McMurray hopeful of 2010 Cup drive

The 33-year-old will not be back at Roush Fenway Racing next year as the Ford squad will cut back from five to four cars, in order to comply with NASCAR rules, which enforce a four-car limit from next season.

McMurray, who claimed his first Cup victory for more than two years last Sunday at Talladega, has been linked to a return with Chip Ganassi's team to drive the #1 car, replacing outgoing Martin Truex Jr.

However, he says he has yet to sing a deal for next season, even if he is optimistic about being in a competitive car.

"I wouldn't say that I'm not worried because there's been stuff in our sport that has happened," said McMurray. "I never would've guessed that Dale (Earnhardt) Jr would have left DEI and when that was announced, I was like 'I never saw that coming'.

"But I feel confident that I'm going to be in a really good car next year, with a great sponsor, and it's all going to work out. But it's not signed yet and until it's signed, you just never know what can happen."

McMurray reckons that there are just a few openings left for next season and he hopes his recent success will attract potential sponsors that will pave the way for him to secure one of the drives available.

"There's not a lot of rides available right now," McMurray said. "I think that everybody knows what rides are out there. You know, certainly if a sponsor were to call me, that would make it a lot easier with the amount of teams that are shutting down.

"There are not a lot of options out there, so I think everyone knows the cars that are available right now. For me, I just hope that we can get it signed and announce it whenever they want to so that it will make it a little bit easier to sleep at night."

Out of the teams currently represented in the Chase, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing is the only one known to be looking to fill a vacant seat for next season.