Author: rboost

Photo by Jacob Seelman

CONCORD, N.C. – Though it didn’t end how he wanted it to on paper, Alex Murray took several positive lessons and plenty of speed from his first year with the USAC Speed2 Eastern Midget Ass’n.

Murray, from Concord, N.C., started off the season strong and actually led the points after the first two races of the season – an impressive show of consistency for the 20-year-old.

However, the wheels for his points chase came off at Virginia’s Dominion Raceway in June, when a radiator hose failure was followed by mechanical issues that left Murray unable to start the second half of a twin-feature program.

From there, the resulting points hole left Murray seeking one goal – victory lane – and while he didn’t quite crack that code by season’s end, he did rack up three fast qualifying times, four podiums and 22 laps led across 10 starts.

Despite missing six races during the 16-race season, Murray ended the year fifth in EMA points, a strong result for his rookie season and a momentum-builder for the future.

“This year was a good year for us; I’m really pleased with how we overcame challenges and learned as we went through the season,” Murray said. “We got better and better every weekend, which is always your goal as a race team. I feel like as a driver, I didn’t necessarily grow from a driving standpoint, but I learned a lot of skills that I needed to be comfortable in the car and got better at making the split-second decisions on the track that it takes to be successful with the Eastern Midgets.

“After sitting out of any type of race car for nearly two years and then kicking off my open-wheel journey with a podium finish at Dillon (Motor Speedway) in April, it’s been an amazing feeling and a great comeback so far, in all of our eyes.”

The biggest hurdle to Murray’s Eastern Midget campaign came after a hard crash at Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, N.C., on July 20, which forced him to miss three straight races as a result.

However, his competitive drive never faltered, even as Murray worked to rebuild the car in the shop.

“Southern National hurt us in the worst way; it was a tough one to swallow,” Murray admitted. “We wheel-hopped and got into the wall, which tore the car up pretty badly and forced us to regroup after being inside the top three in points virtually all year long. It was one of those moments that could have beaten us down, but we used it as a motivator to push even harder and come back that much stronger.

“A pair of top-seven finishes to close the year didn’t showcase the speed we were able to find down the stretch, and I feel like with what we know now and everything we’ve learned, we can improve on that going into a new season with a clean slate ahead of us.”

That elusive victory is high on the priority list for the young third-generation racer in 2020, after coming within a whisker of winning more than once early in the year.

“I would’ve liked to have gotten that win checked off this past season; things just didn’t work out in our favor,” he noted. “We were so close – we had the car (to win) at Ace Speedway – and the driver just got in his own head and threw it away. I wish I could have that one back, but it’s got me hungrier than ever and I know we can put all the pieces together to take that last step and take home an EMA trophy.”

Alex Murray. (Jacob Seelman photo)

Murray isn’t planning on contesting the full EMA schedule this year, but he will be back with the tour part-time, while also planning select SCCA road course appearances in the Spec Miata class and exploring potential opportunities to expand into the dirt ranks in either a sprint car or micro sprint.

But regardless of where the young racer ends up on track in the months to come, one thing can be expected to remain: Murray’s familiar No. 22 and his passion to succeed.

“Winning is the goal in 2020, no matter what series or type of car we’re bringing to the track,” Murray said. “That all comes back to my grandfather (Richard Murray). He’s been racing forever and still does to this day. His number was No. 22 and that’s why I carry the same number on my cars, to carry on the family’s legacy in racing and hopefully, to make my grandfather, family and all our supporters proud.

“Last year was a year where we learned and adjusted a lot as a team, and now that we’ve got everything back to where we need it to be, we’re excited to push forward and keep chasing our goals as a group.”.

Follow Alex Murray Racing on Facebook (Alex Murray Racing) Twitter (@22AMRacing), or his website (www.alexmurrayracing.com) to keep up with the latest news.

The AM Racing team is always looking for marketing partners. For those interested in partnering with Alex and his family team, send an inquiry email to 22amracing@gmail.com

CONCORD, N.C. – Alex Murray made his year-long return to Late Models after an impressive top ten showing at the famed Hickory Motor Speedway on August 27th.
With limited late model seat time over the past year, all eyes were on the Shamrock Auto Care Chevrolet, which returned as Murray’s primary sponsor. Murray practiced only once in the #22 before the race at Hickory.

"I cannot wait to get back behind the wheel at the famous Hickory Motor Speedway. ' Thanks to my family, friends and supports, especially Shamrock Auto Care, for helping me out this season," stated the young late model racer.

After a season out of the seat and much anticipation, Alex made his debut in a limited late model at Hickory Motor Speedway in August 2016. Alex took to the car and track quite easily and enjoyed the limited late model racing. After racing only a couple times, the AM Racing family-owned and run team was met with challenges in time, labor, and finances resulting in a decision to discontinue racing for a while.

So, now almost two years later, Alex returned to his USAC roots and raced a USAC Speed2 Midget/Eastern Midget and had an absolute blast! The AM Racing team is excited to see where this may lead.

Alex is now 18 years old and has graduated from high school. While he is the quintessential all-American, boy-next-door type that enjoys playing PS4, Fortnite, iRacing, listening to music, and hanging out with friends, he is also working full-time as a Service Technician at the family automotive business. He continues to learn all aspects of the racing team business including managing money, purchasing gear and equipment, scheduling, and the importance of conveying a professional image both on and off the race track.

The AM Racing team is always looking for marketing partners. If you are interested in partnering with Alex and his family team, please send an inquiry email to 22amracing@gmail.com

Concord, N.C. - Alex Murray, 15, of Concord, North Carolina is a busy young man these days. In addition to his studies at Jay M. Robinson High School, he is in the process of putting his INEX Legends Car back together for 2015 competition.

Additionally, his main corporate partner, Get 'N Gear Auto Care, is back on board for this season with a name change. The Monroe, N.C. area automotive service shop is now known as Shamrock Auto Care.

Shamrock is a full-service shop located at 3611 Old Charlotte Highway in Monroe, N.C. The Shamrock team provides top notch professional service to all makes and models of vehicles at fair prices.

Murray is ready to get back behind the wheel, but he knows that it's more important to be prepared to win when he does and to pick his races carefully.

"We're going through the car very carefully to make sure everything's fixed from the last wreck we got into at Charlotte during the winter heat," the youngster said. "We're taking advantage of the time we have before the Summer Shootout to make sure we have what we need to race for wins there when we unload."

Concord, N.C. -15-year-old Legends racer Alex Murray capped off his consistent 2015 Winter Heat Series campaign with a trio of solid performances, notching three top-five finishes in the final three features of the eight-race series on Saturday and Sunday.

Faced with a doubleheader on Saturday, Murray was undaunted by the challenge of a quick turnaround and back-to-back 20 lap events, starting from the outside of the front row in Round Six and quickly falling in line in fourth behind John Holleman and Stevie Johns. Murray picked off Holleman in the opening laps to move to third behind Johns, and spent the rest of the race all over the rear bumper of the No. 91.

Despite not quite having the steam to get around Johns for the runner-up result, the third-place finish tied Murray's best finish of the Winter Heat to that point.

"The first race was really good - that was really fun (fighting) with Stevie," Murray said. "You know, I was just trying not to get into him and race him clean - have respect for him as a fellow racer. We ran well and we kept the car in one piece, and that's important in those doubleheaders."

Murray followed up his efforts in the first feature with a brilliant performance in the second Saturday main, qualifying second-fastest and starting on the pole after the redraw. From the top spot on the grid, Murray took off to a full second advantage and held the lead for the first 16 laps of the feature before a spin by the No. 18 of Matthew Moermond - right in front of Murray in turn three - forced the young racer to take evasive action through the grass. By the time the caution came out, Murray had lost the lead and lined back up in the third position, ultimately losing grip in the final four lap dash and finishing fourth.

"I kind of saw (the spin) coming, because he was all over the race track and always loose going into the corner," Murray said. "I just drove it in and he got loose again and lost it. If I'd gone low I would have nailed him so I went high and he rolled up there with me and just left me with nowhere to go."

Despite the disappointment of coming so close to his first Winter Heat victory, Murray used the situation as fire and motivation for the Sunday finale to the Winter Heat, qualifying and lining up third on the grid after finishing runner-up in his heat race.

Murray would use the inside lane to his advantage and move to second behind Stevie Johns on the opening lap of the 20-lap finale feature, but would have to rally after being sent spinning on lap four from a three-wide maneuver where he was pinched down with nowhere to go.

Despite the odds, Murray used a fast car and the advantage of the "choose" to rebound all the way to second after the spin, his best finish of the 2015 Winter Heat Series.

"I'm not sure what happened there on lap four," Murray said. "They went three-wide down the back and someone hit the wall and another car came across my nose and sent us spinning down the track. I got t-boned by the 18 (Matthew Moermond) and I'm glad he's okay, but the car was still in one piece thankfully."

"I just had to drive it and we got all the way back to second. It was a great way to end our Winter Heat, even if we didn't get the victory we wanted."

Murray's combined results placed him third in the final Winter Heat points standings.

Concord, N.C. - Alex Murray, 15, of Concord is looking forward to this weekend's INEX Legends Tripleheader finale' to the Winter Heat Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Coming off a strong third place finish, Alex says he is looking for a win in one of this weekend's three Semi-Pro features.

"We were on old tires last weekend," the personable racer said. "That makes just enough of a difference in speed that it's hard to keep up with Christian (Eckes) and Dillon (Faggart). We have new rubber for this weekend, so I'm hoping we can be racing for the win. I just need to be smart behind the wheel and stay smooth and I think we have a chance. We're very close on speed."

For Murray, this season is about getting the most out of himself and the car on the track, and building the right relationships off it.

"I'm still learning of course, but I know we have the car to win. My Dad and my team have seen to that. We don't have the funding that some others do to buy tires as often, so we have to do everything we can to get more out of what we have. I would love to work with a company that would enjoy having us do appearances for them and represent them in a professional way. A sponsor or two would help us to have the tires we need and to run more races. I want to win races, and I believe we can do that. We're getting closer every time out!" Read more

As the cold weather pushes further south, the engines are starting to heat up. Starting this Saturday (January 10th, 2015) the first round of the Winter Heat at Charlotte Motor Speedway starts. After driving his tail off, Alex finished a respectable 5th place overall in his first run as a Semi-Pro in Concord Speedway's 2014 Gobbler Open race.

Alex brings back his main partner, Get 'n Gear Auto Care and Performance and his familiar "red rocket" #22 for the 2015 season. Stay tuned to AlexMurrayRacing.com for further updates.

Concord, NC -- After 8 years of racing a quarter midget and 2 years racing a Legend car, 14-year old Alex Murray had the opportunity to test a limited late model for Team 99 Motorsports at the historic Hickory Motor Speedway on October 2nd.

It was the first time he had ever been in a late model or raced at the track. He made five 10-lap runs and became more comfortable, confident, smooth, and fast with each run; in fact, he ended up running speeds that could put him in contention for the pole.

Concord, NC -- After only competing in a handful of races in the 2013 season at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Summer Shootout due to a broken arm, Alex was ready for the 2014 season to start. Having ran successfully in the top five all year at Concord Speedway, Murray was confident moving into the summer months for the Shootout.

"We have a really good car this year, I can't thank parents enough for all they have sacrificed to get me on the track. Be sure to check out, Get In Gear Auto Care and Performance for all your car and truck repair needs," stated the young driver.

The team, which is a grass-roots, family owned team, has successfully shown promise over the past couple of years. Chris, Alex's dad, is the crew chief and maintains the car at the track. Alex grew up racing Quarter Midgets and was widely successful in the smaller cars and never went anywhere without his dad.

Alex finished 8th in the final standings for the Young Lions Division at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 2014 Summer Shootout. The team now sets their sites on racing at Concord Speedway for the Fall Series at the quarter mile track.

You can keep up to date with Alex and his team by visiting his website at www.alexmurrayracing.com and by following him on Facebook.

Concord, NC -- Summer Shootout 2014 is almost upon us and the Alex Murray Racing team is ready to roll. Alex practiced last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway and was extremely happy with the car. The team is returning to the scene last year, where the young driver broke his wrist in a late race accident, but that doesn't bother Alex.

"I'm so grateful for the opportunity that my parents and sponsors have given me to race, and I cannot wait for the Summer Shootout," said the young driver.

Alex will join many others in the Young Lions Division as Round 1 of the 2014 Summer Shootout kicks off on Monday June 9th, 2014. For more information, visit CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com and click on the links for the 2014 Summer Shootout.