Taking over the duty of your childhood legend can always be titillating. It was for Jamie McMurray as well 22 years ago. He is mainly known for his microphone duties on FOX Sports, and in 2025, he was in the CW booth. Yet once upon a time, McMurray was known for emitting brilliance on the wheel. And his big break into the Cup Series involved dramatically crossing his fears.
Jamie McMurray ended his career in 2018 with 7 Cup Series wins, 63 top-five finishes, and 168 top-10 finishes. But as jaw-dropping as his stats seem, acquiring them was by no means easy. McMurray recounted his first year of experience in NASCAR’s top level, which involved filling the shoes of a seasoned veteran.
When Jamie McMurray bit his nails
Sterling Marlin kicked off his NASCAR career with a 1983 Rookie of the Year award. Working with star-studded team owners like Junior Johnson and winning the 1984 Daytona 500 were part of his resume. In 2001, he entered Chip Ganassi Racing when the latter became the newest Dodge team. Together, they picked up two wins in 2001, setting the pace for a more brilliant 2002 season. Marlin won two races and was well on his way to clinching a championship until disaster struck in Richmond, where he slammed into the Turn 3 wall. Then, in Kansas, a crash resulted in a broken vertebrae in his back. Not only was his title ambition snuffed out, but Marlin had to bow out of the rest of the 2002 season. Enter, Jamie McMurray.
At that time, Jamie McMurray was a youngster from Joplin, Missouri with laurels in the NASCAR Busch Series. He had dominated Rockingham in four consecutive races – but when Chip Ganassi approached him with Sterline Marlin’s ride, McMurray bit his nails. He recalled to Kevin Harvick in a recent interview: “My life had changed so much in like, 30 days…then I got this offer to go to Ganassi. They were like, ‘By the way, you’re gonna get in Sterling’s car.’ Sterling was always, I don’t wanna say hero, but Sterling was always legend for me growing up. I remember me being nervous to even meet (him), and then to get in his car…this is like if you’re a Late Model guy, they ask you to get in Kyle Larson’s car, seems unattainable.”
Sterling Martin – Wikipedia
Jamie McMurray was so nervous that his health spiraled. “My stomach was so upset, I spent time in this port-a-john.” However, he did well. Starting from the third place in Talladega, he kept his car off the wall and finished 26th in his Cup Series debut. But the real challenge came in Charlotte, as McMurray said, “Going to Charlotte the next week…it was my worst racetrack. I didn’t like Charlotte; if you had to base speed, it was my slowest racetrack. It’s rough, it’s bouncy, and I missed the corner, slide up the racetrack. And we made 2 or 3 runs, and we’re last. I left the pits, and I’m like, ‘Wow, this is so slow.’”
But it turned out to be a jaw-dropping surprise. Jamie McMurray started in 5th, took the lead on lap 212, snatching it from Dale Earnhardt Sr. Then he beat legends like Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin, and others. Finally, he took the lead from Martin on lap 304 and won the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. McMurray recalled, “It all worked out for me…It went from my worst racetrack to statistically my best racetrack.”
Clearly, Jamie McMurray bounced from an unsure youngster to a NASCAR star. Another such youngster is looking for his big break in the Cup Series.
Hints of an upgrade are ramping up
One person is reigning in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series right now. That is none other than Corey Heim, the 23-year-old Tricon Garage speedster. He has dominated 6 race victories this season, from the season-opening race in Daytona to last weekend’s venture in Watkins Glen. Currently occupying the 1st place in championship standings, Heim may finally clinch that elusive title which has escaped from him so many times. At the same time, his career may be in line for an upgrade. This is linked with rumors of Legacy Motor Club buying the Haas Factory Team. Jimmie Johnson’s team may do this to add another charter, and Heim may be a first ballot candidate.
That is what Kevin Harvick, 2014 Cup Series champion, indicated recently. He outlined Corey Heim’s imminent career shift, “With Legacy (Motor Club) buying Haas (Factory Team), we don’t know if that’s true or not. But rumors over the last couple of weeks with Legacy buying Haas are who’s the third driver there? If they are buying it, they’re going to need another driver for a Cup car.” However, Bob Pockrass pointed to another possibility for Heim: “Already signed with 23XI Racing, he will likely have to wait until 2027 to be in a Cup car full-time. Whether he’s in an Xfinity car full-time in 2026 is still TBD.”
Nevertheless, the path seems upward and golden for Corey Heim. Much like Jamie McMurray’s big break in the Cup Series, right?
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