Chat Transcript: Jamie McMurray

Jamie McMurray: First off, I would like to welcome everyone to the chat!

NASCAR.com: Welcome to our LIVE Chat with Jamie McMurray!

raceandride: With a busy schedule for three-fourths of the year, what plans do you have for the "off-season"?

Jamie McMurray: Just bought some new land and also bought a new tractor and I will probably plant some grass around my house.

Ashley42: Hey Jamie, I bet you`re excited to be on stage at the banquet! Are you ready to give the big speech? Good Luck!!!

	McMurray nearly won the Brickyard 400 in August. Credit: Autostock

Jamie McMurray: No, I'm not really into giving speeches, but I am really excited to go to New York I've never been to New York so it will be really neat to finally be a part of the banquet.

Missouri42: Jamie, congratulations on your accomplishment as Raybestos Rookie of the Year. What are the main goals for the Havoline Team for 2004? Thank you for a great season.

Jamie McMurray: I think just to improve on where we left off, top 10 points is one of our goals and I think if everything goes our way that is somewhat of a realistic goal.

Bonds: Do you have any plans for any busch racing for next year for James Finch?

Jamie McMurray: No, we are not doing anything with Finch but we could possible run 10-14 Busch races next year but I'm not sure with who yet.

Havoline42: Hi Jamie! My name is Colleen. My question is: If you could pick 4 drivers (past or present) to hang out with, Who would they be?

Jamie McMurray: I would like to meet Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty would be cool to hang out with too, I would definitely like to hang out with the older drivers and hear stories from the past.

angelicdevil: Hey Jamie, congrats on being the 2003 ROTY! What do you think is the most important thing you`ve learned from your rookie season?

	McMurray was the only Ganassi driver to score a top-five finish in 2003.

Jamie McMurray: Just how to race in Winston Cup, the races are so much longer and different than Trucks and Busch.

Mallory: What are you looking forward to most in 2004, your sophomore season?

Jamie McMurray: Just the points starting over. It will be nice to start from scratch again.

Meredith: What is your favorite part of race day besides the actual driving? Does it bother you that fans are allowed to be in the pit area?

Jamie McMurray: No it doesn't bother me about the fans, I like to be alone before the race and focus on what I am doing in the race later in the day.

Hoss tomas: How about the new Goodyear tire, what's it like?

Jamie McMurray: My team actually had some problems with the tire, I don't know if it was something that we were doing wrong or what, but it definitely needs to be looked into.

midgetsc: Jamie, first of all great year. We all know the changes coming out next year with spoilers and softer tires, but what about pit road? Do you think that there should be a mandatory lap for everyone before pit road opens?

Jamie McMurray: Yes, just as long as NASCAR stays consistent, sometimes its hard to see the pit road signs.

	Chip Ganassi

chris f: How much help and advice did Sterling Marlin provide to you throughout the year?

Jamie McMurray: Its nice to have a teammate to bounce some questions off of, especially in the beginning of the year, as the year moved on we kind of found our own niche.

Matt in Virginia: Congrats on winning the Rookie of the Year. Looking towards next year, what tracks/skills do you need to improve most on? And how do you plan to improve them?

Jamie McMurray: I would say the road courses, and possibly go to a couple schools in the winter, but we will decide that in the shop in the next couple of weeks.

joplin_guy: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing rookies?

Jamie McMurray: Probably the demand of your time, there is a lot more people that want your attention, which is a good thing.

sc42fan: Congratulations on the Rookie of the Year Title! How do you think the chemistry between you and Donnie Wingo progressed over the season?

Jamie McMurray: I think the whole team got better as the season went on it wasn't just Donnie, it was a total team effort.

Templeton42: I have heard you are really close with your pit crew - what do you do together for fun in the off season?

McMurray top rookie of 2003  CONCORD, N.C. -- Jamie McMurray had a lot to live up to in 2003. Not only did he win a NASCAR Winston Cup race as a "pre-rookie" last year, McMurray had the rookie seasons of Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart staring him in the face.  Each one of those drivers won during his rookie season and went on to earn top rookie honors. All but Kenseth finished in the top 10 in the final points standings, so they didn't really perform like rookies.  Full Story

Jamie McMurray: I think we are going to get together once I get my house finished and have a big party.

racsanchica8_42: What kind of music do you like to listen to? Who is your favorite artist?

Jamie McMurray: I listen to a lot of stuff, country, hip-hop...probably my favorite group right now is Linkin Park.

mcmurrayfan4ever: Do you think NASCAR should change the points system? If so,what would it be and why?

Jamie McMurray: No. I think its good the way it is.

motormike: If you were not a driver, what would you be doing?

Jamie McMurray: Something in engineering or construction, I really like building things.

TampaOutlaw: Jamie since you drive for Chip Ganassi do you think that you would ever race a Indy car for him ?

Jamie McMurray: No, he has asked me if I wanted to test Indy cars for him, but I told him I would rather stick with what I am doing.

mnmcmurrayfan: Which race was your favorite this year? And least favorite?

Jamie McMurray: I would say Brickyard was my favorite, and Michigan was my least favorite since we were out of the race on the 10th lap or so.

DEIGUY: Jamie, congrats on the rookie of the year. Other than the racing aspect what has been the biggest difference between the Busch Series and the Winston Cup?

Jamie McMurray: Just the media attention is the biggest thing, its like 10 times more media attention if you win a Cup race as opposed to a Busch race.

Kelly of blue crew: What was your favorite cartoon as a kid?

Jamie McMurray: I would have to say the Smurfs.

Mallory: How does it feel to have your name mentioned with some of the other great NASCAR racers (i.e., Tony Stewart & Matt Kenseth) who have won Rookie of the Year and gone on to be champions?

Jamie McMurray: Its very encouraging being in the same group with those past champs and sharing ROY honors with them.

NASCAR.com: Jamie, do you have any final thoughts?

Jamie McMurray: Thank you all for coming to my chat, I look forward to next season!