Jamie McMurray has shared that another NASCAR return is unlikely after his difficult outing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race this Friday. The former Daytona 500 winner admitted that getting back behind the wheel after years away from competition was hard and he sees very little chance of making another NASCAR start.
McMurray returned to competition for the inaugural Truck Series race at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego. The 3.4-mile, 16-turn street circuit opened NASCAR’s San Diego weekend and he drove the No. 25 RAM for Kaulig Racing.
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The 50-year-old was making his first NASCAR start since the 2021 Daytona 500, but the comeback ended in disappointment after an incident left him well down the running order. When asked if there was a chance that he would try to race again, McMurray said:
“No, no, no, very little. Here’s the deal. With Carter racing, I get my fix out of that. When he started, especially when he started doing stock cars, getting to go with him and watch him learn and be a part of it, I really enjoy that.”
McMurray’s 15-year-old son Carter McMurray currently competes in the SMART Modified Tour. He made his SMART Modified debut alongside his son at Franklin County Speedway on May 29, 2026.
“And it’s really hard to explain how hard it is to jump back in. I mean, it’s been six years since I’ve driven something like this. That’s a really tall task. … I haven’t raced anything, and I jumped in a modified two weeks ago, three weeks ago, and I was a fish out of water in that. And then I got here, and it was a fun experience, but I just was so uncomfortable in the truck. It was a lot,” he added.
McMurray retired from full-time NASCAR competition after the 2018 season and then moved to FOX Sports as a NASCAR analyst in 2019. He later joined The CW’s NASCAR coverage, too.
“It was a lot harder experience than I expected” – Jamie McMurray reflects on Turn 16 crash at Coronado
Jamie McMurray joined seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks in the field at Naval Base Coronado. It was his first Truck Series start since 2008. He spent much of the race fighting comfort and rhythm in the truck, then ended the night out of the results after 22 laps completed.
McMurray said the crash happened after he passed Justin Marks and lost his usual view of the corner in Turn 16.
“I got Justin Marks past me the corner before, and I just I lost my eyesight, like my line of sight … I don’t think I missed my mark as much as I just had the trunk at a different angle. … I just misjudged that, and it was in all fairness, it was a lot harder experience than I expected,” Jamie McMurray said (via Frontstretch).
Jamie McMurray added he had driven through that section without problems all day. This time, though, he hit the bump differently. The truck unloaded as it crossed the bump and McMurray left with a 34th-place finish.
Edited by Palak Gupta