CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. and his Michael Waltrip Racing team expect a strong showing at the Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. The Mayetta, New Jersey native earned 12th and sixth-place finishes at the Alabama track in 2010. In this season’s only other restrictor plate race, Truex led 17 laps and contended for the Daytona 500 win. Truex would like nothing better than to drive the NAPA Toyota into Talladega’s victory lane like Waltrip did in 2003.
TRUEX QUOTES
Martin Truex Jr. thoughts heading into Talladega: “I’ve got mixed feelings about Talladega especially after the last two weeks. Talladega is a tough place to try and snap a crash streak that’s for sure. The likelihood of getting out of there unscathed is about 50-50. My overall track record hasn’t been the best, however the last two races driving the No. 56 have been OK. MWR’s superspeedway program is pretty strong. I had a good run last fall. Of course we had a really good run going earlier this year in the Daytona 500, but got crashed at the end. Plate racing is what it is. All you can do is hope you are ahead of the wreck when it happens so you don’t get caught up in it.”
On Talladega versus Daytona: “I believe there is a really good chance of seeing an instant replay of the Daytona 500. The style of racing we saw earlier this year originated at Talladega. Since then, teams have worked on their cars and I expect everyone to be able to push and run longer because the cars will stay cooler. At Daytona we were able to stay hooked together for several laps and make the switch to keep going. I think now, you will see even more strategy come into play after Daytona. Drivers will keep switching out to keep the momentum going on their side. We will see a lot of two-car drafting because we go faster than running in large pack.”
ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST
· Sunday’s race marks the 197th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start for Truex.
· NAPA Racing will host Honorary Pit Crew Member Scott McCombs. He is the will be honored in NAPA pre-race festivities and have his name decaled on the No. 56 NAPA Toyota.
· Fans can also take advantage of NAPA’s April Spring Car Care promotion with deep discounts. Stop by NAPA AUTO PARTS store and pick up NAPA brake cleaner for $1.98 and Citrus Orange hand cleaner is just $8.98.
· Check out NAPA Reserve Online. Visit www.napaonline.com to make shopping for an auto part easier. Order online and pick up at your favorite NAPA AUTO PARTS store.
· The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation has raised over $500,000 for community outreach programs benefiting children. Find out more: www.martintruexjrfoundation.org.
