McMurray and Ganassi celebrate Daytona 500 victory (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Jamie McMurray had no issues with wearing his emotions on his sleeve after winning the Daytona 500 on Sunday. I do not believe he had a choice. The 33-year-old driver could not hold back the tears even if he had tried.
McMurray became the odd-man out at Roush Fenway Racing almost as soon as NASCAR mandated a four-team cap. His accomplishments paled in comparison to those of his teammates Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards. David Ragan was the young gun with the big money sponsor in UPS. Many critics felt as if McMurray was, for lack of a better term, finished.
McMurray refrained from burning bridges with former employee Chip Ganassi when he gave in to the enticement of Roush Fenway Racing and their vast resources. Roush initially tabbed McMurray as Mark Martin's replacement following the 2005 season; however, plans changed when Kurt Busch decided to leave the Roush camp for Penske Racing. McMurray replaced Busch, and Martin remained in the No. 6 Ford. Conventional logic had McMurray as a championship contender. He marginally missed the Chase for the Championship in 2004 and 2005, and Roush placed all five drivers in the Chase in 2005.
Ganassi put McMurray on the Cup map in 2002 when he signed the young driver and placed him in the No. 40 Coors Light Dodge as Sterling Marlin’s replacement. At the time, Marlin was in the middle of a heated championship battled, but a broken clavicle forced him to sit out the final seven races of the season.
McMurray won in only his second career start by holding off the Joe Gibbs Racing tandem of Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart. McMurray, instantaneously categorized as a future superstar in NASCAR, did not anticipate such a protracted pause in between his first and second career wins.
His unanticipated victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October of 2002 never translated into recurrent trips to victory lane. His second Cup victory occurred nearly five years later at Daytona in July of 2007. By then, he had already left Chip Ganassi Racing for what thought would be greener pastures with Roush Fenway Racing. McMurray never became the championship contender he thought he could be in Roush equipment. He enjoyed sporadic success, and won again at Talladega last fall, but the win could not save him from being the odd-man out in the Roush stables.
When McMurray opted to leave Chip Ganassi Racing following the 2005 season, it appeared as if there could be some tension between the two. Ganassi gave McMurray his first opportunity in the Cup series, and the young driver bolts before his contract is even up for renewal. Clearly, McMurray’s decision did not sit well with Ganassi, and especially minority owner Felix Sabates, who was more vocal regarding McMurray’s departure.
Nevertheless, over the course of the last four years, McMurray and Ganassi continued their friendship, often speaking to one another at the racetrack. Ganassi did not allow the anomalous parting of ways to cloud his judgment of McMurray. In fact, Ganassi pushed hard to bring McMurray to Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing (Chip Ganassi Racing and DEI merged in 2009), selling him to the sponsors.
What many considered as an odd reunion is now off to a stellar beginning, as McMurray charged to the front with a little help from his former Roush comrade Greg Biffle.
Biffle pushed McMurray into the lead and then attempted to pass him as the field took the white flag. Biffle made his move too soon, as his drafting partner Clint Bowyer rapidly switched lanes. Dale Earnhardt Jr, with a push from David Reutimann, found himself on McMurray’s back bumper, but was unable to make a race-winning move before the checkered flag waved.
McMurray captured his fourth career win, but it is unarguably the most significant of his career.
“It’s a dream, it really is. To be where I was last year (unsure about future), and for Johnny Morris (Bass Pro Shops owner), Chip and Felix to take a chance on me and let me come back, what a way to pay them back,” said the jubilant McMurray while celebrating in victory lane.
Ganassi also enjoyed the fruits of victory with the driver he initially believed could be the next big thing nearly eight years ago.
“In terms of bringing Jamie back, like I’ve said earlier, it certainly wasn’t anything acrimonious when he left us…Like Jamie said, from a little boy, you think about winning this race,” said Ganassi, as he won his first Daytona 500 as an owner in NASCAR.
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