Do you remember the old poster of a cat dangling from a tree limb by its claws with the caption "Hang In There"?
A few weeks ago, that was NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray, who had been barely clinging to the ledge in the Cup Series standings. He was the 16th of 16 drivers who earned spots in the playoffs when they started last month. And when the field was cut before the Round of 12 two weeks ago, he was the last driver in.
But as we spoke Wednesday morning, with Sunday's Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway looming, McMurray was doing a little more than hanging in.
A fifth-place run at Charlotte Motor Speedway this past Sunday has vaulted him to eighth in the standings. After Talladega, there's another cutoff race Oct. 22 at Kansas Speedway. But provided McMurray at least maintains his position in the standings, he would move into the Round of 8 - once again, as the final driver.
Like Charlotte, Kansas is a 1.5-mile track, and that's a length that has produced favorable results for the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 1 Chevrolet this season, McMurray said.
Jamie McMurray, right, talks to a crew member before practice for the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race in May at Charlotte Motor Speedway."It's almost like you're back to even with everybody from where you started, from a little bit of a deficit," McMurray said. "We've run really well on all the (1.5-mile tracks) this year, so I feel like this round was better for us because of the two (1.5-mile tracks)."
And McMurray knows running well when possible is important in this round because of its middle race.
"Talladega is such a wild card - that's what everybody calls it - you have no idea what you're going to have," he said. "You can lead a ton of the race and not finish well."
McMurray, a 41-year-old Missourian, has seven wins in his Cup Series career, during which he has been almost numbingly consistent. His average starting spot has been 18.1. His average finishing spot has been 18.1.
This is his third consecutive year in the playoffs, which is both indicative of getting better with age and, mostly, the improvements and synergy at Chip Ganassi Racing. He now has an impressive teammate - Kyle Larson, who replaced Juan Pablo Montoya in 2014 and has become a rising star.
"It's been a really good year" said McMurray, who has been in the top 10 in half of his races, with four of those strong finishes coming in his past six starts.
McMurray has two career wins at Talladega - of the remaining 12 contenders, only Brad Keselowski has more - and that gives him a skoosh of confidence, though it's often been a place where "I contend to win or I didn't finish," he said.
He was the runner-up in the spring race at Talladega, but go back three more McMurray starts at the track and you'll find a 39th-place finish on a day he dealt with engine problems.
"It all goes in swings, and I just hope that we're able to put together another good weekend at Talladega," he said. "I feel good about Charlotte and going to Kansas.
"And," he added, "if we can get a little lucky at Talladega, it'll be a really good round."
» Last race: Martin Truex Jr. won at Charlotte for his sixth victory of the season, qualifying him for the Round of 8 and providing enough of a points cushion to likely propel him into the Round of 4 - the championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
» Next race: Alabama 500, Talladega Superspeedway, 2 p.m. EDT Sunday, NBC.
» Pick to win: Keselowski.
» Pit notes: Sunday will be Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s last Talladega race. Upon reflection, which is more amazing: That he won four in a row (2001-2003) or that he won late in his career in 2015? At Talladega alone, he has won close to $4.5 million (that's more winnings at one track than Hall of Famer Benny Parsons totaled in a 526-race career from 1964 to '88), taken six victories and earned 16 top-10 finishes in 36 starts, racing some 15,800 miles there. Landon Cassill, 28, won't be returning to the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Ford next year. He has averaged a 27th-place finish this year and only has one top-five result in 253 Cup Series starts. Is this another one of those cases of an underperforming driver, or is it simply an underfunded team? Sonoma Raceway was threatened by, but has apparently escaped, the wildfires in the Northern California wine country.
» Fast 5: 1. Truex, 2. Larson, 3. Kyle Busch, 4. Chase Elliott, 5. Keselowski.
» What they're saying: "I will say that it's going to be pretty awesome going to Talladega and say, 'Oh, what the hell, let's go race. Doesn't matter if we crash.'" - Truex
Contact Mark McCarter at markfmccarter@gmail.com.