Ryan Truex, No. 20 Toyota Camry Phoenix International Raceway Preview
Phoenix International Raceway
Wypall 200
TV: ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.
RADIO: MRN, 3 p.m.
No. 20 Notes of Interest
-Truex heads in to his final NASCAR Nationwide Series race this season at Phoenix International Raceway after a late surge of strong finishes with Joe Gibbs Racing.
-Saturday will mark his 6th start with JGR. Truex has had all top-15 finishes, including back-to-back top-10 finishes at Kansas and Dover, and a top-5 at Richmond.
-Truex has received the Sunoco Rookie of the Race Award for all five races with JGR. Despite fewer starts than his competitors, Truex sits only 3 points behind Blake Koch and Timmy Hill (who are tied for first) in the battle for the 2011 Sunoco Rookie of the Year (ROY) Award.
-ROY points are awarded based on a driver’s best 16 races in the Nationwide Series. In addition to points earned for attempting to qualify and finishing positioning, the Sunoco ROY panel will meet during the Homestead-Miami race weekend and can reward each eligible driver with up to 10 extra points for favorable on and off-track conduct throughout the year.
-Saturday marks Truex’s 3rd start at Phoenix International Raceway in a NASCAR Nationwide Series car, and his 16th start in the Nationwide Series in 2011. He finished in the top-15 at his only other start at Phoenix last year in a Toyota Camry for Pastrana-Waltrip Racing.
-He is teamed up with veteran crew chief Adam Stevens this weekend; with whom he’s posted a 4th, 10th and 11th place finish in their three other starts together.
Ryan Truex on Racing at Phoenix International Raceway
“I’m excited to get back in the car and get back to a smaller, flat track. I’ve always been able to run well at those tracks, and with Phoenix being reconfigured all the drivers will be on the same page coming in. We’ll just have to get the car driving well in practice and hopefully I can pick up on the track quickly.”
Truex On Goals For His Final Nationwide Series race in 2011
“My goal is to get a top-5 finish. I feel like we have run good enough to have top-5s every weekend and this weekend will be no different. As a driver it’s starting to feel like I belong up front racing with the Cup guys, so there’s no reason why we can’t finish up there. We will have to be smart and I’ll have to take care of my car to be there at the end and have a shot at it
Truex On His Biggest Accomplishment This Season
“I’m just proud that I’ve been able to get in the JGR cars and be competitive every weekend. It’s hard to be out of a race car for a few months and jump right back into it, but Jason [Ratcliff] and Adam [Stevens] both made it very easy for me by giving me great cars every weekend.”
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