Jamie McMurray had a 2010 season that most drivers dream of. After not knowing where he would be running at the end of 2009, McMurray ended up back with Chip Ganassi and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.
The move proved to be one of the smartest off season pick ups in a very long time. McMurray pulled off the improbable and won on NASCAR grandest stage; the Daytona 500.
His emotional post race celebration was the talk of drivers and fans. The following three races didn’t go exactly as planned; after winning the pole at California he finishes 17th.
His next two races were finishes of 29th and 24th and he went from leading the points to 19th in the standings.
McMurray needed a jump start as what was looking like a dream season was becoming a major struggle.
In the next six races he only had two top 10 finishes which included a dramatic second place finish at Talladega. Still he was buried 19th in the points and the team couldn’t figure out the missing pieces.
Heading into Darlington Raceway, McMurray earned his second pole of the season and another runner up position.
The trend in 2010 for McMurray was quickly becoming fast on Friday but slow on Sunday. He wasn’t gaining points on the top 12.
When he wasn’t finishing in the top five, he would finish outside top 20. Heading back to Daytona, McMurray was looking forward but also well aware of what he had accomplished so far in 2010.
“It's amazing because in some respects it may have been an up-and-down year [so far], but when I think of up-and-down years, I think of people who run well one week and then run poorly the next. And for our team, I can honestly say that every week we've just had really, really fast cars. With not only the win, but three second-place finishes and two poles -- that's just really good stuff and it's hard to put that together in the first 10 or 12 races of a year. But we've just had poor finishes to go along with it”
Well McMurray wasn’t done winning in 2010, the Brickyard 400. The annual trek to middle Indiana allows men who drive stocks cars to live out their open wheel dreams.
McMurray pulled off another huge win and once again his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya was watching from pit lane.
McMurray was “money” in the biggest races of the year. Still even with his two huge wins, McMurray wasn’t a Chase factor and those poor finishes were adding up.
McMurray missed the Chase but stole the spotlight at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October. While everyone else was focusing on the Chasers and their troubles McMurray came in and won the race.
Even with his three wins in 2010 it wouldn’t be enough. Any driver would kill to win the races McMurray won but in this sport, it’s all about making the Chase.
In the final 10 races of the season he logged just three top 10 finishes. In the end he did finish 14th in the standings. McMurray has said he wouldn’t change a thing about this past season and all that has accomplished.
Maybe that is true but this team if they want to win the big races and be championship contenders; they need to find a way to take the speed on Friday and turn it into a whole race.
In 2010, he led 346 laps, spent 54 percent of the laps in the top 15. His average start was 13.4 and his average finish was 16.4. Along with his three wins, he had nine top fives and 12 top 10 finishes.
The numbers say McMurray had a career year, that what he did might not ever be done again. That being said there is still work to be done here. This team had fast race cars but struggled to put together complete races.
When they fell behind on adjustments they were often times unable to make it back up. If this team wants to be serious contenders they need to work on the whole package.
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