Daytona International Speedway - Jamie McMurray made a
costly mistake early, a dramatic move late and ended a long
day of racing in a somewhat unfamiliar spot.
McMurray ended a 166-race winless streak in dramatic fashion,
rallying from 35th after an early penalty for driving below the
yellow line to set up a drag race with Busch to the finish of
Saturday night's Pepsi 400.
The two raced side by side for much of the final two laps around
Daytona International Speedway, and McMurray nosed across the
finish line a mere 0.005 seconds ahead of Busch, who received no
help from his Hendrick Motorsports teammates in the closing
moments.
It was his first win since October 2002 at Charlotte, when he set
a NASCAR record by winning in his second career start. He was
a replacement driver for injured Sterling Marlin at the time.
``I always said for five years, however long, there would never
be another victory like Charlotte,'' McMurray said in an emotional
Victory Lane. ``And you wait so long to win. Every driver out
here can tell you how special it is. I started crying, and I'm like,
'Why are you crying?' Because I was so happy. Celebrating.''
The victory ended the fourth longest losing streak in NASCAR
history. Bill Elliott held the record at 226 races between wins,
followed by Jeff Burton (175) and Marlin (170).
The significance was not lost on McMurray, who was later
embarrassed about his... click on ozzy go to the full story