McMurray not to run at Martinsville, Bliss in: Jamie McMurray, who won at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Sunday in just his second career Winston Cup start, apparently will not drive the #40 Coor’s Light Dodge in this week’s race at Martinsville. A NASCAR spokesman said Tuesday that Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, which owns the car, had notified NASCAR to change the driver’s name on the team’s entry blank from McMurray to Mike Bliss. When McMurray was called on to replace the injured Sterling Marlin before the race at Talladega, Martinsville’s race loomed as a conflict because the BGN races this weekend at Memphis. McMurray is committed to finishing the season in the #27 Chevys owned by Brewco Motorsports. After Sunday’s victory, McMurray said he hoped it could be arranged for him to compete in the BGN race on Saturday while another driver practiced and qualified the Winston Cup car at Martinsville, then go to Martinsville and start the Winston Cup race from the rear of the field. Although McMurray has never raced at the .526-mile Martinsville track, he and Bliss both tested with the #40 team for two days at Martinsville earlier this month.(ThatsRacin.com)(10-15-2002)
