Jamie McMurray has found a ride for the 2019 Daytona 500.
McMurray, who lost his full-time ride in Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 1 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series during the offseason to Kurt Busch, will return to the team for at least one more race, driving the No. 40 for the team in the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, ESPN reports.
The veteran driver’s ride will be fielded in a partnership between CGR and Spire Motorsports, which purchased Furniture Row Racing’s charter for the 2019 season and will field the No. 77 full-time in the rest of the schedule. The team-up gives McMurray a guaranteed spot in the Daytona 500.
McMurray’s longtime sponsors Bass Pro Shops, McDonald’s and Cessna will sponsor the ride, whose number recalls McMurray’s first ride in the series, filling in for Sterling Marlin in 2002. He famously won at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the ride in his second Cup start.
He had already been announced as an analyst for the 2019 season for FOX Sports.
It’s unknown what McMurray’s racing plans are beyond Daytona. In 2018, he scored two top fives and eight top 10s for CGR, finishing 20th in points.
In his Cup career, which dates back to 2002, the 42-year-old has 582 starts, seven wins, 63 top fives and 168 top 10s.
Spire Motorsports has not yet announced who will drive its No. 77 the rest of the season.
About the author
Rutherford is the managing editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2015 after serving on the editing staff for two years. At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.
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