Jamie McMurray Diary: Martinsville lessons

Martinsville was another driving lesson in my NASCAR Winston Cup rookie campaign. I had the opportunity to test at the track last fall while I was subbing for Sterling Marlin, but last weekend was my first time to actually race at the track.

Martinsville is definitely a technical race track. By that I mean it's very demanding on the mechanical side of the cars. You nail the gas as hard as you can down the straightaways and then you're hard on the brakes in the turns.

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We struggled during the practice sessions, but when it came time to qualify, we were able to place the Havoline Dodge 11th on the starting grid. I don't know how I pulled that lap off, but I was very happy to get to start up front at Martinsville.

When it came time to race, the Havoline Dodge was running pretty well and we were able to stay near the top 10 for most of the race until bad luck bit us. After a yellow-flag pit stop sequence, my teammate (Marlin) and I stayed out to gain track position. On the restart, we were running first and second. I slipped back to third and was just biding my time when the engine let go in the Havoline Dodge.

I wasn't sure what let go in the engine, but I knew it was big and our day was over. While it was frustrating, at least we had the Havoline Dodge up front and running competitive and that's all you can ask for. That kind of stuff is going to happen.

While we get a weekend off, it's still been a pretty busy week for me. I flew up on Tuesday to make an appearance at Kansas Speedway for the Kansas City Sports Commission Luncheon. It was neat to go back and see local media and friends that I have known since I started my racing career back in Joplin, Mo.

I get to experience my first concert tonight when I go with my girlfriend to the Pearl Jam concert here in Charlotte. I'm really looking forward to that. It's amazing to think that at age 26, this will be my first concert. I've always been racing somewhere and never had a chance before now to go to a concert.

I don't have too much planned on my off weekend, except to lay low and relax. Next week is really busy as we test at Sears Point on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then head to Fontana for the race at California Speedway.

Next time I talk to you will be after the California race in two weeks. Hopefully we'll be talking about a good weekend for the Havoline team.

Hope everyone enjoys the Easter weekend.

Answers to Questions

How would you respond to people who claim that racing is not a sport?

-- Jaime Noble, Lawrence, Kan.

Well, I'd first have to say that they obviously have never been to a race if they think that. I always hear from people that I meet that may not have been race fans before, but once they come to a race they are hooked for life.

You definitely have to be an athlete to be a race car driver. It's as much a mind sport as it is a physical sport. You have to be completely focused on what you're doing, but also have to be in shape to run 500 miles.

Will you be naming your Cup cars this season?

-- Lizzie, Madison, Wis.

Lizzie, no, we don't name our cars here at Chip Ganassi Racing, except for the chassis number that they are. I guess if we have really good success with a certain name, we might decide to give it a name.

After racing go-karts, what made you decide to race stock cars instead of open-wheel cars?

-- Blake Ellis, Carthage, Mo.

Blake, I never really had a desire or interest to race anything other than stock cars. Don't get me wrong, I think open-wheel cars are very interesting, but I always had my sights set on NASCAR and Winston Cup racing. And now I'm getting to live my dream.

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.