Rockingham: Dodge - McMurray top rookie quotes

JAMIE McMURRAY (No. 42 Havoline Dodge Intrepid)

NOTE: McMurray finished fifth. He had the highest finishing Dodge and was the highest finishing Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender.

"We tested here a few weeks ago, so I felt really comfortable coming back and not getting a lot of practice on Friday. We started today like we ended our test. The thing that was exciting to me today, the racetrack started out green and it changed a lot. Being a brand new team, and Donnie (crew chief Wingo) and I not ever working together, I think he was able to read me pretty well to make adjustments to the car and to make it better. If you had left your car the same from the beginning to the end, you would have been junk at the end. We changed a lot of things. He changed things on the car that I hadn't really done in the past. I was a little bit skeptical on what he was doing but trusted him. That's part of this deal, having trust.

"I didn't stall the car on the first pit stop, but we came in and I don't know why it wouldn't idle. I think we went back to 20th. We fought our way back up, and we were kind of the opposite of Matt. We could go really good at the beginning and faded a little bit at the end, but not quite as bad as the 97 and those guys did. We were about a fifth-place car. I don't know that we had anything to try to win today.

"I think it makes me feel good. I had to work with three crew chiefs last year. Coming in I didn't even know Donnie. I was a little bit nervous about that, and you guys would just tear me up if I didn't do well. You'd say it was all car 212 or whatever you said last year, so there's a little bit of relief there. I don't know that you can judge it entirely off one race. This is probably my favorite race track and we tested here and there wasn't a lot of practice for the other guys. It's just reassuring. I feel like our team works well together, and I like everybody. Donnie is able to know when I say a little bit what a little bit is. I think he made some really good calls today.

"My Busch car is really good. We're going to start the same setup we had today. We might try a little something different on shocks, but my Busch car is just really good. It's a car that can win the race tomorrow. I feel like I learned a little about the racetrack today. When I woke up this morning, Cielo said, 'doesn't it feel weird to run the long race first?' I kind of laughed, but hopefully we learned a little bit, and I think our car tomorrow will be incredible.

"I don't think here it's like anything you see at Daytona. You're in a hole here, and I couldn't tell anything (about the wind). Like Matt and Kirk were saying, this racetrack is more about the mechanical side of the car. A good handling race car here, chassis wise, really shows. Next week when we go to Vegas, your aero package will play a huge role. I think you're going to see a big difference next week compared to what you saw this week."

-dodge motorsports-