Following Friday night’s wild NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado, NASCAR legend Jamie McMurray shot down the idea of getting back behind the wheel for another go-around.
Unlike its other NASCAR National Series counterparts, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entered this weekend’s street race at Naval Base Coronado with another street race under its belt at St. Petersburg, Florida.
But only a handful of series regulars found themselves making both starts, as Friday night’s race in San Diego saw several new (for the 2026 season) and returning faces in the Truck Series.
Among these were Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson, current NASCAR TV Analyst Parker Kligerman, and former Daytona 500 Champion Jamie McMurray.
Each of these drivers had their own moment of downfall during the race, resulting in disappointing finishes with McMurray in 34th, Johnson in 30th, and Kligerman in 18th.
Still, of these three, the only driver who did not have a positive highlight during the race was McMurray, who was making his first NASCAR National Series start since the 2021 season.
McMurray, behind the wheel of Kaulig Racing and Ram Truck’s Free Agent No. 25 truck, qualified 34th and would only complete 22 of the race’s 55 laps, bringing home what was left of his truck as part of a next-to-last and last-place finish for Kaulig Racing with Corey LaJoie.
Following the race, the now full-time NASCAR TV Analyst told Dalton Hopkins of Frontstretch that he feels another race is not on the table for him, saying he has “very little” interest in getting back behind the wheel.
Though the 2010 Daytona 500 Champion said the reason he is happy being out of the car is that he gets his fill of racing from watching his son race.
“Here’s the deal with Carter [McMurray] racing,” McMurray said. “I get fix out of that. . . 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, who is set to pull double duty, in the truck and in the booth for The CW Sports on Saturday, added that it’s difficult to get back behind the wheel after being out of the sport for so long.
“It’s really hard to explain how hard it is to jump back in,” McMurray said. “It’s been six years since I’ve driven something like this, that’s a really tall task. I mean, it’d be different if I had been racing late models and stuff for the last five or six years, but I haven’t raced anything.”
The 50-year-old did note that he was “uncomfortable” during the race, and fans questioned whether or not this would be the case in the lead-up to a race with so many unknowns.
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