Dodge at Talladega. One week later, at Charlotte, in just his second career NASCAR Winston Cup and first non-restrictor plate start, McMurray outraced the Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiacs of Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart to win the UAW-GM Quality 500. McMurray had been consistent the entire night, and led 96 of the final 100 laps to score the win. It is considered one of the biggest upsets in NASCAR history. This win set a modern-era record for fewest starts before a win (which has since been tied only by Trevor Bayne in the 2011 Daytona 500), and it was also the first time a driver won in their first start at a 1.5-mile track. McMurray drove for six of the remaining seven races, except for the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville, with Mike Bliss driving as scheduled in the No. 40. In 2003, McMurray joined the Cup Series full-time. He won Rookie of the Year honors by 37 points over Greg Biffle. McMurray had five Top 5's, 13 top tens and finished 13th in the overall standings. He began competing part-time in the Busch Series. In 2004, McMurray and his team were penalized 25 points after the Food City 500 for an incorrect "x-measurement," a method of comparing the center of the roof with the center of the chassis, which proved costly when later in the year, McMurray missed the Chase for the Cup by 15 points. If he had made the playoff field, McMurray would have finished the year 4th in points due to strong performance in the Chase races. The same weekend of the penalty, McMurray was fined $15,000 by NASCAR for intentionally causing a wreck after the race was over. He had 23 Top 10s during the season, including 12 in the last 14 races, and finished eleventh in the points standings, which earned him a $1 million bonus. In the same year, he won a Truck Series race; joining 20 other drivers that have won a race in all three of NASCAR's top touring series. In 2005 McMurray scored four top fives and ten top tens to finish 12th in points. McMurray came in tenth in points with a one-point cushion over Ryan Newman in the final race before the chase at Richmond International Raceway. McMurray was wrecked by Tony Raines later in the race ending his chase hopes. McMurray left the No. 42 team after