I was invited to attend a luncheon / interview with Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray at the Friar’s Club in Manhattan. Cool and collected after his victory on Sunday night, Jamie was a pleasure to chat with as he continues his whirlwind media tour before meeting his race team in Fontana for next Sunday’s race. Here’s some of what he had to say:

 

     On winning the race: He said once he got out front, he was very surprised to see Dale Jr. in his rearview mirror, but knew as he came off of turn 4 that as long as his fuel didn’t run out, he would beat Jr. to the finish line. 

     About the ‘breaks’ to repair the infamous pothole in the track: He said it was nice to be able to get out and take a break, grab a snack and take a restroom break. He said it really didn’t break his concentration, as he was focused on the job of trying to win, even though he was 14th at the time (of the first break).

     He remarked that he wasn’t really prepared for the aftermath with all the interviews and such, and didn’t really have any clean clothes to bring with him on this media tour, but that he and his wife found a Laundromat to wash the clothes they’d brought to Daytona. Since the Victory, they attended various media events in Daytona early Monday, then flew to NY so he could appear on Late Night with Dave Letterman, then appear on Live with Regis and Kelly before coming to the Friar’s Club for this interview. When he was finished with us, he was due to fly to San Francisco for more interviews.

      He spoke at length about switching teams and getting used to working with a new crew chief, but he said he was happy at how well they received him on the team, and I asked if they were helpful with his transition from Roush-Fenway to the Earhardt-Ganassi team. He said that Juan Pablo Montoya was particularly helpful, even though they both have different driving styles, and he said that overall, the team was very helpful to him as he adjusted to their way of doing things. He said the best thing about being a teammate of Juan’s was when the worked together during the 24 Hour Rolex Race at Daytona, because they were able to learn to get used to each other as true teammates, working towards the same goal with the same car, and Jamie felt that was a good learning experience. He said Juan gives 100% of his attention when asked a question, a quality Jamie likes very much. He also said that when they are in their Sprint Cup cars, they are competing against each other, even though they are teammates, because the object there for him as an individual is to win, and to beat Juan just like he is any another competitor, so working together in the Rolex Daytona race was a good experience to help them bond as teammates.

    I then asked if Kevin ‘Bono’ Manion was going to let him drive his Modified, and he said they put a seat he is comfortable with in the Modified. Jamie said knowing how fast a Modified is, he wanted a really good, safe seat in the car before he would try it out. No specific race or date has been selected as yet, but Jamie said he might drive it in the future. There’s something for us to look forward to.

     Further discussion about the delays to repair the track revealed that Jamie was glad he was able to discuss issues about the car face to face with his crew, because it was easier to hash out any issues than it would have been to talk about them on the radio.  He also admitted that he only had a granola bar and a banana as a snack, while Carl Edwards ate 3 turkey sandwiches during those breaks. Carl obviously was quite hungry!

     While he was happy to win the Daytona 500, his goal is to make the Chase, and he knows that means winning on all the different tracks that the series runs. He said he has no worry about being known as a ‘plate racer’, even though 3 of his 4 wins have come in plate races. “It really just matters that you win, no matter if it’s on a mile and a half, Martinsville or a road course, the important thing is to get the wins, and I don’t worry about what kind or size of track we are running.”

     Towards the end, I asked Jamie’s wife Christy how she reacted to seeing him in the front during the closing laps. She said she put her hands over her eyes, just couldn’t watch for fear she might jinx him. I asked her if she even peeked during that time, and she said “Well, a little“, but she knew from the roar of the crowd that he had won when it was over, and that was when she finally looked.

      Some facts about Jamie outside of racing include his love of golf, picked up from his first ever job at a golf course. His golf handicap is a respectable 15, even though he jokes, “It’s really my swing!“ Jamie is also very involved in Autism Speaks, with his foundation having donated over $200,000 to Autism research and awareness. He has also appeared on TV in the soap “Passions”, on “The West Wing”, MTV’s “Cribs” and on the Pyramid show. 

     All in all, a very pleasant interview with a truly nice man, and we wish him luck in his future racing endeavors