NASCAR: Jamie McMurray won’t return to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2019
By Asher Fair
Jamie McMurray will not return to Chip Ganassi Racing as the driver of the #1 Chevrolet in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season.
After a rumor circulated last month that Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kurt Busch will be replacing Jamie McMurray as the driver of the #1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season, it has been confirmed that McMurray will not return to Chip Ganassi Racing next year.
However, the replacement for the 42-year-old Joplin, Missouri native has not yet been named, so it is unknown if this rumor is completely true. It is also not yet known if McMurray will continue driving in the Cup Series next season, and if so, for which team he might end up driving.
McMurray is currently competing in his 17th Cup Series season and his 16th season as a full-time Cup Series driver. He is in his 13th season driving for Chip Ganassi Racing and his 12th season driving for the team as a full-time driver.
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In the 2002 season, McMurray drove in the first six Cup Series races of his career for Chip Ganassi Racing. He earned his first career Cup Series victory in his second career start in the October race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
In the 2003 season, McMurray landed his first career full-time ride. From the 2003 season through the 2005 season, he drove the #42 Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge before making the switch to Roush Racing ahead of the 2006 season. He drove for Roush Racing/Roush Fenway Racing behind the wheel of the #26 Ford from the 2006 season to the 2009 season.
McMurray returned to Chip Ganassi Racing (Earnhardt Ganassi Racing at the time; renamed Chip Ganassi Racing in the 2013 season) in the 2010 season, and he has driven the #1 Chevrolet for the team ever since.
In 571 career Cup Series starts, McMurray has racked up seven victories, 62 top five finishes, 165 top 10 finishes and 11 pole positions. His most recent victory came in the October race at Talladega Superspeedway in the 2013 season. His best career finish in the championship standings is 11th place, which he recorded in the 2004 season.
Through 25 races so far this season, McMurray has recorded one top five finish and five top 10 finishes. His lone top five finish is his third place finish in the April race at Texas Motor Speedway. He currently sits in 21st place in the championship standings.
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Will Jamie McMurray continue driving in the NASCAR Cup Series in the 2019 season? If so, which team will he drive for? Who will his replacement driver be behind the wheel of the #1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet?