigan after three runs. McMurray would compete at Daytona after a seventeenth birthday, but Kyle Larson and Jimmie Johnson will turn him on, causing the big one.

McMurray's heat will heat up as the summer heat starts to fade. In a fuel mileage runoff at Kentucky, he came in seventh place. A good 6th position in New Hampshire will allow him to fall even higher before his opponents. However, a spin at Indy and Chris Buescher winning at Pocono didn't help, but McMurray did finish in the top 20 for both races. McMurray will then finish third in a row at Watkins Glen, Bristol, and Michigan, allowing McMurray to place Ryan Newman in the chase standings. This will be great, as Kyle Larson won at Michigan, McMurray will be up 15 points in, ahead of Newman. Eventually, Newman seemed to be in contention until he was suspended for an inspection and docked a significant number of points, giving McMurray a big advantage over Newman who finished seventh and just barely clinching the 16th and final Chase position. At Dover, poor finishes at Chicagoland and New Hampshire put him in a must-win situation, but McMurray's engine exploded midway through the race, ending his Chase hopes.

McMurray competed as a Fox NASCAR analyst for the Xfinity Series of races in Las Vegas. McMurray's first top 5 finish at the GEICO 500 came when he managed to save the Big One and finish second to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in an overtime finish. McMurray climbed to fifth in the standings after Dover, the highest he had ever been in the standings at this time in the year. McMurray claimed nine top-ten finishes in the first 16 races of the year, adding another top-five effort at Michigan. McMurray would finish 14th in the Daytona night race, behind all drivers in front of him except Jimmie Johnson. He scored his 11th top-ten of the year at Kentucky. McMurray started to fade closer to the cut line of the recently renamed Playoffs throughout the regular season, but he did manage to secure a Playoff spot for the third year in a row. McMurray continued to excel, making it to the first round of the Playoffs for the first time in his career. He ranked in the top-five at Charlotte until Erik Jones' two tragedies at Talladega and Kansas knocked him out. McMurray ranked 12th in the top tens and three top-five finishes this year, out of 12th in the standings, with 17 top tens and three top-fives.

McMurray's 2018 season was his worst since 2011 and 2012, with top-fives at the 2018 O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 in Texas and 8 top-10s. He also missed the playoffs, finishing 20th in the points standings. McMurray was involved in a seven-flip rollover accident at Talladega Superspeedway during training for the GEICO 500, resulting in NASCAR trying to reduce speeds for the race by changing the restrictor plates used. Kurt Busch would replace Jamie McMurray after leaving Stewart-Haas Racing at the end of the season.

McMurray revealed on September 10, 2018 that he would not return to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2019. Before moving to a leadership role with the team, CGR had offered McMurray a contract to drive at the 2019 Daytona 500.

McMurray would eventually retire from full-time Cup Series racing and then sign a deal with Fox Sports to appear on their weekday and raceday NASCAR teams, in addition to his leadership duties with Ganassi. Chip Ganassi Racing formed a joint venture with Spire Motorsports in January 2019 to field the No. 102. At the Daytona 500, McMurray's highest finisher was 40. McMurray led a few laps in the race but finished 22nd.

Spire, he returned to the Daytona 500 in 2021, as the No. 00, driving the No. 77. In his second Top 10 finish in the Daytona 500, he finished eighth after starting 19th.

McMurray will lead the team in the 24 Hours of Daytona for the team in the No. 4 series, Chip Ganassi Racing announced on January 4, 2014. Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, and Sage Karam also drove the 01 vehicle. "It's the most exciting sport I can run all year long," McMurray said at the team's announcement. There are no points for us, and winning is the most important thing. What makes it such a good time? You'll see guys all year round and they'll be here all year round, so you can eat lunch with them, hang out, and stuff like that. It's amusing to be a part of it." McMurray took the No. 1 in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2015. Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, and Cup coworker Kyle Larson appeared in a 02 car. The team would win the Daytona 500 and 24 Hours of Daytona, and McMurray joined A. J. Foyt and Mario Andretti as the only drivers to win the Daytona 500 and 24 Hours of Daytona (they will be joined by Jeff Gordon two years later). McMurray will also ride for the team in the 2016 24 Hours of Daytona.

Broadcast career

McMurray left Chip Ganassi Racing at the end of the 2018 season to join Fox Sports as an analyst for their Fox NASCAR broadcast team, beginning in 2019. He will appear in the NASCAR RaceDay pre-race show and the NASCAR Race Hub midweek preview.

Motorsports career results

(Bold) (Bold): (Bold – Pole position earned by qualifying time) (Bold – Primary) (Bold – Key) Italics – Pole position earned by points earned or practice time. Most laps led.)

* The season is still in progress. Ineligible for series points

Bold – the most important (overall finish/class finish) – was on pole position, with the pole position.

(Key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate the fastest lap)

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