Streaking away from an intense battle with polesitter Carl Edwards to open the final 10-lap segment Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Jamie McMurray won the Sprint All-Star Race—and the million-dollar-plus prize that goes with the victory—for the first time in his career.
McMurray held off fast-closing Kevin Harvick, who crossed the finish line .696 seconds behind the race winner.
Matt Kenseth ran third, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Edwards and four-time Sprint All-Star Race winner Jimmie Johnson.
Earlier in the day, McMurray’s son carter had asked the driver what his plans for the day were.
"He asked me what I was going to do today, so I asked him what he was going to do today," said McMurray, who has tallied two of his seven Sprint Cup victories in points races at Charlotte. "And he said, ‘Oh, I’m going to play in my sandbox. What are you going to do, Dad?’
"I said, ‘I’m going to race for a million bucks, Carter.’ It’s so cool that we were actually able to win."
The advantage McMurray opened after his breathtaking three-lap battle against Edwards gave him enough margin to hold off Harvick, who was closing fast in the final laps.
"It was three or four of the hardest laps I've ever driven in my racing career," McMurray said.
It was first-year crew chief Keith Rodden’s strategy, however, that put McMurray in position to win. After a pit stop on Lap 26, McMurray didn’t take four tires again until the break between the final two segments, and on that final stop, superb work by his crew got him off pit road second and in a position to challenge Edwards for the lead.
"Keith Rodden made some great calls tonight," said team owner Chip Ganassi, a Sprint All-Star Race winner for the first time. "The call was really made in segment 2 (the Lap 26 stop for tires) for him to be able to win the race."
That call enabled McMurray to get by with two tires or to stay out between segments until the final stop.
"Keith did an unbelievable job," McMurray said. "He was a huge secret in the garage (as an engineer at Hendrick Motorsports), and I’m so glad that I get the opportunity to work with him. We’ve had good cars all year long. We had some bad luck.
"But this is one of those races that makes up for a lot of bad times." (NASCAR Media)
McMurray held off fast-closing Kevin Harvick, who crossed the finish line .696 seconds behind the race winner.
Matt Kenseth ran third, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Edwards and four-time Sprint All-Star Race winner Jimmie Johnson.
Earlier in the day, McMurray’s son carter had asked the driver what his plans for the day were.
"He asked me what I was going to do today, so I asked him what he was going to do today," said McMurray, who has tallied two of his seven Sprint Cup victories in points races at Charlotte. "And he said, ‘Oh, I’m going to play in my sandbox. What are you going to do, Dad?’
"I said, ‘I’m going to race for a million bucks, Carter.’ It’s so cool that we were actually able to win."
The advantage McMurray opened after his breathtaking three-lap battle against Edwards gave him enough margin to hold off Harvick, who was closing fast in the final laps.
"It was three or four of the hardest laps I've ever driven in my racing career," McMurray said.
It was first-year crew chief Keith Rodden’s strategy, however, that put McMurray in position to win. After a pit stop on Lap 26, McMurray didn’t take four tires again until the break between the final two segments, and on that final stop, superb work by his crew got him off pit road second and in a position to challenge Edwards for the lead.
"Keith Rodden made some great calls tonight," said team owner Chip Ganassi, a Sprint All-Star Race winner for the first time. "The call was really made in segment 2 (the Lap 26 stop for tires) for him to be able to win the race."
That call enabled McMurray to get by with two tires or to stay out between segments until the final stop.
"Keith did an unbelievable job," McMurray said. "He was a huge secret in the garage (as an engineer at Hendrick Motorsports), and I’m so glad that I get the opportunity to work with him. We’ve had good cars all year long. We had some bad luck.
"But this is one of those races that makes up for a lot of bad times." (NASCAR Media)
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