McMurray Shows Off Planes, But Has Martinsville Speedway On His Mind

Like fast cars, fast airplanes are a vital part of Jamie McMurray’s life.

Like most NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, McMurray depends on private air travel to get back and forth to races, sponsor appearances and test sessions. McMurray spent a few hours Tuesday touring the Cessna Citation Service Center in Greensboro, NC, talking about airplanes and racing as part of a media event touting the upcoming Goody’s® Headache Relief Shot® 500  at Martinsville Speedway.

“All the teams, drivers, owners, everyone flies privately to almost all the races,” said McMurray, who has Cessna as one of the primary sponsors on his Chevrolet. “There are a few (races) close enough you can drive to, but for the most part, with the way the schedule works, it would almost be impossible to do it on a commercial plane. So private aircraft are a necessity.”

McMurray doesn’t even try to hide his excitement about this fall’s visit to Martinsville Speedway. It is admittedly his favorite track, and the numbers back that up. While he doesn’t have a Sprint Cup win on the legendary half-mile oval, he’s been in the top 10 in more than half of his 23 starts, has a second to his credit and won a pole. He also has a Martinsville Speedway NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win, capturing one of his two truck starts at Martinsville.

“I like it because I’ve run well there and it kind of reminds you of what you grew up doing, which is the same for all of us,” said McMurray. “It’s one of those tracks where you see guys get roughed up. It’s also one of the few tracks we go to that you don’t hear guys talk about getting tight behind other cars because the speeds are slower. And it seems at Martinsville if you get a really good handling car, you can overcome track position.”

McMurray missed making the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup this season, but he was unfazed by it. In fact, it’s like he’s been re-energized the past few weeks. He has finished fourth in two out of the last three races and has been in the top 10 all three of those events.

“Your goals are no different than they were at the Daytona 500,” McMurray said of his mindset after missing out on the Chase. “You go every week to win whether you are in the Chase or not. It’s all about winning.”

Martinsville Speedway PR