Jamie McMurray Diary: Getting consistency

It definitely felt like a homecoming last weekend at Kansas Speedway. Growing up in nearby Joplin, Mo., I had a lot of family and friends in town for the race.

	Jamie McMurray Credit: Autostock

We had another strong showing with the Havoline Dodge, scoring another top-10 finish. I really think we would have finished in the top five, but I got into a pretty hard race with Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick there at the end and Jeff and I got together and it dented in the nose of my car. But all in all, it was another great race for the Havoline team.

(Crew Chief) Donnie Wingo made some great calls in the pits during the race and the guys on this Havoline team had great pit stops. I think we're showing that we are capable of consistently running in the top five and top 10. Hopefully a win is just around the corner.

I spent most of last week in the Kansas City area doing appearances, but I did get to spend some time at home with my family and that was nice. I don't get home very often, so it was a nice change of pace.

This week is very busy for us heading into Charlotte. I didn't really realize all the commitments you have by coming in as the defending race winner. Don't get me wrong, it's a great feeling to have everyone wanting to talk about you and your win last year. But I think it's more satisfying to have them recognize and talk about the strong performances that the Havoline team has been having the second half of the season.

We taking the same car to Charlotte that we ran last weekend in Kansas. It's also the same car we tested with at Charlotte about a month ago. We left that test feeling very good about our chances this weekend for the race.

It's a great feeling to head back into Charlotte feeling like we've got a shot to repeat. I'm also running the Busch race Friday night in the No. 40 Havoline Dodge for Braun Racing. This is the same team Casey Mears drives for in the Busch Series. Hopefully it'll be two good nights for us in Charlotte.

Now to some questions...

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I recently went to your autograph session in Grandview, Mo. It was a dream come true to meet you. How does it make you feel when you see how excited your fans are to meet you? --Rachael Wardlow, Kansas City, Mo.

Rachael, it still is an overwhelming feeling to know that I have the greatest fans in racing. Everyone has been so supportive and when I get to do public autograph sessions, I always walk away in amazement and how loyal NASCAR fans are. Please know that your support is greatly appreciated. I'm glad you had the chance to come out to the appearance.

Do you feel that the other drivers consider you a force to be reckoned with? --Larry Bertrand, Portland, Oregon

I do feel like I've gained the respect of some of the drivers that have been in Winston Cup for a while. At Talladega a couple weeks ago, Mark Martin came up to me while I was getting ready to go out for a practice session and told me he was proud of the way I handled myself not only on the track, but away from the track as well. I told Mark that has to be the nicest compliment anyone's paid me. That meant a lot coming from a true racer like Mark Martin.

The second half of the season has seen the Havoline team come to life. What can you attribute the success to? --Lauren Wilkerson, Port Saint Lucie, Fla.

I don't know that it's been one thing that has led to us having a successful second half of the season. I mean, the communication between Donnie and myself is great, and everyone on the Havoline team is really having a good time at the jobs they do, and when you're having fun, I think it shows on the track. Also, we've been able to narrow down the cars that we like to run. We've picked out three cars for the remainder of the season that we plan to run. I feel like our team has come together extremely well and I think everyone's excited about finishing this season off on a strong note and getting ready for next year.

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