Jamie McMurray, AJ Allmendinger participating in annual Daytona KartWeek
NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jamie McMurray is participating in the annual Daytona KartWeek By Cometic Gasket at Daytona International Speedway. // David Griffin, NASCAR Scene
NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Jamie McMurray and AJ Allmendinger are participating in the annual Daytona KartWeek By Cometic Gasket at Daytona International Speedway.
The three-day event, which began Monday, showcases the World Karting Association on three courses – the 3.56-mile Daytona road course, the Sprint track in turns 3 and 4 and the newly constructed quarter-mile dirt track outside turns 1 and 2.
“This is not kick back and relax, this is very serious and it’s very high stress,” McMurray said. “We’re trying to run two classes this year. It’s just hectic today trying to get both karts on the track today and get everything ready but I’ve got some good helpers.”
Allmendinger, who competes for Richard Petty Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series, is participating in his first Daytona KartWeek.
“I’m bored in the offseason; if we could race every weekend, I’d be happy,” Allmendinger said. “By the time Christmas rolls around, all you want to do is get back to a race track and race something.”
McMurray, similar to fellow Cup drivers Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte and Brian Vickers, got his first taste of DIS as a teenager competing in the annual kart week every December.
“I hope to win, the goal is to win,” he said.
McMurray is moving from Roush Fenway Racing to the No. 1 Chevrolet of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. McMurray competed for team owner Chip Ganassi before his move to Roush Fenway in 2006.
“I’m very excited about being back with Chip and [crew chief] Kevin Manion is a great guy and I’ve got to know him,” he said. “I’m looking forward to working with him and everyone on the No. 1 team. We went testing at New Smyrna [Speedway] a few weeks ago and everything went well, and we’re going to Walt Disney World in a couple of weeks and try to get our act together and have a good year.”
McMurray is wearing his new sponsor’s colors and sporting his new car number during kart week.
“I had to have a new go-kart uniform made and I thought it would be really nice for Bass Pro Shops get to see what it looks like,” McMurray said. “They sent me the stuff that I needed and Impact made me a suit and it matches my kart. You got to have all your stuff together.”
For Allmendinger, this week marks the beginning of a busy race schedule at DIS. He will make his fifth start in the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31 with Michael Shank Racing and then tackle the stock-car portion of Speedweeks and the Daytona 500.
“It kick-starts my two months of living in Daytona,” Allmendinger said of this week’s kart racing. “It’s OK with me as long as I’m racing, I’m happy. I like to race go-karts a lot more if I got the chance. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of tracks there in Charlotte to go out and drive in. When I do get a chance, I go out there and have some fun.
“Ultimately, it still turns into wanting to win and if you don’t win, you’re (ticked) off. It’s a lot of fun and hopefully we will come out here, have a good time and run well.”
Like McMurray, Allmendinger says the competitive juices to win in karts are strong.
“I laugh because I almost get more angry in this than a Cup car,” Allmendinger said. “Because in a Cup car, you have what you have, it’s a 36-week grind and you’ve got to pace yourself.
“In a go-kart, it’s all about pride. We’re spending our own money to come out here. I grew up racing go-karts. I grew up racing against a lot of these guys that are here already. It’s more about pride.”
