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Jamie McMurray: Recounting his Crown Jewel Victories, Becoming a Racing Dad, and a Second Career in the TV Studio
01:12:42
What’s it like when a Daytona 500 & Brickyard 400 winner teaches his son how to race?
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- [00:00]
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- [01:03]
Kenny Wallace
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Kenny Conversation, brought to you by jegs, the leader in high performance aftermarket car parts. Remember to go to JEGS.com and you're looking at him. And we're celebrating today 65 years at JEGS and Jamie McMurray. We're having a Kenny Conversation with you. And Today it's the 65th anniversary of JEGS. Welcome.
- [01:32]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah, I, I would think, Kenny, you would do that intro just once, like really good and just copy and paste that. But you do it every time.
- [01:39]
Kenny Wallace
You know what's funny is, I would think so too. And. And we do the same thing over there on Herman Schrader. Yeah. Well, we're pretty lucky now, Jamie, because, you know, we're collaborating with Dirty Mo, so you'll be on the Dirty Mo podcast, which is good. And then of course, you know, on the Kenny Conversation YouTube show. So, I don't know, maybe one day we'll get to that. But. Well, first of all, you're. You're somewhere. The background just looks beautiful. Where are we talking to you from?
- [02:13]
Jamie McMurray
I'm just at home. Yeah. This. I live in Mooresville. Yeah. So this is. Yeah, just at our house. This is our living room.
- [02:21]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah. Beautiful home. Beautiful ceiling. A lot of work put into that. Well, that's awesome. You know, sometimes when we do these interviews on the YouTube, you know, they know what you look like, but they're Trying to find the secrets out. So they're looking in the background.
- [02:35]
Jamie McMurray
Well, there's. There's no secret here.
- [02:38]
Kenny Wallace
Promise you.
- [02:39]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah.
- [02:39]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah. We want to celebrate you. I called you up. I want to thank you for doing Kenny Conversation. You've had a wonderful racing career, and we're going to remind everybody what you've done. But let's start out like this. Jamie McMurray, 48 years old, and this is one I want to zone in on right away. You are from Joplin, Missouri, right? Kind of right up the road from me. I'm in St. Louis, Missouri. Joplin, Missouri. How in the world did you start your racing career?
- [03:17]
Jamie McMurray
Well, my dad did. He raced everything. Like, he raced drag racing cars, he did stock cars, and he was like. I always joked around that he's kind of like the Sanford and son of racing, because he was just always buying and selling. And as a kid, I never had the same go kart two or three weeks in a row because he would always sell it and buy something different. Sometimes it worked in my favor, sometimes it worked against me. But, you know, I just. I. I loved racing as a kid. I remember watching him as a, you know, just my dad kind of growing up racing, and we started doing go karts when I was 8. And it's so different now. You know, I feel like kids these days try to. They always ask me, like, how'd you get started? And I remember going to the go kart track, and there was, like, three kids I was racing. So just because you won doesn't really mean you. You did a whole lot. They're just, you know, racing has become. Well, not just racing. I would say that every form of. Of. Of, like, activity is professional now. If your kid does baseball or soccer, you hire a coach. Now it's just different than it used to be. But, yeah, so I grew up racing go karts, and we did it as a family. And of course, I'm going through that now with my kid. My dad loved it. Right. Like, we would just go as a family. And, you know, my wife will look back at my life, and she'll be like, you didn't really have a childhood. She's like, who are your friends? And I've tried to explain to her. I'm like, my friends are at the racetrack. Like, I went to the racetrack, and even though these kids, I didn't go to school with them every day. I saw him every weekend, and we went to the racetrack, and we were just friends. And I wouldn't say a typical childhood, but you know, looking back, like, I mean, it was just. I can't imagine it being any more fun than what it was getting to grow up racing carts, man.
- [05:00]
Kenny Wallace
I want to stay right there, if you don't mind. We're going to get to your son, Carter. I know you have a daughter, Hazel, of course, your wife, Christy. I want to acknowledge him. We're going to talk about Carter in just a minute, but, boy, that amazes me. I want to stay right there. And then we're going to get to your incredible NASCAR career. Do you think everything is overanalyzed now with the invention of, you know, the cameras and data? You know, I mean, even go karts are insane. Is it. Are we more hyper sensitive now to every little thing than we were, say, 20 years ago?
- [05:38]
Jamie McMurray
It's just different. And, you know, I think it's really hard for me to answer that because I think if I would have grown up or, you know, like, it's hard with my son because I know right from wrong on so many things. And we watch a race on TV at home and I'll point out, like, well, here's what happened there. And so it's different. Like, I think if I were just, you know, a banker and my kid raced, like, they don't get that same experience of learning. So when you ask that about the data and the cameras and all that, I don't know any different. And so that's very normal to me. And so when I go over stuff with my son, it's probably at a much higher level than, you know, most dads are going to do because they don't. They don't know the difference in that. So I don't know. I just. I mean, I wish that racing were as simple as it was when I was a kid, you know, I mean, I wish that you just, like, got in your. Man, I just remember we had, like, a junky old trailer and our pickup truck, and you just, you know, you just threw it in and you went racing and you had all your. Your junk in there, and it's just different now. You know, everything is very professional. And like, you go to the go kart races and everybody has a coach and, and there's video and there's data, you know, just. It's. It's much more advanced. But. But I mean, kids are just way more prepared now than what, you know. I mean, I played soccer and baseball. I did all kinds of stuff growing up. And I raced also now. And I. I mean, I had to hate to say it. I'm that parent. Because, you know, I've told my son, I'm like, if you want to race, that's what we're gonna do. And we're gonna do it the best we can. We're not gonna just kind of race or kind of do that. I'm like, you pick something, and we're going to get really good at it. And I don't care what that is, but that's what. That's our plan.
- [07:20]
Kenny Wallace
I feel like when I go back, say, six years ago, and I feel confident saying this, when I look at Dale Jr. Or I look at Chase Elliott, I feel like that they absorbed growing up with Dale Sr. Or Chase Elliot absorbed growing up with Ben Bill Ellet. It's like the. These two drivers, Dale Jr. And, of course, Chase. And now I'm looking at your son Carter. He's got a wonderful Instagram page, and I want to talk about that. I feel like now this is me. Straighten me out. I feel like Carter is doing the same thing that Dale Jr. And Chase Elliot did. I think Carter's absorbing you, and right away, he's just going to be way better than if he didn't hang out with you. What do you think about that analogy?
- [08:10]
Jamie McMurray
Well, I've often wanted to ask, because here's the thing. Dale Jr. Has no idea what it's like to grow up without a famous father. Like, he doesn't know. Like. And I've listened to his story, and of course, there's goods and bads that come with all that, but, you know, I always, like, every time I'm around Dale or Ryan Blaney or Chase Elliot, I always kind of, like, ask questions like, what's that like? Because they don't know what it's like to be on the other side, and I don't know what it was like to grow up as them. And I asked those questions because I'm kind of curious for Carter's perspective on things, like, well, you know.
- [08:48]
Kenny Wallace
Oh, good point.
- [08:50]
Jamie McMurray
Different. You know, and. And I have told Carter, I'm like, listen, there will be so many great things that come from you being my kid. And I said, there'll also be some obstacles from you being my kid. I'm like, it's just the reality of it, you know? Like, everyone's just gonna, like. I think that people assume that I have an endless bank account and that I just buy him everything, and it's not the case, you know? I mean, like, I tell him all the time, I'm like, listen, you know, I tried to express to him, you know, the cost of all this. And I have beat in his head, Kenny, that you can be the greatest driver, and it doesn't mean you'll make it, but if you're a good salesman, you'll make it, because that's just the reality of this. If you can sell yourself and market yourself, as long as you have the funding, you'll always get to race a car. But the flip side of that, I mean, there's just very few, and I think Larson's a great example, or maybe a Christopher Bell, who's hot right now, didn't come for money. Right. They kind of raced their way through, but there's. Boy, there's not many people that can pull that off.
- [09:59]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah. So we've established how you got in racing. I. I like it that your dad kind of like a Sanford and Son, which was a great sitcom where they were always buying and selling. I have a friend like that. I have a friend like that. Kyle Hammer. Kyle Hammer up here in Farmer City, Illinois. I'm like, kyle, you need to get a name, because they are doing exactly that. They buy, sell, buy. Yeah, and. But, you know, listen, it's. It's a good way to, you know, stay racing. I want to switch. I want to stay in the same category. Early in your career, I grew up in Rolla, Missouri, you know, not far from Joplin. And some of the great names in your era when you were a child was Larry Phillips, Mark Martin. Of course, now we're getting closer to Carl Edwards, but we can draw a circle around Joplin, Missouri, and we can say some NASCAR hall of Famers, you know, Carl Edwards, Larry Phillips, Mark Martin, you go a little bit further. We go, Kenny Schrader, Rusty Wallace. When you won the Daytona 500, I got a call from Terry Phillips, which is Larry's son, and he says, herman, can you give me Jamie's phone number? I said, oh, now you want to talk to him? And. And Terry said to me, terry Phillips said, I raced with Jamie. So. So just fast forward from your father days to tell me about your early racing career up around an area where so many hall of Famers come from. What did you know about that area?
- [11:34]
Jamie McMurray
Well, I mean, like, I. I knew of Rusty and Mark, but they. They were, you know, by the time I made it to racing stock cars, they were already at the cup level. So, like, I, you know, I was never going to. I mean, I was never going to meet them, and I was never going to race against them. But Larry Phillips, the name you mentioned, you Know, Larry. Boy, Larry lived through a lot of generations of guys, and he was. I mean, he was the guy for me to beat. Like, when I started racing modifieds in, like, Lebanon and Bolivar, Larry was winning all these late model races, and it was. I just remember getting out of my car in the modified race, and you would run up the hill to watch the late model race. And it wasn't if Larry would win. It was how many laps it would take for him to go. They'd make him start last every week. It was how many laps it would take for him to get to the lead. It was incredible. I mean, like. I mean. And of course, you know, in hindsight, looking back at that, Larry was just so far ahead of everyone. Like, Larry was an incredible driver, but he was smart, and he knew how to set a car up. He knew how to. He was building his. I mean, he built his own cars. That was just, you know, at that level. No, no one does that. But it was a really big deal for me when I got to start racing late models. I mean, I just remember being nervous in the car, being around him, you know, because he's just so good, he's so fast. We'd get in those long races, and everyone's heard these stories, and. But I just remember being those long races, and he'd flip a cigarette out the window like. Like halfway through, you know, and it really happened. Like, you just run those, like, 75 lappers, and I don't. He couldn't make it under caution. He'd light a cigarette up, and I'll never forget, we had a restart in Lebanon, and we took off, and Larry was in front of me, and I'm just driving my tail off trying to keep up with him. And we ran, like, two laps under green, and then the cigarette came out the window, and I'm like, that guy's been smoking while we were racing. But he always wore that open face helmet, and so it was easy, right? But Larry was. Larry was incredible. I mean, I just. I look back through my career at Legends I got to race, and. And for me, as a kid, like, I wouldn't say Larry was my hero, but when I made it to stock cars, he was just the guy to beat. And I loved that I got to race against him and be able to beat him. I mean, I just. That's. That was about as good as it got being a kid from Missouri.
- [14:00]
Kenny Wallace
What do you think it is about that era when we had. We look at guys like Richie Evans from the northeast, Dick Trickle, Larry Phillips, they all smoked. Do you think that was a nervous habit or did they think it was cool or. That's just, I don't know, I don't know.
- [14:18]
Jamie McMurray
Like they, I mean, but I, you think back, everybody smoked, you know, I mean like everybody smoked. I don't know why it's so gross, but everybody did it. I mean it's that whole, whole and it, but that's such a, you know, when you think about the like late 70s, the 80s, kind of early 90s, there was that generation of those guys you mentioned that were ahead of everyone else, you know, like they just, they were the next level. And the thing that's different now is I just, I don't think it's near as important for drivers now to know what their car does. You have SIM now and you need to work on your lines and studying film and the whole, it's just, it's changed so much on, you know, I just think that when I was a kid growing up, you had to know what all the things did to your car because you had to change them. Like you just, if you went out and practiced and you needed less stagger, you thought you needed wedge or the track bar, whatever that was, I did it. Like, I just, I mean, I just, I'm like, I don't know, I'm loose. I'm either gonna lower the track bar, put some wedge in. Like you just, you just raced that way and you know what I mean? Like that's how you.
- [15:22]
Kenny Wallace
Oh yeah.
- [15:23]
Jamie McMurray
Did it. And, and now when you get to where they have sim, you don't have to know all that. You just tell them where it's tight or loose and they fix it. You know, it's just, it's, it's just so much different.
- [15:35]
Kenny Wallace
Hey, this is Dylan Hart Jr. And for the latest Herman Trader gear you need to go to shop.dirtymomedia.com We've got plenty of options for everybody and we're adding new stuff all the time. So go to shop.dirtymomedia.com if you have.
- [15:49]
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- [16:20]
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Creativity is at the heart of everything you do. And Adobe Creative Cloud helps you take your projects to the next level. No matter what you're working on this semester, build pro level skills and create your best work with Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro and over 20 other powerful creative apps. Students save over 65% on Adobe Creative Cloud. The go to toolkit for everything from class projects to standout portfolios. Make your ideas shine in and out of the classroom. Visit adobe.com students to save big today.
- [16:52]
Kenny Wallace
Man, you are so much fun to have a conversation with. I've got a. And I always show everybody I've got, I've got boatload of notes but you give me so much material to go on and you know, I know we only got so much time, but that is an era now that I'm sure you're, you're teaching Carter and let's go to Carter right now. We've established where you're from, we've established who you raced with the greats in. Let's go. Okay, what about Christy? Let's start with Christy. You met your wife. Where did you meet her? In North Carolina? Or.
- [17:30]
Jamie McMurray
I mean, it's a long story that I'll make brief, but I met my wife two years before we actually talked. I ran into her in a restaurant with some friends. She, Christie was only 17 or 18 at the time and I was like 25. And I remember seeing her and I thought she was like just the most beautiful girl. And I was like, that's what I want my, that's what I thought my wife would look like. I remember that. And like two years later I was with some friends on a boat on the lake and we went and picked some girls up and she got on the boat and I was like, wow. I was like, oh my God, that's that girl. And I remember I was, I had a couple beers in me so I had a little buzz and I was like, boy, I'm like, you need to make sure when you talk to her you don't mess this up. And so we started dating and you know, Christine doesn't really know anything about racing. She followed me through my whole career. She was not very engaged in it. And that's what I loved about her. Like, she just was, she was. I felt like she liked me for me. If that, you know, does that, if that makes sense. Like she didn't care about sitting on a pit Box. She didn't care about being in the limelight. She just. I just felt like she liked me. And it's still that way, even, like, with Carter's racing. Like, she's. She's involved. Like, she's taking him to the track now, but she's just not. She's not a super competitive person. And when we come home and it's been this way. I mean, I've been with Christie for almost. For 20 years now, and we don't talk about racing when we come home. It's. It's really interesting, and I enjoyed that because it was a great way to come home and just get away from all of it.
- [19:05]
Kenny Wallace
Is it fair to say? I mean, the reason I'm asking this question is kind of like my wife. Same thing. Is Christie your safe space where you can just be with her and chill out?
- [19:16]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah. And I just think that. And she also has a different perspective on everything than I do. And I like that. I like that I can say something to her. Just listen to her talk. And I'm like, I didn't see that side of it, but I do now. And so, yeah, I think it's. I mean. Yeah. And she's. She's really. I used to. I used to joke around when, you know, you. Gosh, you're a cup driver, you flying on a private plane, you're. You're doing everything right. It's just. Life's good, and you show up to the track and it's race day, and you go do these appearances, and they just treat you like royalty. You go up there, you sign an autograph. I don't know why anybody wants my autograph, but that's part of my deal. I just signed these autographs, and. And I would tell everyone when we get in these sweets, I'm like, you know, I was like, this is pretty awesome. But I was like, when we go home tonight, my wife's gonna tell me, take the trash cans out. I'm like, that's. Yes, that's my life. You know, I was like, I get to live this, like, rockstar life. But when I go home, I'm just Jamie the dad or Jamie the husband, and I do all the same things. You do. Yeah.
- [20:18]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah, I like that. Okay. So I do. I think Christie's awesome. And it looks like that. You know, when you're looking at YouTube, there's beautiful pictures of you and her at awards banquet. She looks chill. I'm happy. I am happy for you. Yeah, she. She doesn't look like she's Maintenance. Let's put it that way. No, she's awesome. Okay. Your daughter Hazel. So you got a boy and a girl, man, from the outside. Pretty good. You got it going on. Tell me about Hazel. What's she up to?
- [20:54]
Jamie McMurray
Hazel's into horses. She. And it's. Yeah, it's. What's crazy, Kenny, because Christy and I just aren't into the barn scene at all. You know what I mean? Like, it's so dirty, it stinks like dirt racing. We're so not into that. And we took Hazel to a birthday party at a barn near our house, and she fell in love with horses. And she just. She loves it. And she loves riding, she loves the maintenance, she loves the social aspect of being at this barn. And she'll go up and work two or three hours a day at a barn, and she doesn't even know she's working because she's having so much fun, and it's just the sweetest thing. And girls are. I shouldn't say girls and boys, because it's not fair, because every kid is different. Carter and Hazel are. Our kids are kind of the opposites. Like, Hazel's Chatty Cathy. She loves the social scene. She loves just hanging with people. And Carter's, like, the opposite. Carter's me. Like, Carter and I can ride in a car together for five hours and not acknowledge each other.
- [21:59]
Kenny Wallace
Oh, my gosh. Oh, my God.
- [22:02]
Jamie McMurray
We do talk. But, like, that's my relationship with Christy, too.
- [22:05]
Kenny Wallace
Your brain's going. Your brain's going.
- [22:06]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah, we just, like. Yeah. And so it's just too different. But it's great. I mean, like, it's so cool. And I love that Hazel's found something. Like, I mean, as a parent, what you want are your kids to find a passion, you know, something that they look forward to every day. And. And for Hazel, that was horses.
- [22:21]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah. That makes me happy. Because I'm chatty, Kenny. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. That makes me happy. It really does. And sometimes when kids are real quiet, I say to myself, why is that? You know, I guess I sometimes, you know, try to find why they're quiet. But I. You're the first person I've heard that version from. You're happy with it. You both are thinking. You're just driving down the road.
- [22:48]
Jamie McMurray
Well, no, it's fair. Like, I do this. I mean, I do that with him, too. I'm like, are you okay? Right? When people.
- [22:53]
Kenny Wallace
You're like, we haven't talked in 100 miles.
- [22:55]
Jamie McMurray
It's been a couple of hours. Are we doing okay? Over there. I exaggerated. I exaggerated that a little bit. But I just mean it's good with, with, with my daughter. You get in the car and, and every parent knows this. You're like, oh, my God, stop talking for five seconds. Like, just, just stop talking for five seconds. So I can think, you know? And Carter's just the opposite. You're like, are you o. Just different.
- [23:17]
Kenny Wallace
I love that. Okay, we are going to go to Carter now and spend a little more time about him. I, you know, you and I have had this long distance relationship. You know, I'm wild. You're. You're. And you're kind of like rusty. You're like my big brother. You're very focused, you know, and sometimes I sh. I shock people. They don't know. They don't know what to think about me. You know, they're like, oh, damn, here he comes again. So when I go on Instagram, I see this incredibly well produced instagram page. Carter McMurray 1. And I even texted you, I said, jamie, this Instagram page is out of sight. So first of all, everybody go to Carter's Instagram page because you can see what he's doing. And boy, it's. It's really good. So Carter, let's just start right there. Carter wanted to race. Do you remember when he said, yeah.
- [24:19]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah, tell me the moment we were. It's funny, you say Instagram and I, I will blame Clint Boyer and Kyle Larson because they bought their kids go karts and their kids are quite a bit younger. Well, not quite a bit younger. They're two years younger, three years younger than Carter. And because he was into golf, we did football. He loves football. Like, he just, he would totally play football if his mom would let him. But I just. They. They had bought their kids go karts and, and he. I just remember on the couch, and he's like, could. Could we get a go kart? And I kind of looked at Christy and I was like, oh, no. I'm like, I don't. That's just a terrible road to go down for us because it'll be very hard for me to just go have fun riding go karts.
- [25:03]
Kenny Wallace
You'll be buying the $30,000 trailer.
- [25:05]
Jamie McMurray
Well, actually, you know, I will tell you, I did the opposite. When I bought Carter's first cart, I bought an old go kart. It was new, but it had never been put together. And I got a deal on it. I bought a Briggs engine, which is thousand bucks. And we just went and would go ride and ride and ride and Ride. And what you. What you forget, what I did not realize as a parent and as someone that had driven because Carter had been around racing his whole life, is that they don't know anything. You know, you go to the racetrack and, like, they don't. They just don't. You just think they're going to know everything, and they don't. And. And so there's a frustration level that comes with that. And I'm like, what are you doing? And he's like, well, I didn't know. And I'm like, well, how do you not know? And he's like, I'm 10, you know.
- [25:54]
Kenny Wallace
Okay, stop right there. I got. I got to interrupt you. So I was watching one of the videos on Instagram, and you said, this is maybe two years ago. You said, I have to remind myself that he looks like a man. You said, Carter looks like a man, but at the time, you said, he's only. He's only 13. I think now he's 15. But do you remember when you said that?
- [26:18]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah. So he's. He's 14 now. Here's what happened is that. And you know this because you. You knew me when I was younger. I've always been a little kid, right? Like, I've never been. I was always on the smaller side. And when I was. When I was 16, I looked 12, and when I was 12, I looked 8. I was just this little kid. Carter's not. Carter is. Carter's bigger than me now, and he's 14 years old. And. And he's always been on the bigger end. And so, yeah, you look at him and he looks like a man, but he's still just. He's still. I mean, he's still just a boy, you know, like. And so, like, I would yell at him, not yell. You know, I would, like, discipline him. And I'm like, listen, you know, I'd get mad and I would see his eyes, like. And I'm like, oh, my God, Jamie. I'm like, you gotta remember, he's a child. He's only 13. Yeah. And so. And those. Those are good moments as a parent, though, to kind of take that all in. And. Yeah, it's a lesson.
- [27:12]
Kenny Wallace
So we're already 20 minutes into this, so I think I'm gonna have to start fast forwarding a little bit. Okay. So Carter has become a great race car driver. I'm going to use the word great because I watch. I watch the go kart races. He's very disciplined. Stays in line when we're drafting. Analytical. It's like he's a machine in his head already. But so we get through the go kart phase. And now Carter just got done making his Smart Modified Tour debut in Florence, South Carolina. So it's fair to say, here he is, you said 14 years old, and he's already in the big cars. He started 15th and he finished fifth. I don't care how you race. I don't care about anything. That's hard to do. Tell me about. Was it a week or two ago that this happened? Tell me about this moment, the Smart Modified debut for your son.
- [28:10]
Jamie McMurray
Well, if I just had to back up a little bit, I. I would always get a little frustrated with parents that move their kids up too early. And I've watched a lot of kids at 12, 14 years old getting these Late Models and, and wreck everybody, destroy everything. And I was like, I'm never going to be that parent. And yet to be really careful saying things like that, because we all turn into that parent. But part of the reason that we moved up when I say we, Carter and I, is because in carding, size is everything and big is not. Big's almost never better.
- [28:50]
Kenny Wallace
Good point.
- [28:51]
Jamie McMurray
We had to move up from like, the lower, like the smaller kids to like, too early, I think, because he was too big for the carts, like the kid carts or the cadet carts. And then we had to go from like the juniors to the senior class too young as well, because Carter got too big. And so you can still do it at that age, but you can't do it well because you just, you're at a disadvantage arrow wise. You're as a disadvantage in like, the weight transfer in a cart. So I had to move him up to the men's class in carding last year at age 13 because he was just too big. Like, you just. He actually did better against the men than he did the kids because just physically he was. He's just big. And I really didn't have any intentions of this modified thing, but I've got some people that, that work within NASCAR that have been helping me with Carter, and they have been on me really hard to move him up. And. And the other thing that I've learned as a parent is that. And I. I'm gonna kind of go against what I said a second ago, where you say kids don't know anything. Kids learn really fast. It's unbelievable how fast they pick up on things. And so they're like, listen, you need to get him into like, a late model or you need to get him into this. And we did the modifieds. I have no background in modifieds. I did that in Lebanon and Bolivar. But it was these IMCA modifieds that they just put pavement tires on and a sway bar. Like it was just a dirt car with a sway bar on it basically. And so you know what Carters do under these. It's a touring type modified, has those massive tires on it and huge engine. And I did that because it's significantly more affordable than a late model is. And I felt like he was going to get as much experience at a hundred lap races, saving tires, everything that goes with that. And I could do it at a significantly cheaper rate than. And it's, it's just, you know, it's about learning. And I have told Carter and this is, I think hard for people to process, but like we did legend cars last year and then we're going to do a little bit of that this year, but we're doing this modified and I've told Carter, I'm like, I don't ever want you to become the best at anything. I'm like, I want to move you up so that you're always challenged in what you're doing. I was like, I hope you can win quick. But I was like, we're never going to stay somewhere long enough for you to become good at it. Because I just want you to always have to have like, always have to, you know, work harder than others to have success. Because eventually when you get to the top level, it will get easier for you because all of a sudden your experience level is going to almost be on par with where they are. And you've, you will had to have worked harder than everyone else getting to that point, if that makes sense.
- [31:37]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah, yeah. I remember Bobby Allison telling my big brother Rusty, Bobby Allison said, when you are no longer good in the late models, you will be really good in the cup series. Bobby Allison felt like if Rusty was really good either ASA type cars, you know, the stock cars, cars tour, Bobby just had that, that theory. So I'm just saying that every man has a theory about how to go, about to be good. You both are in the same realm. You both are in the same realm of thinking. Maybe not identical, but yeah. Hey, I just want to acknowledge something for everybody out there, man, I remember you going to Daytona International Motor Speedway with go karts, the, the lay down carts. I mean, wow, there's, there's so much to Jamie McMurray, everybody, and you know, we just can't get to it all. Maybe there'll be a Part 2 at T Mobile.
- [32:38]
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- [33:39]
Kenny Wallace
Okay, so Carter's. You know, I don't want to jump ahead, but, man, from the outside looking in, I. I see. I mean, I kind of see this Owen Larson. I. I see all these kids. I see yours maybe being. I think here we're gonna have another generation. I think your son Carter has everything it takes to be a NASCAR superstar. And we just. I had somebody say, kenny, why don't you start interviewing some of these kids? And like, well, they're kids, you know. I mean. Yeah, because we see them coming to. Jamie, do you see that? It was like yesterday we were, you know, Chase Elliot was the new generation. Now they're men, you know?
- [34:24]
Jamie McMurray
Hey, I remember. I just. I remember. I remember Chase and Ryan Blaney on pit road. Yeah. And I'm like. I'm like, those parents are wackos. Like, those kids are never gonna. It's so hard to make it to this level. I'm like, they'll never. I mean, how are they ever gonna make it? And now they've both won a Cup championship.
- [34:44]
Kenny Wallace
Crazy.
- [34:45]
Jamie McMurray
It's. It is. It is crazy. It's. It's. But I'm gonna tell you something about. This has been really healthy for me as a. As a driver, because you think about how many parents came up to you Kenny, over the years, like, how do I get my kid in racing? How do I do this every week?
- [35:02]
Kenny Wallace
Every week?
- [35:03]
Jamie McMurray
And I'm like, I don't know, I'm like. And I'm like. Because there is no plan. There's no book that tells you how to do it. But it has made me significantly more sympathetic to all of those families and kids that are trying to make it because I have a massive head start on them. Right. Like, I kind of know these people within the industry and as I'm trying to move my kid up, but it's hard and it's, it's, I mean, it's, it's almost impossible to do it. And so as I see all these young kids, I love watching them. I mean, I just, you know, I'm really into it now and I know most of the younger generation that's moving up because Carter has either raced with them and karting, like, as we, you know, maybe they were like Connor Zillich. When we first started running at Trackhouse here, Connor Zilch had the garage right next to us and he was just this little kid. Right. And, and as he moved up, it's been so much fun for me to watch that path of how, how they, how they, how they do that. So it's, it's been pretty cool. Yeah.
- [36:01]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah. Even, Even this Braxton Bush. I mean, I'm looking at, I'm looking at your son, you know, Carter McMurray, Braxton Bush, you know, Kyle Larson's kid. I mean, let's go.
- [36:13]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah, yeah.
- [36:14]
Kenny Wallace
Keelan. Oh, yeah. Keelan Harvick. It's hard to remember them all, but, you know, it looks to me like the ones that are really well advanced, real well oiled machines are Keelan Harvick and Braxton Busch. Wow. They are going to school right now. And those two, they definitely look like champions in the making. But I think Carter, I really feel like Carter's right there with him. From what the way I watch him race. Okay. Anything else you want to say about Carter?
- [36:44]
Jamie McMurray
No, I, I, No. I mean, it's, it's. I would tell you that what I would tell all other parents out there that have kids that want to race is, and I remind myself of this all the time, is that it needs to be fun, you know, like, as you're doing this, it can't be. Like, I tell Carter all the time, I'm like, listen, we're going to go do this and, and if it works out, it works out. But, like, we need to enjoy the moment. Like it's. Cause it is really. Racing is fun. Right. And I feel like sometimes it turns into a job and, and I just remind myself every weekend when we go do it, I'm like, who cares? Just have fun, enjoy the moment and, and try to learn from it each weekend.
- [37:21]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah. Thank. Thank you for talking to me. We spent almost 30 minutes on your. The start of your life. And you know, it's hard to do that, but I've learned a lot. I've learned a lot. And, and now it's. And I want everybody to know that we did this on purpose. And now it's time to celebrate the man you're looking at. One of. One of the greatest of all time, in my opinion. I know it might sound weird to you, but Jamie McMurray. Hey, when I did Speed TV, we did NASCAR victory lane and we're going to start celebrating you right now. I would watch you come into victory lane and I remember joking with you. I said, jamie, you don't ever win a normal race. You always win the biggest races NASCAR has to offer. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to read all Jamie's stats off and then I'm going to want you to reply. So let's start like this. First of all, Jamie McMurray has won in all three divisions, Trucks, Xfinity and Cup. Now if I'm wrong, you stop me. Yeah. So you have ran 799 NASCAR starts. That's a lot of racing. 584 cup races, 190 Xfinity races, 25 truck races. That's 799 NASCAR starts. Okay. In the cup series, seven cup wins. Now this is where it gives me goosebumps. Tells me how competitive you were. 169 top tens, 11 polls. Or as we say in dirt racing, 11 quick time. Yeah, I love that. Xfinity eight wins, 70 top tens, 73 polls. Then you ran 25 truck races. Got a truck win, six top tens, three polls. Now that's just a baseline. Now I want to celebrate where I always teased with you. I said, jamie, you never win a normal race. Listen, listen to the races that, that Jamie has won. Now this is just highlighting everyone. First of all, he's the 2003 NASCAR cup rookie of the year. And now comes the big boys. 2010 Daytona 500 winner. 2010 Brickyard 400 winner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Man, this one had to be hard. The 2013 sprint all star race winner. That's like a six lap dash. That's, that's, that's getting it on. That's getting it on. And then this tells me this comes back to like go karting in Daytona. The 2015 Rolex ate Daytona 24 hour overall winner. That, that had to be wild in one of those cars. So, so Jamie, now that I've kind of said all that, you've had a chance to listen, what were you thinking about as I was reading off all those amazing stats?
- [40:34]
Jamie McMurray
So I would tell you that when you talk about the All Star race, like a six lap dash the year that I won that, you know, the rules for that are so complicated. They change it every year. Like you don't even. And so we, we ran all of the, the segments and, and I didn't, I don't think I won any of the like first 4 sec. 3 segments and, and I remember coming, I got to come down pit road second. And it was how you came off of pit road. And, and I think I came out second also. But that was the year that we had the most downforce in nascar. Like these massive spoilers and these huge front splitters. The cars just generated an insane amount of grip. We had like 900 horsepower. I don't know, it was a ton of horsepower. And I remember when I got the lead in that race, it was a 10 lap shootout. I remember I got the lead in that race. And you've run Charlotte. And I remember driving into turn three and I lifted for like a half a second and I floored it and I drove to the bottom of the racetrack and I was like, oh my God, is this thing stuck? And I ran 10 laps like that, just like qualifying laps. And I remember as it was like counting down, I'm like, my God, I'm gonna get a million bucks. It's unbelievable, you know, And I'm like, if the caution doesn't come out, it's gonna work. And it was, it didn't. And that was, I mean I would say of what the Wengy rattled off, that's not the big one. But like that was something that stuck out to me is as you were talking about that just because I can. You know, there's a few moments in my career that I hope I never forget. You know, like I can close my eyes. One of them is coming off turn four for the Daytona 500. I can see the checkered flag. I can see Dale Jr. Behind me. And I remember that feeling, that sensation. And I'm like, I hope I never forget that. Another one is, is coming off of turn Two at Indy for the Brickyard. And that straightaway is like seven miles long, right? Like, it's just wide open forever, right? And, and I'm, and I, I just remember, I'm like, if I don't blow a tire out, I'm gonna win this thing. Like, it's, and I, and, and I say that race because, like, of my seven cup wins, four of them were on super speedways. And you don't know you've won until it's over. And sometimes even when it's over, you don't know if you've won. And the feeling of getting to know you had won for like 40 seconds and kind of savoring that, I mean, like, they're just like, those are memories that I hope that those, they never go away.
- [43:13]
Kenny Wallace
Do you, do you think it's a coincidence? What? You know, I mean, sometimes we're riding along in our car or truck and it's just us, you know, and we start thinking, have you ever. Was there ever a moment when all this was kind of over, you know, in the last five years that you go, gosh, I wonder why I won the big ones. I think it's just unbelievable. It's almost like God gifted you, you know? Here, let me, let me lay down a silver platter for you in your second NASCAR cup start ever. You're subbing for the injured Sterling Marlin. And, and I still feel this way. When I wrote this, you literally shock the racing world. You led 96 laps at Charlotte and you won. So what do you remember about that?
- [44:06]
Jamie McMurray
That was a really interesting weekend because they, they being the team. Remember Tony Glover, right?
- [44:14]
Kenny Wallace
Oh, yeah, yeah.
- [44:15]
Jamie McMurray
Greatest guy ever. Glover was crew. Was. It was like a coke reach. He was, he and Lee McCall on that car. And I told Glover we'd run Talladega the week before and, and he was like, hey, we got a good setup for Charlotte. And I was like, well, I hope so, because that's not very good track for me. I'm like, I don't, I don't have. I was like. I was like, glover, that's my worst track. And he's like, no. He's like, when you get in these cars, oh, wow. It all makes sense. I'm like, okay. So we went to the track on that Friday because he used to practice and qualify on Friday. We did practice, Kenny, and I was the slowest car in practice. I went out and did my, my. I remember. Well, I'd never driven a cup car. Why I driven on Talladega, but they have no power at Talladega. We went to Charlotte. That's again, that was like, that 900 horsepower time. And I remember leaving pit road, and I'm like, I've never sat in anything this fast in my whole life. I'm like, oh, my God. My eyes were just, like, huge because I'm like, it's just so fast. And so we were doing. All we did were qualifying runs, and I was. I'm pretty sure I was the slowest car. And Glover came over to me. You know, you sit in your car. I come in after a qualifying run. I'm sitting in the car. They jack it up, and he put the window net down. And Glover's like, well, little buddy. He's like, I think you're right. And I was like, what do you mean? He's like, you're not very good here, are you? I'm like, I told you.
- [45:39]
Kenny Wallace
I told you.
- [45:39]
Jamie McMurray
And so. So listen, this is. You'll find this interesting. I think he. He was like, you got to go around the bump and turn three. There's, like, a patch over there, and you got to go around it. And I remember looking at him very dazed, because I'm like, I have no idea what he's talking about. I've never seen a bump. I don't know what he means. Well, it rained out qualifying, so I didn't have to qualify. And the next day. Yeah, thank God. The next day I was in the Busch Xfinity car, and we started the race. And. And. And you. If. I don't know if you remember, but when you used to get out of the cup car and get in the Xfinity car, it was like 10 miles an hour slower, but it felt like you had no power. It just. Everything happened slow. And I remember we started the race, and I drove into turn three, and I'm like, oh, my God, there's a bump right there. I see it. And I started going around it, and. And I. I should have won the bush race that day. I think, like, it was a. I, I. My motor blew up, but I had a really fast car in the bush race. Well, then we got to go do happy hour in the cup car. And I was pretty fast because I was going. They're like, oh, you're going around the bump now. And I'm like, I don't really want to tell them. I didn't know there was a bump there for a while, but it. It just all clicked. And, I mean, no expectation of being able to win that race, but, yeah, like, it was yeah, that's a fun memory. Yeah.
- [46:56]
Kenny Wallace
When that was over and you're. You're going home, you know, at Charlotte, you know, we always live around that area. You know, in those days, you know, you got 200,000 people. Well, maybe not when you won. Definitely that kind of stopped around 2006, but it was always hard to get out of the Charlotte Speedway when you won that race and you're trying to make your way to wherever you live, which is locally. What happened after the race? Did you go anywhere? Did you go home? What did you think? Did the phone call start the next day? How did it transfer? I.
- [47:32]
Jamie McMurray
All I remember after the race was being in victory Lane, and they put Sterling on a phone call with me, like a cell phone.
- [47:39]
Kenny Wallace
Wow. Wow.
- [47:40]
Jamie McMurray
And I remember. I remember, and I. I don't. I haven't watched any of that. I don't. I haven't watched that back in forever, so I don't know what I said, but I remember in the moment being like, be humble, like, because this guy's at home with a broken neck, like. And you got in his car, and there's no driver. I don't care what any driver says. Everybody wants to see the next guy fail in their car. Like, it's just. It's just the reality of it. And I'm like, here I am, a guy that's never won a bush race. I've never won a truck race. I get in Sterling's car. This car's led the championship up to this point, and I win, and he's at home with a broken neck. And I just remember, like. I just remember, like, trying to come across, like, just grateful because I was. But also, I didn't want. I didn't want. I just. I was thinking more about Sterling than I was about myself in that moment. Yes. That's. And that's all I remember afterwards. I don't remember the car ride home. I don't remember any of that.
- [48:34]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah, that's. That's. Well, that's an awesome moment to remember. I. I want to talk to you about that scenario. I. I felt that. I'm driving in an Xfinity race at Darlington. Steve park gets hurt, you know, and. And my career is going okay, but Steve park gets hurt in the Xfinity race. They asked me to drive the Pennzoil car. It saves my career. I mean, the very next day, I start dead last, and I'm driving this Pennzoil car straight to the front, all the way up close to the lead, and it breaks. But then Mark Martin said something to me and this is where I'm getting with this. I started, you know, set quick time at Rockingham run second. So what you just mentioned, Mark Martin said to me, he looked at me, goes, herman, you got to have a good car in the Cup Series. And boy, just, it just shocked me like, oh my God, will I ever get in a good cup car? Because if I don't get in a good cup car, then my career will never be what I want it to be. So in that moment that you're talking about with Sterling, did it ever register you that hey, I gotta have a good car? And then getting hooked up with Chip and Roush, tell me about, do you need it? Did you ever think you were so great that you could just drive through an ill handling car?
- [50:04]
Jamie McMurray
No, I've, I, I would say confidence would have been my weakness. My whole career was, you know, thinking that I had the ability to, to, to do it. I mean, I really only had one year in my whole career, 2010, that every single weekend when I showed up, I'm like, we might win this weekend. You know, like it just, there were a few tracks that we went to that we weren't very good at, but for the most part every weekend I felt that way. But I would say there was not really any other year that, that I was, I mean, like, I just felt in, you know, like I didn't deserve to be there most of the time. Like I just, it's just the reality of it because I, I wanted to do better, you know.
- [50:45]
Kenny Wallace
You are an incredibly talented race car driver. You're very good. That's why you won the 2015 Rolex at Daytona as a team driver. So it's a fact that you're a very talented race car driver.
- [50:59]
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- [51:21]
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- [51:30]
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Creativity is at the heart of everything you do and Adobe Creative Cloud helps you take your projects to the next level no matter what you're working on this semester. Build pro level skills and create your best work with Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro and over 20 other powerful creative apps. Students save over 65% on Adobe Creative Cloud. The go to toolkit for everything from class projects to standout portfolios. Make your ideas shine in and out of the classroom. Visit adobe.com students to save big today.
- [52:02]
Kenny Wallace
So, so let's fast forward right now to these days. I'd like to spend more time with you, but I know you're working for Fox. We're going to get to that.
- [52:11]
Jamie McMurray
I know. I think it's so funny because you're interviewing me and in about an hour and a half I'm gonna be interviewing somebody else.
- [52:18]
Kenny Wallace
We're paying it forward. We're paying it forward. Okay, so now we go from your era where if this, this cup car is not right, I don't have any chance, you know.
- [52:29]
Jamie McMurray
Right.
- [52:29]
Kenny Wallace
I gotta have I, I. In your day, if your cup team did not have an advantage, you most likely weren't going to win. So the bodies had to be put on right. And if they weren't on right, you were pushing, you were loose. And now here we are today where everybody's car is identical. And now we're seeing guys, listen, he's a good race car driver. Michael McDowell, he's winning now, but it's almost like these guys had to get into equal cars to show their, their talent.
- [53:01]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah.
- [53:02]
Kenny Wallace
Tell me.
- [53:02]
Jamie McMurray
I think that this, No, I think that's so fair. The one thing that I loved about the past is that if you were way off, you talk about the bodies, I mean, you just would cut the whole body off and start over and you know, I mean, that's what you did. Yeah. And, and I mean that, and it was a fun time because, you know, you might struggle at Charlotte and they're like, well, we're going to put a different body build on and it could change everything about, about the car. Right. I mean, it's a totally different car where today the, you know, it's a pretty small box that all those guys have to work with. But I, I mean, I just think that as, and I, I'm, I'm not as optimistic as you, I don't think in life. But, but I'm super optimistic that the same people still, still win. Like you put Kyle Larson in a car in 2000, he's going to win. You put him in the car, he's probably still going to win because he's just a really good driver and he does all the small things. I mean, he's really talented, but he does everything correct. And even though they're in a smaller box now, you just still see the same. I mean, you do have, every once in a while, a little bit of an outlier, but the same good drivers still win.
- [54:14]
Kenny Wallace
They really showed up with Kyle Busch in the truck race. Or was it the Xfinity race at Atlanta? He was leading that. Yeah, he was leading that truck race, and they were just all over him, and he had to mirror drive more than he did front, I think, you know, that was incredible.
- [54:33]
Jamie McMurray
Well, when I watched the truck race with him, and I loved that type of racing, the drafting and all that. And this isn't to put anyone else down, but you could tell Kyle's experience. Like, you could just walk. You could just watch. And you're like, he's having so much fun right now because it's like, you know, it's like going to the. To the cart track and you get to have the fastest cart. Right. I mean, like, he was just. He was.
- [55:01]
Kenny Wallace
To make. Yeah.
- [55:02]
Jamie McMurray
He was thinking 20 seconds ahead of everybody else, and it was. I got to assume that, you know, he had to just. That had to be as much fun as he could have in a. In a vehicle. That's good.
- [55:13]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah. Good stuff. Okay. You had an incredible cup career. NASCAR cup career, xfinity trucks. Wow. 799. Why didn't you. Why didn't you stop at 800?
- [55:28]
Jamie McMurray
I don't know. I don't know. Todd Benign wore me out for, like, three years at the studio. Like, go run one more race. I'm like, I just don't care. Who cares? It's just a number.
- [55:37]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah. That's funny.
- [55:38]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah.
- [55:38]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah.
- [55:39]
Jamie McMurray
What?
- [55:39]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah, but he did. I remember he.
- [55:41]
Jamie McMurray
That's why he was wearing me out, because he went to. I don't know. Was it. What number do you want to get to a thousand or something? I don't know.
- [55:46]
Kenny Wallace
It was. It was a good number. Yeah.
- [55:49]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah. I'm like, I don't know. I didn't even know I was at 799.
- [55:52]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah, well, I didn't know it either until I added it all up.
- [55:55]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah.
- [55:55]
Kenny Wallace
And. And there it was.
- [55:57]
Jamie McMurray
But.
- [55:57]
Kenny Wallace
But it is. It is cool. And, you know, nascar, Jamie, you know, NASCAR is going to promote what they want to promote, you know, and so maybe 15, 20 years ago, they started doing that. You know, mark Martin has 1000 cup starts up Michael Waltrip. They started talking about the totality of how many times you put that helmet on, how many times you got in that race car, but, I mean, you know, we're just rounded off. Does your ass ever feel like you ran 800 NASCAR races?
- [56:31]
Jamie McMurray
No. You know, it's. It's really crazy to me when you say that, to think. Think that I would. I've raced that much. Because I don't. I mean, I remember, like, you know, there was a time when it. I feel like there was an era from, like, 2002 to 2005 that it wasn't cool to run the bush race if you were a cup driver. You remember that?
- [56:54]
Kenny Wallace
Like.
- [56:55]
Jamie McMurray
Like, I feel like. Like, Jeff. Jeff Gordon, he never ran the bush. You know what I mean? Like, he. If he did it, it was special, and he was probably getting paid a gazillion dollars to do it, but. Yeah, but it was like. But then. Then there was that time, like, with Harvick and Carl Kyle Busch. Like, all of a sudden, they were just running all of them, and then it was like, well, it's okay now. Like, I don't know. I just remember. And so then I did a few more, like, especially at Roush. Like, they had all those Xfinity teams that you could. You could go run each weekend, and it was fun to get to do both of them each weekend. I loved getting to do that. I mean, you get to two races in one weekend. It was. Was awesome.
- [57:32]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah. And I think it's cool because you're a lot younger than me. You're 48. I'm 61. In my era, you know, I was racing against Dale Earnhardt, senior Harry Gant, Mark Martin, and the legendary Winn Dixie for. So, like, it was. At that time, it was cool.
- [57:48]
Jamie McMurray
I. Like.
- [57:48]
Kenny Wallace
I like what you said here, and I kind of forgot about that. It was. It was. It was a necessity in my era, and.
- [57:56]
Jamie McMurray
And then it.
- [57:57]
Kenny Wallace
Then it wasn't because Jeff Gordon wasn't doing it, and then all of a sudden, it became a necessity. So that's what they mean when we have to pay attention to history. It repeats itself.
- [58:07]
Jamie McMurray
It does, for sure. Yeah. It. I mean, and it. It. I don't know. Like, the. I. If I could go back, I would have run more Xfinity races. Like, I. I would have done that more weekends. I just. But then is it. You know, like, around. I don't remember, 2013, 14, you know, budgets got tight, and there just wasn't the money for everybody to go. I mean, there was a. There was a time that. I mean, if you wanted to run one, you could. And then budgets just got tighter and There just wasn't the. The partnerships to go do all that.
- [58:36]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah. And then Kyle Busch ruined it for everybody. He won so much that fans complained so much. Kyle Busch does not deserve to be in Xfinity. He's too good. So then they. They outlawed it. Yeah.
- [58:49]
Jamie McMurray
Wouldn't that differently, though, Kenny? I, I. When I was, like, my first couple years of Xfinity, I loved it when the cup guys were there, because you get to race me, too. Like, the same way you are, man. Like, I loved it when they. When Matt Kenseth would come race. Like, you're like, well, that's who I want to race on Sunday. So, yeah, I want him to be in the race today. I think I thought it was great.
- [59:09]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah. And this is a conversation between two racers. My favorite win of my life was I looked up in the mirror at. At Richmond. Of course, I was nervous as I'll get out, but I had. I was looking at Dale Senior's bubble goggles and Mark Martin and my favorite. My favorite win. So that's. I agree with you. Just an example of.
- [59:29]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah.
- [59:29]
Kenny Wallace
When you. When you outrun those guys, it.
- [59:32]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah, it was more special. Yeah, for sure.
- [59:34]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah.
- [59:35]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah.
- [59:35]
Kenny Wallace
Okay. I'm gonna throw this in now because it seems like a good time to do it. You and I were at Circuit of the America, and we, you know, 8:30 in the morning, and I looked at you, and, my God, you are an athlete. You got zero stomach. You're chiseled out. And I bring this up now because of all the races you ran, Jamie, you're a damn athlete. I mean, this athleticism. Is this a nervous energy? Were you bored? First of all, I think it's fantastic. I'm bragging on you.
- [60:12]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah.
- [60:13]
Kenny Wallace
But tell me about this athleticism. And right now, you look like you're 22.
- [60:18]
Jamie McMurray
Well, I. I appreciate that because I don't. I don't feel like I look like that. So this is what I'll tell you about running. I never. I was never a runner. My last year of Cup, Josh Wise started his program, which is incredibly successful now, and Larson and I were his first two, like, drivers. And Josh introduced me to running, which. Which I used to always tell everyone. Well, my knees can't take that. I'm not a runner.
- [60:47]
Kenny Wallace
Any excuse.
- [60:48]
Jamie McMurray
It's just what everybody says. Right. I meet people every day that tell me that now. And Josh got me to running, and, you know, it just became something that. That I just. I became kind of passionate about. I was like, I think I want to do a marathon. So then I went and did a marathon, and as soon as it was over, I'm like, I'll never do this again. And like, a week later, I signed up for another one because I just. I mean, this is going to sound really messed up, but I love pain. Like, I love pushing myself so hard that I'm miserable, and I want to enjoy that the next day of what I. What I did, and it's really messed up, but I enjoy that. The other thing with running was when I first stopped driving, that became how I was competitive. Like, I didn't get to have racing, so I would do these marathons, and even though I knew I would never win one, I could always finish in, like, the top 10, which was just huge. Right. I mean, I go there and I'm not a runner, and. And there was always, like, two people from Kenya that I'm like, well, I got. I got no chance out running that guy ever. Right.
- [61:49]
Kenny Wallace
Hundreds of people.
- [61:50]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah. So. So anyway, I just. I loved it. And then running now, though, I don't really care about ever doing a marathon. I listen to a lot of podcasts for work, and I run about an hour and a half a day, and I just put a podcast in. Whether it's like. I mean, I listen to, obviously, everything that Dirty Mo has, I listen to. I mean, I might. Maybe it's Joe Rogan, maybe it's. I don't. I just listen to different podcasts. But I think it helps me a little bit for work because I. Kenny, I. I have an opinion on everything that happens on Saturday or Sunday. Like, you do, too, right? You. If there's a wreck, you're like, it's his fault. It's his fault. Like, whatever it is. Should they suspend him? Should they not? You automatically have an opinion. But I really enjoy listening to everyone else's opinion because sometimes they say something that. Like, with my wife, that I'm like, I didn't see it that way, but I do now. And so I think it helps me in TV to always kind of see the other side of a story.
- [62:49]
Kenny Wallace
I like that because I do. Herman Schrader with Kenny Schrader. And Schrader does not like opinions. And I'm like, kenny, it's a lesson in how to view other situations, you know?
- [63:00]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah.
- [63:01]
Kenny Wallace
I love the way you just put that, because we might go, he wrecked him. Well, hold on. He got loose getting in.
- [63:07]
Jamie McMurray
Right. You know, there's always more to it, Right?
- [63:10]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah. Right. Right. Yeah, I like that.
- [63:13]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah.
- [63:13]
Kenny Wallace
So tell me about when I was checking up on you. What did you do at Mount Mitchell?
- [63:20]
Jamie McMurray
So they have a. I was kind of into cycling for a while. Josh was really into that. So we would go do it as, as a group of people. And they had this hundred mile bike race. You run 70 miles from Spartanburg, South Carolina to the base of Mount Mitchell and then it's 30 miles up Mount Mitchell. So it's a hundred mile race, but the first, like 23 miles up Mount Mitchell, it's pretty, it's pretty steep. Like you're going pretty slow. But the last seven, when you climb the summit, you like literally have to swerve back and forth like up the road because it's so steep, because your.
- [63:55]
Kenny Wallace
Legs are tore up.
- [63:56]
Jamie McMurray
You're just on fire. And it takes like five and a half hours. Five, five. And like, I think five hours won it probably, like, I don't know, maybe eight hours is the slow. So it's a long event. But again, it's just one of the. It was just one of those, like, I don't know. I did it twice and I just thought I was a buffoon both times doing it because it's so hard. It was fun. I enjoyed it. I would never do it. I don't. I'm not really into cycling anymore. I watched a couple people get hit on bikes and so I just, I got rid of all my cycling stuff and I just run now.
- [64:24]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah, well, I just, I, I knew you were very athletic and I want to give a shout out to Matt Kenseth too, but. Oh, yeah, when, when I saw you at 8:30 that morning last week, you know, I was like, holy moly.
- [64:38]
Jamie McMurray
Well, let me, let me tell you my, my incentive on that. When I was 16 or 17, I was kind of chubby, right? Like just a kid.
- [64:46]
Kenny Wallace
You don't ever want to be fat and.
- [64:48]
Jamie McMurray
No, listen. And so, so I had that same driver's license forever, the picture. And I remember going like somewhere like the bank or something to deposit a check, and they needed my id. And the lady kind of looked at me and then looked up and she's like, you've lost a lot of weight. And I was like, oh, wow. I was like, I didn't know that I used to be chubby, right? And so, so jokingly, I always think about that because I'm like, I don't ever want that bank teller to think I'm chubby again. So.
- [65:13]
Kenny Wallace
But you know what? That's funny because I said something to Denny Hamlin and I thought I was being funny. I'm talking. 20 years ago, Denny Hamlin and myself were at the Luxor in Vegas and we're playing, we're playing roulette and Denny is just becoming a cup driver and, you know, guys are being guys and we're drinking beer and I, I said something about his belly. And I'm telling you, one year ago, 20 years later, he reminds that, he brings that up to me and I'm like, oh, my God. So, you know, I want to say that I hear you loud and clear about that bank teller because isn't it amazing the things that affect us in life and, and it, it stings us and we don't know it. We do know it, but we. 20 years later. Yeah. And Denny's always been good. He's good to me. Denny Hamlin, he sends me tennis shoes and I think he likes me, but. But yeah, I don't know if I pissed him off.
- [66:14]
Jamie McMurray
Oh, no, that's really funny. He, he was obviously sensitive about that.
- [66:18]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah, that's good. Okay, well, we're gonna end like this. Even so kind. And this has been long overdue. You're. You're in. I keep bragging on you because I believe this. I'm not going to say anything false. You are so good at tv. Everybody bragged on you. I mean, everybody in the sport. They were getting on all social media. When you first started doing TV, they said, you know, Jamie McMurray is well spoken. He needs to be in the booth for the main cup races. And you're young and listen, I know Fox better than anybody. I worked there 15 years. They love the drivers that have the stats. Yeah, you, you got the Daytona 500 win. You got the Brickyard 400 win. They encourage you to wear your championship rings. You know, Eric Shanks and Allman, you know, they told me that stuff. So you have all their credentials. When did it start? When did they come to you? How did they call you?
- [67:22]
Jamie McMurray
I don't remember how that all went down. I just, I remember being at Homestead and Craddock, Steve Craddock came over to my motorhome. I think that the agency that I had represent me at the time asked me about doing tv because honestly, Kenny, I always thought when I stopped driving that I would be like Ricky Rudd and I was just going to go hide somewhere and just never be seen again. I was totally okay with that. And they suggested maybe they were starting the studio. You remember when they started the studio in Charlotte? This big green room, and they were going to get rid of the Hollywood Hotel and they were going to have this. The pre race shows there, which we did for six years. We had that. And I don't know, like, I came in, I did a couple of hubs and tv, and I don't know how it is or how it was for you. It's pretty fun. Like, you men, you. There's a little bit of a rush that comes with, especially, I mean, the booth, like the Xfinity races we're doing now in cw. It's. It's pretty. I mean, it's almost like you're getting to race again, but there's no consequences and there's no points. And I don't know, like, it's. It's pretty fun. Like. And. And I like the balance that I have right now because, like, I'm doing the Fox pre race show on Sunday and then the Xfinity booth on Saturday. So I'm kind of getting to do a different role. And. And I think you would. Would. Would say, like, it's fun to do something different. Right. Like, you don't ever just want to be like, just the pit reporter or just, you know, just. Just pre race, like to get to kind of move around some different roles. It's. It's a good balance. I like it.
- [68:56]
Kenny Wallace
Well, I do have experience in this because they did. They did move me all around. You know, it started out.
- [69:01]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah.
- [69:02]
Kenny Wallace
You know, that. That NASCAR race day fueled by Sunoco. Then. Then it was like, hey, we want you to interview Dale Jr. We had no idea you could interview people. The rush for me was when we were doing, you know, big shows, we were getting a million. You know, you remember the speed days. Well, they say, okay, we're going live. Five, four, three. And you're like, damn, we've been looking at these ratings. We've been getting 1 million viewers. To me, that was that moment. You know, make sure your phone's on silent. Look at yourself one more time. Because. Did you find a rush when they counted you down?
- [69:45]
Jamie McMurray
Well, I'll tell you my. Tell you my story real quick. So I. I like to understand the way things work. So I would go. Like when we were at the studio, I would go in the control room and just watch everything and try to understand, because sometimes I would get. You get mad, like when you're out on the set, like, why would they do that? And so instead of getting mad, I would go and I just would. I would ask questions and try to learn, like, what's a director's role? Like, what's the producer? Why. Why are we. Why do we do things right. And I just would be nosy. So, you know, Adam Alexander and I are. He's become a great friend of mine, and he was somebody within the TV industry that I really valued his opinion because when we would get out on set, he would say things and I'm like, well, why is he saying that? Like, why. Why does he think we need to worry about this? And then the show would start happening, and I'm like, I get it now, right? And so the better you. The more you can understand something, the easier it is. So I. I went to. To Fox and I was like, I want to host Race Hub. Like, I want to do. I want to. I want to, like, host a show. Because what would happen was. I don't remember why, but we would have like. Like some different host come in because someone couldn't show up. And I was like, you know, when you get in, like, the summertime on Hub, people are going on vacation. It's just hard to make everyone's schedules work. And so I went to Lindsay, who was running the studio, and I was like, could I host a couple of shows? Because we talked about some different things. And I'm like, I just want to host Hub. And I'm like, okay. So Shannon Spake, who was another one of the hosts, she really helped me. Like, she showed me her process of. And it's. I'm telling you, the host, that role is 100 times harder than the analyst. Like, there's just. There's just understanding all the traffic of everything that's gonna happen. So anyway, Shannon showed me her process and Kenny, I just worked. I bet I worked like a hundred hours to do this one show, right? To understand everything that was gonna happen. And I was so. I mean, I've never really been nervous to do tv. I was like, I am so nervous. So nervous. So I got out and you know that green room, it's just a big green room, and you're standing all. All by yourself and you can't see anybody else. It's just you, right? And so I'm standing there and we did rehearsals, and rehearsals were, I think, just a disaster. I'm like, oh, my God, I can't believe they're going to let me come on and host this show because I'm like, it's going to be terrible. And I knew it. Like, I knew that I was getting ready to just botch the hell out of Race Up. So anyway, I'm standing there and John Morris. You remember John Morris?
- [72:22]
Kenny Wallace
Oh, jmo. Yeah, he's down In Texas now.
- [72:25]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah. Yeah. So. Yeah. So Jamo's producing and, and, and he's you. I can tell he knows I'm nervous. He's like, oh, Jamie, you're gonna be fine. And, and, and you can hear the race of music come on. And it's a solo of me to start. And I hear the, you know, five, four. And I, My Kenny, my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth and I'm like, I, like, I don't think I'm going to be able to talk. Like, I just, I was. I mean, I was like this, like. And sweat was just running down my back and all I wanted to do was run and high. Yeah. I just don't want to be out here. And it worked out. I mean, like, you know, you do that and I wish I hadn't taken it so serious and just laughed a little more with it. But it's. I would say in tv, I don't really get nervous that it's tough.
- [73:21]
Kenny Wallace
You know, What I think about right away is you and I don't talk that much, but a couple years ago you made a point to seek me out somewhere and you said, hey, I really like that video you did. Kenny, the tires. Yeah. And at that moment I thought, oh, he's Jamie's at Gadgeteer. That's what I call people like you. And now this conversation just proves it that you want to know, you want to experience. And I think that's fantastic because now you understand everybody's viewpoint right now. You know why they're on you to do this? Because they got to do that. Yeah. Well, that's fantastic.
- [74:03]
Jamie McMurray
Jamie.
- [74:03]
Kenny Wallace
Listen, man, you've been fantastic and I know that you got to go to Joe Gibbs right now and, and do tv. Yeah. And that, that. I know you're doing everything now, NASCAR and Fox and all that, but boy, that CW logo, I like it. It's. It's black with the red cw. It's a good looking logo. Congratulations on everything that's going on right now.
- [74:27]
Jamie McMurray
Yeah, thanks. It's been. I feel really blessed, Kenny, because when, you know, TV changed this year, right? Like, there's, there's five partners now. It's. I mean, we're traditionally, it was always FOX and NBC or Fox and espn. It's changed and you just don't know where you're going to end up in that. And so I'm so thankful that NASCAR and CW allowed me to go do the booth because I wanted to do that forever. And that's been a lot of Fun. I mean, obviously I consider myself a Fox guy because I've been there. This is my seventh year of doing Fox, and that's such a great group of people to get to be with every weekend. And the one thing for me this year, and I, I think you would, would agree with me on this, I haven't traveled in six years. Like, I mean, I went to like one race while I'm traveling this year, and I forgot how hard that is. I forgot how I forgot, man, the week is short and then you're in a different hotel every weekend. And that's why, like, and I, you become sympathetic to like, these crew guys and, and people that travel, they're like, I just want to be at home. And I get it because it's way easier to stay at home than it is to travel.
- [75:38]
Kenny Wallace
Jamie, I walked in Steve Craddock's office and I said, thank you, you've been so good to me, but I cannot do one more commercial airport. And, and you know, people questioned, they thought I got fired. And I'm like, look, I'm in those hotel rooms by myself. I know my, my wife, I'm watching my friends run their dirt cars. So you're young, enjoy it. And I think we'll end just like that. Jamie McMurray, thank you so much for being on Kenny Conversation. And remember, everybody, this is on the Dirty Mo podcast. Or you can, if you want to see Jamie's beautiful face, you can go over here on YouTube and you know, hey, if you're running, you can put the earbuds in and listen to Jamie on Dirty Mo podcast. I like it. Yeah. Or you can see right here on the Kenny Wallace YouTube show. Jamie McMurray, thank you so much.
- [76:36]
Jamie McMurray
Thanks, Kenny.
- [76:37]
Kenny Wallace
Goodbye, everybody. Until the next Kenny Conversation.
- [76:46]
Jamie McMurray
Check out.
- [76:47]
Kenny Wallace
Dirty Mo Media on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.
- [76:52]
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- [77:23]
Kenny Wallace
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