McMurray could be NASCAR'S new golden boy

Jamie McMurray has a $1 million smile, a model-gorgeous girlfriend and an "aw-shucks" attitude to go along with his outgoing personality.

What he doesn't have is a lot of friends.

That's the way the budding NASCAR star wants it.

In his world, all McMurray need to get by are his race car and girlfriend Cielo Garcia, a former Miss Winston.

"I don't really have a personal or off-track relationship with any of the other drivers," he said. "I just kind of keep to myself, and when I'm not at the race track, I have Cielo. I really don't want to make friends with anybody. I want it to be all business."

So far, his philosophy is working just fine.

He scored a fifth-place finish at Rockingham on Sunday, the best showing of the three Chip Ganassi Racing teams, then followed it with a dominating victory in the Busch Series race Monday.

McMurray led all but five laps in the rain-delayed event and beat the competition to the finish line by almost 20 car lengths.

An unknown six months ago, McMurray is suddenly a star with racing accomplishments to back up his status.

When Ganassi made him the surprise pick in September to fill his new entry, McMurray had yet to win a Busch Series race. Many wondered what the demanding car owner was thinking.

It escalated a few weeks later when Sterling Marlin, a championship contender, was knocked out with an injury with seven races to go. Ganassi again gambled and gave McMurray the keys to the No. 40 Dodge.

McMurray didn't disappoint, setting a NASCAR record by winning in his second start, then following it with two Busch Series victories for Brewco Motorsports.

He instantly became NASCAR's newest hotshot.

McMurray had an idea it was coming. He works too hard and puts too much focus on his racing career not to be successful.

"This is all I think about every day," he said. "I bet I'll run 300 qualifying laps in my head before coming here. I don't want to say that I'm more focused than other drivers, but I think I'm as focused as anybody. There's nothing else in my life that I think about. This is it."

His desire and determination are earning him comparisons to four-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon, who burst onto the NASCAR scene as a bright-eyed kid and developed into one of the best drivers ever.

His relationship with Garcia is another parallel to Gordon, who married former Miss Winston model Jennifer Brooke Sealey after meeting her in Victory Lane.

Gordon is embroiled in a very public divorce with his wife that has engulfed the NASCAR world. But if there are comparisons or warnings going out toward McMurray in the garage, he's probably oblivious.

"I'm a pretty positive guy and I hide when I'm not in a good mood," he said. "When things aren't going well for me, I just make sure I'm not exposed to anything.

"I try to make the most and be the happiest I can be in certain situations ... and I wake up everyday and say to myself 'Today is going to be a good day."'

That attitude has earned him comparisons to the main character from "Leave it to Beaver," much to McMurray's chagrin.

"If one of you calls me 'The Beaver,' I'm not going to be very happy," he said, flashing his trademark smile.

Whether or not McMurray will remain so happy-go-lucky remains to be seen. He's expected to win rookie of the year honors and Ganassi is certain the 26-year-old is the future of his organization.

The car owner is so committed to McMurray, he's providing monetary support to Busch Series owner James Finch primarily to give McMurray extra seat time before he races difficult tracks.

But his Winston Cup season could hit some bumps. After all, McMurray spent his six races last year working with Marlin's crew in Marlin's cars.

Now he's on his own, with a new team and veteran crew chief Donnie Wingo. Just when he figured out the nuances of Marlin's group and learned all their names, he was shuffled over to a new organization.

It showed during early test sessions. After just two races, however, McMurray is showing that the kinks are being worked out.

"At our first test together, we came in to change the swaybar and nobody could find them. Nobody had worked together, and no one knew where anything was," he said. "We've come a long way the last few months and learned, and I feel like everybody works well together."