Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global

McMurray escapes Talladega with a much-needed top five

Jamie McMurray feels fortunate.

Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet pit action

Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet pit action

Action Sports Photography

Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Roush Fenway Racing Ford, Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet crash
Danica Patrick, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet crashed car
Casey Mears, Germain Racing Chevrolet crash
Regan Smith, Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet crash
Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota

He was “only caught up in one of the wrecks” that led to eight of 10 cautions at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday. 

Still trying to sort out what even happened

That melee was a 21-car incident that started between Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson on Lap 161.

“And I don’t know exactly what happened in the other two,” said McMurray. “Honestly, I don’t even know what happened in mine. I was so lucky that I got hit in the back and I spun to the bottom, but it didn’t tear-up the front-end. It didn’t tear the splitter up. 

“And I don’t know that my car was faster afterwards, but it didn’t seem to hurt it any.”

WATCH WRECK

The result? McMurray finished a season-high fourth in a year where Ganassi Racing has little to celebrate. Still, one would expect McMurray to be solid at Talladega — a track where he’s earned two of his seven career Cup wins. 

Sure, McMurray has been consistent. His average finish of 14.9 has enabled the No. 1 McDonald’s team to remain in the Chase Zone since Las Vegas — the third race of the season. Although McMurray posted his second top-10 of the season on Sunday, he hasn’t had the speed to lead a lap in 2016. 

That didn’t seem to matter in the Geico 500.

“The thing that’s a little bit tough about the current package is that when you get locked together, it’s hard to beat the guys that aren’t locked together,” McMurray said. “When you could get locked together, it was a big advantage. 

“So I think guys get a little aggressive when you get towards the end with not necessarily locking together easy, it’s just like slamming, like maybe we used to do. And with the little amount of downforce that we have it’s so easy for the car to get out from underneath you.”

Surprising aspects of Sunday's race

Two aspects of the racing surprised McMurray, the number of cars going airborne and the increasing use of slam-drafting — a practice which appeared to be on the decline. 

“Well, at the beginning of the race it’s not as big of a deal because you know that when you see the run coming, you know they’re going to lift a little bit,” McMurray said. “When we got down to the end there, I was just death-gripping the wheel and trying to hold it straight because every time you get hit, it gets turned a little bit, a different direction. 

“And you have to be a little bit lucky there. It’s not all ability.”

Still, the 39-year-old veteran, who is currently 13th in the standings, didn’t feel that Sunday’s race was any crazier than usual.

“I thought it was typical,” McMurray said. “I thought we had a few more wrecks than normal. I laugh because everyone is pretty calm until we get to halfway because we all want to get to halfway. And then it got a little bit wild after that. 

“But it’s just plate racing. And honestly, when you look back at all of these restrictor plate races, you have a lot of wrecks that just don’t happen. And today we had a lot of wrecks, and they happened.”

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article SHR competition director "very proud" of Ty Dillon's role as Stewart's substitute
Next article Earnhardt retiring Amelia to his car graveyard after two big hits at Talladega

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global