Jamie McMurray getting closer to elusive Chase berth
FONTANA, Calif. – Less than three miles from Auto Club Speedway, Jamie McMurray was served filet mignon by a waiter who seemed to have no idea who he was.
A pianist played mood music and diners focused on their food at the upscale New York Grill, paying no mind to a driver who is a former Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 champion.
Then again, McMurray doesn't call much attention to himself. He never has. And to be fair, his results haven't exactly grabbed any headlines in the last few years.
But McMurray and his Chip Ganassi Racing team are seemingly running at their highest level since 2010, and the veteran driver could finally make his first career Chase for the Sprint Cup this season.
Perhaps it could even be clinched Sunday in the Auto Club 400.
"Two years ago, if you'd said we were going to win Fontana, I maybe would have questioned that because I didn't feel like our cars were running that well," McMurray said before digging into a fruit-topped crème brulee. "I feel like we'll win this weekend. If we do everything right, we'll put ourselves in position and be able to win."
McMurray made those remarks before he ever got into his No. 1 Chevrolet at ACS, when he qualified a disappointing 26th with a car that suddenly got too tight. But his optimism is a testament to his increased confidence this season. Together with new crew chief Matt McCall, McMurray has been fast in every downforce race so far.
"It's the first time in my career where you've unloaded and been fast consistently," McMurray said. "Everyone has a good weekend here and there, but for the first three races to be batting 1.000, it's exceptional."
His competitors have noticed. Defending Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick referenced CGR co-owner Felix Sabates' preseason prediction, in which he declared both McMurray and sophomore teammate Kyle Larson would win and make their first Chase appearances.
"I think they are running well enough to do that, too," Harvick said Friday.
And Jeff Gordon said the mix of McMurray and Larson has made for a good combination that is "showing some real speed."
"You can see him really pushing the limits of it and being aggressive," Gordon said. "That is usually the sign of somebody that feels confident in their car and the speed that is there and their own abilities. I definitely think that they have turned the corner and have made improvements."
It's been a journey for CGR to reach that point, and its baby steps have been well-documented over the past few seasons. McMurray had his best career season in 2010, when he won three races and finished 14th in the standings.
Then the performance dropped off. He's won just one points race in the last four-plus seasons — a restrictor-plate victory at Talladega Superspeedway — though he did win the exhibition All-Star Race last year.
But last year, CGR showed signs of improvement. McMurray had even more top-10s in 2014 (13) than he did in 2010 (12) and had his best career average starting position: 7.8.
The only problem was his average finish: 20th.
"Our cars were really good last year, but we didn't do a good enough job of getting the finish out of it that we need," he said.
Through it all, McMurray's demeanor hardly changes. Whether he's struggling or having success, McMurray tries to draw a line between what happens at the racetrack and what happens in the rest of his life.
For example: He calls Matt Kenseth his best friend in the garage, and says the best part of their friendship is they never talk about racing. And McMurray said he and wife Christy "have maybe talked about racing five times since we've been married (in 2009)."
He laughs when people suggest that means he might not care as much as he should, because the 38-year-old said he thinks about racing night and day (McCall said the driver often sends racing-related emails at 5:30 a.m.).
"I'm not the guy who goes and says at media day that this is what we're going to do," he said. "I think all those things, but I don't boast about them or brag about it."
McMurray said he likes to talk racing with the people who know it best – his crew at the CGR shop. He typically stops into the shop on Monday or Tuesday each week to make the rounds and chat about the latest developments.
It's a more frequent appearance than many drivers make in the shop, McCall said – a comment which surprised McMurray, who doesn't think he's doing anything out of the ordinary.
But it's further proof how much McMurray does care, even if he doesn't always display his emotions like other drivers.
"I spend every day of my life thinking about racing and what we're going to do this weekend," he said. "I just don't talk about it."