Jamie McMurray

Birthday: June 3, 1976
Hometown: Joplin, Mo.

YEAR-BY-YEAR CUP SERIES RECAP

2008 -- Finished 16th in series points. ... Ended on a high note with four top-fives in the season's final six races, including three consecutive third-place efforts in the final three events, his highest finishes of the season.

2007 -- Finished 17th in series points. ... Won race and pole in same season for first time in career. Win came at Daytona (July) and pole came at Sonoma. ... Won Pepsi 400 at Daytona by 0.005 seconds over Kyle Busch. Win tied for second-closest since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993. ... Finished in the top five in two of the four restrictor-plate races. ... Ended season with three top-fives and nine top-10s.

2006 -- Finished 25th in series points. ... Struggled in first year with Roush Fenway Racing, finishing with three top-fives and seven top-10s, both career lows. ... Best finish was second at Dover in June. Led most of the final 90 laps before being passed by teammate Matt Kenseth with three laps remaining.

2005 -- Finished 12th in series points. ... Best finish was second place at Texas (April) and Daytona (July). ... Earned four top-fives and 10 top-10 finishes. ... Earned the pole at Pocono in July.... Was in the coveted 11th-place position until dropping to 12th with two races to go in the season.

2004 -- Finished 11th in series points. ... Almost doubled his top-fives from his rookie season, finishing with nine. ... His 23 top-10 finishes was tied for second in the series. ... Won three Busch Series races in 14 starts, including Rusty Wallace's first win as an owner at Darlington. ... Won a Truck Series race at Martinsville for Ultra Motorsports.

2003 -- Finished 13th in series points. ... Beat 2002 Busch Series champion Greg Biffle for the rookie of the year award. ... Won his first career pole at Homestead, the last race of the season. ... Best finish was third, twice, at Indianapolis and Bristol in August. ... Had 13 top-10 finishes. ... Also started 19 races in the Busch Series.

2002 -- Finished 46th in series points. ... Won first race in only his second start at Charlotte in October by holding off Bobby Labonte on the last lap. ... One of the biggest stories of the season, the Busch Series regular was announced in early September as the surprising selection for the Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Dodge ride in 2003, but got the nod to finish the season's six remaining races following neck injury to Sterling Marlin that ended the veteran's challenge for the championship after Kansas race in September.

PREVIOUS RACING HISTORY

Won his first two Busch Series races and scored his first win in Cup Series within a four-week period in 2002; following his win at Charlotte Oct. 13, he won his first Busch Series race Oct. 26 at Atlanta and followed one week later with a self-described "lucky" victory at Rockingham, taking the checkered flag after a last-lap tangle between Jeff Green and Michael Waltrip who were running 1-2. ... Finished sixth in the Busch Series standings in 2002 and posted career-bests in top-fives (six) and top-10s (14). ... Ran in 69 Busch Series races from 2000-02, winning twice and earning six top-fives and 17 top-10s during that span; third in rookie of the year standings in 2001. ... Competed in five races in the Truck Series in 1999 while also racing in the NASCAR Midwest Series. ... Ran in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at several tracks in his home state of Missouri, most notably the I-44 Speedway where he was track champion in 1997. ... Also competed in the Grand American Late Model Class from 1996-98 and in the Grand American Modified Division from 1994-95; began racing late models in 1992 at age 16. ... Started with go-karts at age 8. ... Won four U.S. Go-Kart titles between 1986-92 and was World Go-Kart champion in 1991. ... Selected as one of only 10 Americans to represent the U.S. in an international karting event in the former Soviet Union in 1989.

NOTEWORTHY

His Busch Series victory on Oct. 26, 2002, gave him the distinction of becoming the 100th driver to win a series race. ... Became associated with two-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart during their days on the go-kart circuit while Stewart was in junior class and McMurray in rookie-junior class. ... Enjoys racing remote-controlled cars not just for the hobby, but also for the hand-eye coordination to aid him on the track. ... McMurray's home was featured on MTV Cribs. ... Actively involved with his foundation, the Jamie McMurray Foundation, which supports Autism Awareness.