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Sean Murphy Makes Last Minute Entry to Debut in NASCAR Nationwide Series; MacDonald Motorsports Calls on Murphy to Pilot ...

Published: Oct 2, 2009, 4:37 PM

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Sean Murphy Makes Last Minute Entry to Debut in NASCAR Nationwide Series; MacDonald Motorsports Calls on Murphy to Pilot #81 Dodge at Iowa Speedway

Newton, IA -- Yesterday Sean Murphy started out his day like any other. He worked his day job then headed up to volunteer at Randy MacDonald Motorsports to help the team get ready for the Iowa Speedway race, even though he was not the scheduled driver for the event. Murphy has several ASA Late Model Series wins and track records along with about 17 NASCAR Truck Series starts, but as his career advances, he's been in search of a ride at NASCAR's second highest level. He often volunteers time helping race teams and spends his own money traveling to races to shake hands in hopes of earning an opportunity. At about 10pm last night Murphy was close to ending his day when he received the call he'd been waiting so long for. Randy MacDonald asked if Murphy could step in to drive at Iowa Speedway this Saturday.

Murphy will pilot the #81 Dodge for the US Cellular 250 on Saturday August 1st in what will mark his first-ever entry into the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He spent last night getting a last minute flight and will be in Iowa for Thursday and Friday's practice and will be ready to qualify and race on Saturday. Murphy will be new to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, but he's not new to Iowa Speedway. In 2008 Murphy won the ASA Challenge Division race at Iowa, which marked his 3rd win in a row of that season. He also was the only driver in that season to grab two of three wins for the O'Reilly Triple Crown. Murphy's best NASCAR Truck Series finish was an impressive 9th place at Mansfield Motorsports Park. The top ten marked one of the best ever finishes for Green Light Racing in their 9-year history. Murphy is also known for his 2007 earned title as the ASA Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year.

"I'm really excited about getting to make a start in the Nationwide Series. I could hardly sleep last night," expressed Murphy. "I've gotten to know Randy [MacDonald] and the crew there over the last few weeks. They are a great bunch of people and I'm grateful to get the opportunity to drive for them. They are doing a lot without the big operation that some of these bigger teams have."

"I know the competition will be tougher than anything I've faced in the past," said Murphy. "But I've been driving up the ranks with the ASA and Truck series and I feel this is a next step in my career that I'm ready for. I want to show my ability and show my team that I can run a solid consistent race. I'm not looking to set the world on fire at this first event, and realize I have a learning curve in these cars. If I can finish in the top 20 on the lead lap I'll be very happy."

-credit: smPR

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