The wave of success Jamie McMurray rode from coast to coast hasn’t broken yet.
Fresh from his dramatic victory in last Sunday’s Daytona 500, McMurray put his No. 1 Chevrolet on the pole during Friday’s qualifying session at Auto Club Speedway.
With a lap at 183.744 mph (39.185 seconds), McMurray edged Earnhardt Ganassi Racing teammate Juan Pablo Montoya (183.477 mph) for the top starting spot in Sunday’s Auto Club 500, the second points race of the sprint cup season. NASCAR
“I feel very blessed that I can be in this position and get to drive these race cars,” McMurray said.
After winning last Sunday’s Daytona 500, McMurray endured a hectic week with media obligations, including appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman and Live with Regis and Kelly, in New York, and then several other obligations in Los Angeles before heading to the Southern California track for the Auto Club 500.
McMurray made his debut with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing at Daytona. He replaced Martin Truex Jr. in the No.1 Chevrolet at the conclusion of last season. MiamiHerald.com
Clint Bowyer qualified third in another Chevy, which has an engine also built by Earnhardt-Childress Racing, like the ones in McMurray and Montoya’s cars.
Kasey Kahne was fourth in his No. 9 Ford, followed by Dave Blaney in a Toyota. The highest-qualifying Dodge was Sam Hornish Jr. in eighth.
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER BOATS IMPALA
ON HIS RUN:
“Well, I thought the car was a little bit too tight in Turns 1 and 2 to have a chance to be on the pole. I got through Turns 3 and 4 really well, but 1 and 2 were a little bit tight. Honestly, I am so amazed at the week I’ve had and then to come here and to be able to be on the pole, I really can’t believe it. It’s pretty awesome.”
DID THE TRACK PICK UP AT ALL FROM EARLIER IN QUALIFYING? WAS IT GETTING BETTER AS TEMPERATURES DROPPED?
“No, honestly I thought if anything, the guys went out at the first few cars had a little advantage. It seemed like the sun came out from about car ten to car 30 or so, right after me. I really thought that those guys who went out in the beginning had a little advantage. It was that way here, I believe, in the fall actually; the first few guys were really good. And then the sun was out toward the end so the track got better. But the track was really perfect when Juan (Pablo Montoya) and I went out.”
YOU KNEW MONTOYA’S SET UP WAS GOOD, BUT THAT’S REALLY THE RACE SET-UP MORE THAN QUALIFYING. THIS IS JUST OVER THE TOP
“Yeah, I had not driven one of these cars at anything bigger than DisneyWorld, which is a one-mile track. We tested at New Smyrna and DisneyWorld and you come to a big place like this and you don’t really know what to expect. But the good thing is that everywhere we’ve been I really have like the No. 42 car set up, or what Juan and Brian (Pattie) have developed. And so we just unloaded here very similar to what they had, with a couple of small things different, and we just adjusted from there. And it was just really good. But honestly, when I went out I hoped to get in the top 7. I felt like we had a top 7 car and if we ran a good lap, we would be in the top 7, so being on the pole is really unexpected.”
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Auto Club 500 at Fontana - Race Line-Up
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