Jamie McMurray was pleased to be on Roush's side at California. Credit: Autostock

McMurray: Roush everything I imagined

Race-long dominance ends in disappointment for Biffle

FONTANA, Calif. -- Jamie McMurray barely could contain his excitement when he climbed out of his car after a sixth-place finish in Sunday's Nextel Cup race at California Speedway.

The Roush Racing handling and power at intermediate tracks he envied so much the past few years while at Chip Ganassi Racing was everything he imagined.

Matt Kenseth celebrates in Victory Lane. Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

Auto Club 500 Official Results Pos. Driver Make 1. M. Kenseth Ford 2. J. Johnson Chevy 3. C. Edwards Ford 4. K. Kahne Dodge 5. J. Burton Chevy 6. J. McMurray Ford 7. C. Mears Dodge 8. J.J. Yeley Chevy 9. M. Martin Ford 10. Ky. Busch Chevy • Complete results, click here Victory LaneMatt Kenseth celebrates his California victory Top finishersJohnson, Kahne, Edwards talk about their day Final lapsKenseth holds off the field in a green-white-checkered finish TaggedContact with J.J. Yeley sends Kurt Busch spinning Green flagTroubles for Stewart, Gordon follow them to California Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

"Without a doubt,'' said McMurray, who left Ganassi at the end of last season. "Anytime you're a racecar driver and you see not one, not two, but five teams all run well, you think, 'If I get in those cars I'll run well.'

"That's one of the reasons I came over here. I wanted to be a part of a winning organization.''

Roush teammate Greg Biffle wasn't so ecstatic. After leading a race-high 168 laps, a blown engine forced him to spend the final 21 laps in the garage watching teammate Matt Kenseth win.

His 42nd-place finish, coupled with a 31st last week at Daytona because of a flat tire on the last lap, left him 38th in points when it appeared he would be in the top 10.

"It's just not the way to start the season,'' said Biffle, who finished tied for second in last year's Chase for the Championship. "Luck is just not on our side.''

But Biffle can understand McMurray's excitement. He knows better than most how dominant the Roush intermediate program is, having won a series-high six races a year ago.

"You can see it out on the track how good these engines are,'' said Biffle, who pulled away from the field most of the day. "It's frustrating. It drains you, but I've got to be optimistic about our season.''

McMurray definitely is optimistic. Although 18th in points, he's never felt more confident about a season.

"When I watched the NASCAR programs in the morning they all talked about the Roush dominance,'' McMurray said. "I thought, 'That's cool. I get to be a part of that this year.'"

McMurray said the dominance at California, where Roush had four cars in the top nine and all five in the top nine until Biffle lost his engine, isn't just about the engines or the drivers.

He said it has as much to do with a willingness to share information, noting how much he benefited from using Biffle's spring package.

"When I looked at the practice times from [Saturday] I pretty much focused on all the Roush cars, because it seemed like we were better than most,'' McMurray said. "I told them as soon as the race started, 'You guys have really fast race cars here.'"

McMurray said there wasn't the same willingness to share at Ganassi, where he finished 12th, 11th and 13th in points the past three seasons.

More importantly, he feels more confident in what is being shared.

"When you're getting notes from guys that won four or five times last year, you certainly have more confidence in what you're getting,'' he said. "We had access before to get notes from Casey [Mears] and Sterling [Marlin], but we didn't utilize that. We kind of were our own deal.

"It's pretty incredible they can build all the cars that close.''

There were times on Sunday when Roush drivers owned the top four spots in Biffle, Kenseth, Mark Martin and Carl Edwards. McMurray, still adjusting to the Ford from the Dodge, usually wasn't far behind.

"I screamed all day how tight I was,'' he said. "I said, 'You've got to free me up.' But we still ran a top-five, top-eight the whole time. They're at the top of their game, and I'm very fortunate to be able to join them.''

Such confidence in the organization, which placed all five Cup teams in the Chase a year ago, is why Biffle won't let himself get too down. His teammates won't let him, either.

"He won six [last season] and probably could have won 10,'' Kenseth said. "I today have no doubt Greg is going to make the Chase. He's going to be one of the guys to beat again.''