Jamie McMurray has finally established himself as a legitimate superstar

When McMurray won at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October 2002, it was so shocking that it was difficult to get a feel for what it meant and just who this sudden star really was.

Was McMurray the sport’s next big star? Or had he stumbled onto one of those magical moments that mysteriously produce a monumental upset?

Despite the stunning victory, which came while McMurray was filling in for the injured Sterling Marlin, the jury was still out on the young driver.

And it remained out for the next seven years (a hung jury, if you will).

The longer McMurray went without another Cup victory and without doing something else special and spectacular, the more questions arose about him.

When McMurray raced in the Cup series for four more years without another victory, he suddenly became one of NASCAR’s biggest enigmas.

If he was talented enough to win in just his second career start, why couldn’t he win again? And if this young, hard-to-read driver was truly a rising star, why did he continue to struggle year after year?

Why couldn’t he reach his vast potential?

Even though he nearly made the Chase in 2004 and 2005, he couldn’t win. So the jury was still out when he left Chip Ganassi’s team after the 2005 season to join Roush Fenway Racing.

McMurray was expected to flourish immediately with Roush, one of the sport’s elite teams.

It didn’t happen. Instead, he finished a miserable 25th in points in his first year.

He won a race here and there – at Daytona in July 2007 and Talladega in November 2009 – but those victories just raised further questions about McMurray.

If he could win those races, why couldn’t he win all the time? And why couldn’t he run up front consistently, especially when he was driving for one of the sport’s top teams?

Despite the two victories, McMurray was a huge disappointment at Roush, leaving his career in the balance when he was released after last season.

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, he stunned the NASCAR world again by winning this year’s Daytona 500 in his first race back with Ganassi.

It was the biggest victory of McMurray’s career and erased all those doubts that were raised at Roush Fenway Racing.

Or did it?

No, not really. Instead, McMurray’s Daytona 500 win raised even more questions.

If he could win the Daytona 500, why couldn’t he win more races and be more consistent?

Though McMurray grabbed plenty of headlines and made a name for himself by winning NASCAR’s biggest race, it wasn’t enough to answer all the questions.

Was he now NASCAR’s Mr. Restrictor Plate – a driver who could work the draft and win at Daytona and Talladega but couldn’t win anywhere else?

With three plate wins among his four career victories, was he the next Michael Waltrip?

Was that victory at Charlotte way back in 2002 – his only win at an unrestricted track – really a fluke?

McMurray finally answered all those questions Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With exclamation points.

By winning his second race of the season – and NASCAR’s two biggest races of the year – McMurray has now established himself as a legitimate superstar.

What McMurray has proven this year is that when he has a fast car and a team that believes in him, he can close the deal and win big races. He can indeed go toe to toe and door to door with NASCAR’s best and win.

He can win NASCAR’s biggest races, at its toughest tracks and in pressure situations. Ironically, he beat Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle at both Daytona and Indy, making great moves at crucial moments to win the race.

He rose to the occasion when the heat was on and outrun the competition to win, and that is the mark of a racing superstar.

Though McMurray has been inconsistent again this season, he has been fast enough often enough that Sunday’s win at Indy was certainly no fluke.

He also finished second this year in the Southern 500 at Darlington and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, two other big events, providing hints of what was to come at Indy.

With two wins this year and five career victories, McMurray has not only proven to be a legitimate winner, he has established himself as one of NASCAR’s most talented stars.

Now another questions arises.

Where will he win next?

http://www.scenedaily.com/news/artic...superstar.html