Jamie McMurray comes out of NASCAR retirement to drive in the Daytona 500
Former Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray is returning to NASCAR for this year’s season-opening race. McMurray will drive the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro entry for Spire Motorsports in the event.
McMurray, 44, last competed in the race in 2019 following his retirement from full-time Cup racing in 2018. The Fox NASCAR analyst is set to make his start in this year’s event 11 years after winning the 2010 Daytona 500. He has earned seven Cup wins and 63 top-five finishes in the series. McMurray made his full-time Cup start in 2003 with Chip Ganassi Racing.
AdventHealth, a team partner with CGR, will sponsor the car in the season opener for the second consecutive season.
The team said McMurray will wear a heart-rate monitor during the race, with the information shown intended to help grow awareness for cardiac health during American Heart Month in February. In preparation for the Daytona 500, McMurray is working with CGR’s driver performance manager Josh Wise to utilize the team’s Human Innovation and Development Lab, which is supported by AdventHealth.
“I have enjoyed my time out of the car as an analyst covering NASCAR, but nothing can replace the feeling of actually racing,” McMurray said in a team release. “And it’s great to be partnering with a company like AdventHealth for this race. We share a lot of the same goals about health and fitness, and I’m looking forward to using this opportunity to talk to race fans about the importance of staying healthy and feeling whole.”
Corey LaJoie is the No. 7 driver for Spire, which is expanding to a two-car team in 2021.
This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 10:38 AM.
