July 14
JIM PEDLEY, Kansas City Star: McMurray, 31, insisted Friday at Chicagoland Speedway, site of Sunday’s Cup race, that he never stressed out. He says he absolutely knew that things would come together and that more victories would be forthcoming.
Even so, when McMurray, from Joplin, Mo., ended his 166-race winless streak last Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, he exhaled a typhoon.
“I probably won’t go to sleep tonight,” he said afterward. “I’ll probably go home and just think about it.”
July 11
Auto Racing Daily: The emphasis on winning continues as more drivers rack up victories in the Race to the Chase. Jamie McMurray became the latest season winner with his stirring victory at Daytona. Twelve drivers have won NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races this season, potentially earning 10 valuable bonus points for each victory – nine are currently in the top 12 in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championship point standings.
July 10
Auto Racing Daily: “Chicago hasn’t always been the best track for me. I ran well there back in 2003, but since then, I haven’t been able to produce a strong finish. Last year at Chicago, we had a pretty bad weekend altogether. However, this year, we have a whole different team and a whole set of new cars. The car we are taking this weekend is the same car that we ran eighth with at Michigan a few weeks ago. It’s a really strong car and should handle well at Chicago.
July 10
Auto Racing Daily: “I think everybody in the top 15 thinks they are going to make the Chase,” McMurray said. “If you’re within a couple hundred points, you feel like you can make that up. I think we’re running well enough to make it, but you can’t make any mistakes or have any failures.”
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