J. McMurray Diary: Itching to forget 'Dega

Well, "The Big One" happened again at Talladega, and unfortunately, it came on the fourth lap and took out 27 cars in the process. The Havoline Dodge was one of those that didn't escape the melee.

	Jamie McMurray

I felt like we had a pretty good car for the race and we qualified 14th and the car sucked up well in the draft, but our chances of running well went up in smoke on lap 4.

Ryan Newman cut a left-rear tire in Turn 1 and spun into oncoming cars and the result was a game of bumper car tag as most of the field went spinning down the bank.

When something like that happens, there's not a lot you can do. My spotter couldn't see anything and all I could see was smoke. I got hit several times, but none of the hits was too hard.

When the smoke cleared, I was able to fire the car up and head to pit road to let the crew look over the damage. Once they looked at it, we knew it would have to go to the garage area for extensive repairs.

But this Havoline crew worked quick to make repairs and about 30 laps later we returned to the race. Obviously, the Havoline Dodge was not up to competitive speeds, but we hung in there and finished the race in the 27th position. At least we were able to get back out there and gain some spots and some points.

It's been a pretty busy week on this end. We tested in Greenville, S.C., on Monday to get ready for Martinsville this weekend. I made an appearance at the shop Monday night for a Havoline reception that we were hosting, and then it's off to Kentucky Speedway on Wednesday and Thursday of this week for a motor test. I'll head up to Martinsville on Thursday night.

I'm looking forward to this weekend in Martinsville. This will be my first race there, but I got to test there last year when I was driving the No. 40 car, and it seems like it's a cool track to race on. If I can just make sure to save my breaks for the end, it should be a good day for the Havoline team.

Answers to Questions:

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What is it like when you go back home to Joplin? Do a lot of people recognize you?

-- Andy Davidson, Mexico, Mo.

Andy, yeah, it's kind of weird and cool at the same time when I go back home to Joplin. I'm still the same person I was when I lived there, but some people treat you different, in a good way. But it's always nice to go back home and see old friends that you went to school with. I think it helps you stay grounded.

Do you have any superstitions, or are you a go-with-the-flow type of guy?

-- Nicalee Sowders, Bethany, Okla.

I'd say I'm pretty much a laid back, go-with-the-flow type of guy. I don't really have any superstitions or rituals that I go through. I try to take life as it comes.

How do you go about preparing for a race?

-- Courtney Harris, Iowa City, Iowa

There's not a set list of things that I do before a race. My morning usually starts out by making an appearance at a Havoline hospitality tent, and then we have a team meeting 30 minutes before the driver's meeting. After the driver's meeting I usually attend chapel services and then it's off to get something to eat and then I'm on my way to driver intros and then the race. I guess it is somewhat of a schedule, but it's not like I spend a lot of time by myself on race mornings to get mentally prepared.

Jamie McMurray drives the No. 42 Texaco Havoline Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. His diary appears weekly on SI.com.

Jamie will devote a portion of his diary each week to answering questions from SI.com users.