MADISON, Ill. - In 2002, Jamie McMurray made history when, filling in for the injured Sterling Marlin, he took his Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge to Victory Lane at Lowe's Motor Speedway in only his second-career NASCAR Cup Series start. That same year, he ran the full season in what was then the NASCAR Busch Series, winning races at Rockingham and Atlanta, and finishing sixth overall in the series' final points standings. He also made his final appearance at Gateway International Raceway, finishing eighth.
After a six-year absence, Jamie McMurray is coming home.
The Joplin, Mo.-native is returning to GIR July 19 for the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 NASCAR, the 21st race on the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. He joins an impressive list of drivers that include his Roush Fenway Racing teammates Carl Edwards and David Ragan, fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitors Clint Bowyer and David Reutimann, and Joe Gibbs Racing's teen phenom, Joey Logano.
The St. Louis area is like home for McMurray and not just because of Gateway's proximity to his hometown. The two-time Sprint Cup Series winner got his NASCAR start in Foristell, Mo., a straight shot west from GIR down I-70, at the race shop of Mike Mittler and his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team, MB Motorsports. McMurray made his NASCAR debut in 2000 with Mittler and made 15 total starts in the truck owned by the St. Louis native over the next two seasons. In all, the 32-year-old has 24 starts in that series and is one of only a handful of drivers with wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
"It's been a long time since I raced at Gateway and I'm really looking forward to coming back," McMurray said. "I made a lot of great friends there and learned a lot driving for Mike Mittler. I still talk to him when I see him at the track and look forward to seeing him in St. Louis.
"It will be great to come back to such a challenging track and hopefully, I can put the No. 17 CitiFinancial Fusion in Victory Lane in front of a hometown crowd."
McMurray, who celebrated his birthday on Tuesday, is coming off a strong top-ten performance last weekend at Dover International Speedway and is scheduled to make his 200th-career Cup Series start Sunday at Pocono. "It's hard to believe that I'm making my 200th Cup start this weekend at Pocono," he said. "What's harder to believe is there are guys like Ricky Rudd who have made over 900 Cup starts. I feel like I have been racing for a long time in the Sprint Cup series, but when you look at guys like him and Rusty (Wallace) it makes you realize that you haven't been doing it for that long."
To see McMurray and the stars of NASCAR at Gateway International Raceway July 19 for the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250, call 866-35-SPEED or visit GatewayRaceway.com.
After a six-year absence, Jamie McMurray is coming home.
The Joplin, Mo.-native is returning to GIR July 19 for the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 NASCAR, the 21st race on the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. He joins an impressive list of drivers that include his Roush Fenway Racing teammates Carl Edwards and David Ragan, fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitors Clint Bowyer and David Reutimann, and Joe Gibbs Racing's teen phenom, Joey Logano.
The St. Louis area is like home for McMurray and not just because of Gateway's proximity to his hometown. The two-time Sprint Cup Series winner got his NASCAR start in Foristell, Mo., a straight shot west from GIR down I-70, at the race shop of Mike Mittler and his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team, MB Motorsports. McMurray made his NASCAR debut in 2000 with Mittler and made 15 total starts in the truck owned by the St. Louis native over the next two seasons. In all, the 32-year-old has 24 starts in that series and is one of only a handful of drivers with wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
"It's been a long time since I raced at Gateway and I'm really looking forward to coming back," McMurray said. "I made a lot of great friends there and learned a lot driving for Mike Mittler. I still talk to him when I see him at the track and look forward to seeing him in St. Louis.
"It will be great to come back to such a challenging track and hopefully, I can put the No. 17 CitiFinancial Fusion in Victory Lane in front of a hometown crowd."
McMurray, who celebrated his birthday on Tuesday, is coming off a strong top-ten performance last weekend at Dover International Speedway and is scheduled to make his 200th-career Cup Series start Sunday at Pocono. "It's hard to believe that I'm making my 200th Cup start this weekend at Pocono," he said. "What's harder to believe is there are guys like Ricky Rudd who have made over 900 Cup starts. I feel like I have been racing for a long time in the Sprint Cup series, but when you look at guys like him and Rusty (Wallace) it makes you realize that you haven't been doing it for that long."
To see McMurray and the stars of NASCAR at Gateway International Raceway July 19 for the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250, call 866-35-SPEED or visit GatewayRaceway.com.
