Jamie McMurray Diary: Rockin' at The Rock

OK, last weekend was incredible at Rockingham. First, we scored a fifth-place finish in the No. 42 Havoline Dodge in the Winston Cup race, and then on Monday, we put the No. 1 Yellow Dodge in Victory Lane for the rain-delayed Busch series race.

	Jamie McMurray

I have always liked going to Rockingham. It's one of those tracks where you can race two and three wide, and it's a driver's racetrack. You have to conserve your tires and constantly adjust your car to the track.

Our fifth-place finish in Sunday's Subway 400 showed what this Chip Ganassi Racing team is capable of. In my mind, Rockingham was going to be the first true test of how well the team is coming together. You can't really judge how you run at Daytona because so many things there are out of your hands.

Crew chief Donnie Wingo made some great calls during the race, and we never really fell out of the top 10. That speaks volumes about the quality of this Havoline team, and everyone is working well together. If we can keep having runs like we did last weekend, hopefully we'll reach Victory Lane soon.

The car I drove in the Busch race on Monday was probably the fastest car I've ever had in a race. I could drive it anywhere on the track, and it's still hard to believe that I led all but five laps in the race. Man, what a weekend we had at Rockingham.

I wish all race weekends could be like that, but I'm realistic and realize that there are going to be some bad weekends during the course of the season. My goal is to run consistently each week -- not run good one week and struggle the next.

I'll be down in Atlanta on Wednesday testing for next weekend's race, and then I fly out to San Diego for an appearance for Havoline. Then it's off to Las Vegas for the race. In between testing this week, I've been doing media interviews because of our strong runs at Rockingham.

Life's busy right now, but I wouldn't want it any other way.

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Still, with everything that happened last week, I didn't forget about your questions.

As a fill-in driver for Sterling Marlin at the end of last year, you surprised a lot of people with your good performances. After driving the Havoline car a couple of races this year, do you notice any major differences in being with a new team compared with an experienced team like the Coors Light crew?

-- Brandon Nattress, Sac City, Iowa

There's not really a huge difference between the two teams. The equipment is the same. The biggest difference is that the guys on the 40 team have been together for so long that they know one another's personalities so well. But our performance this past weekend at Rockingham in the Cup car showed that the 42 team is coming together very well. We're still getting to know one another, but with each race, the communication keeps getting better.

Jamie, did you have to obtain a personal sponsor or come up with a significant amount of cash to get your Winston Cup ride like some of the Formula One drivers?

-- Jon Corzatt, Fort Myers, Fla.

No, I can assure you I didn't bring any money to the table to get the opportunity to drive the Havoline Dodge. It was a situation where I think Havoline and Chip Ganassi were looking to put a young driver in the car, and we had been having some good runs in the Busch series. Chip and I talked, and a few days later the deal was signed.

Being from your hometown, I used to watch you race at various tracks in the area. Do you still race any kind of dirt cars or other asphalt races in your off time?

-- Rodney, Joplin, Mo.

I haven't raced dirt cars in several years. Since I've been running Truck, Busch and now Cup, that's always been my focus. Other than running the No. 1 Yellow Dodge in 16 Busch races this season, my focus is on getting the No. 42 Havoline Dodge into Victory Lane.

Jamie McMurray drives the No. 42 Texaco Havoline Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. His diary will appear weekly on SI.com. Jamie will devote a portion of his diary each week to answering questions from SI.com users. Click here to send a question.