McMurray Earns Historic Brickyard 400 Victory For Ganassi
July 25, 2010 | By Eric Powell
Jamie McMurray gave team owner Chip Ganassi one of the biggest wins of his life – and a special place in global motorsports history – with a victory July 25 in the 2010 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
McMurray drove the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet to a victory by 1.391 seconds over Kevin Harvick’s No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet. McMurray earned $438,877 for the victory.
The victory gave Ganassi an unprecedented “triple crown” of major motorsports victories in one year, as McMurray also won the 2010 Daytona 500 and Dario Franchitti won the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race for Ganassi’s IZOD IndyCar Series team.
McMurray also became only the third driver to win the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year. Dale Jarrett first accomplished the feat in 1996, and Jimmie Johnson followed in 2006.
“It’s unbelievable,” McMurray said. “We didn’t have the best car. When Kevin got by me a few laps from the end, I thought it was over. Ten laps to go, just do what you’ve got to do. Don’t worry about those guys.
“It’s just an awesome day. It’s unreal right now. How about Chip winning the (Indianapolis) 500 and both of these big races? I’m just shocked I won the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year. It’s been an unbelievable year.”
At the same time, McMurray’s Earnhardt Ganassi Racing teammate, Juan Pablo Montoya, experienced heartbreak at “The Racing Capital of the World” for the second consecutive year.
Montoya tasted victory in his first trip to Indianapolis in 2000, winning the Indianapolis 500 after leading 167 of 200 laps for Ganassi’s Indy car team. But he led the most laps in the Brickyard 400 for the second consecutive year, only to leave the track bitterly disappointed.
Montoya won his first career Brickyard 400 pole and led four times for a total of 86 laps. He led McMurray by more than three seconds when a yellow flag for debris flew on Lap 139.
When the leaders pitted, most teams, including McMurray and Harvick, elected to take two tires while Montoya took four, putting him back to ninth place for the Lap 143 start.
Montoya was making an aggressive charge toward the front on Lap 147 when he attempted to pass a car on the outside of Turn 4, but slid in the marbles, hit the SAFER Barrier and collected Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the process. Montoya finished 32nd.
Harvick passed McMurray for the lead under green on Lap 145, but McMurray retook the lead on the Lap 150 restart and never looked back.
“My heart goes out to Juan,” Ganassi said. “He had a great day, too. This is a big, big day for our team. I’m glad it happened here in Indianapolis. It’s incredible. I need oxygen. I don’t know what to say.”
Greg Biffle led 38 laps and finished third in the No. 16 3M Ford, his career-best finish at the Brickyard 400. Clint Bowyer was fourth in the No. 33 Wheaties Fuel Chevrolet, and Indiana native Tony Stewart finished fifth in the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet. It was Stewart’s eighth top-10 finish in 12 Brickyard 400 starts.
The Hendrick Motorsports duo of defending Brickyard 400 winner Jimmie Johnson and four-time Brickyard 400 winner Jeff Gordon both uncharacteristically struggled. Johnson finished 22nd and Gordon 23rd.
1995 Indianapolis 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve finished 29th in his first Brickyard 400 appearance. He became just the second driver, along with Montoya, to compete in all three major auto races at IMS – the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400 and United States Grand Prix Formula One race.