[media-credit name=”talladegasuperspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”162″]
[/media-credit]MARTIN TRUEX JR. – No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota
Talladega Superspeedway
CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. will soon see his MTJ Motorsports race shop in Mooresville, N.C. transformed from a garage housing his old race cars into a high-fashion venue more suited for the pages of Vogue and InStyle magazines.
“And, I’m totally cool with that,” said Truex.
The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation will host the third annual Catwalk for a Cause on May 16 to benefit the “Martin Truex Jr. Special Needs Fund” created for Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte. The fundraiser’s highlight is a New York-style runway show featuring children modeling the hottest designer styles.
“Every year more and more people come out to support this event,” stated Truex. “What makes this so special are the kids who walk in the show. They have actually been helped by the fund we put together with Levine Children’s Hospital. Last year they stole the show and I know they will do it again. It’s great to see kids happy and having fun. It’s also neat to see how a community can come together and really make a difference.”
Tickets are available online at martintruexjrfoundation.org or by calling (704) 664-1113.
Martin Truex Jr. on Talladega: “The rule package is similar to Daytona. The pressure relief valve is a tiny bit different. With those two things said and a lot warmer temperatures expected for Sunday, I think it will be harder to keep the cars cool. The two-car tandem should not come into play until maybe the very end. It’s all going to be about how long we can push and keep our engine together. With a certain amount of laps to go, I think we will see teams pairing up and pushing to the end. That’s my prediction. It’s hard to tell how it will unfold considering how the track changes, the actual temperature and what teams have done to improve their overall superspeedway package. Hopefully in the end, the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota will be the car out front.
“The NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota that we are bringing will be similar to Daytona, but a lot different from what we had at Talladega last year. It will come down to how well we have prepared for this race. We might not know how good our car really is until the closing laps.”
On Being a Championship Contender: “To a point, I feel like we’ve proven that we’re not a flash in the pan. We’re a consistent front runner — a team able to contend week in and week out. It’s still early and we’ve got a lot of work to do. We understand that it’s early. We understand we can be better as a team. There are things we can still do better. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what everybody thinks of us. It matters how good of a job we do and we’re going to keep that in sight and keep working hard.”
ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST
· MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Truex will be available Friday at noon in the media center.
· GET A BREAK ON NAPA BRAKES: Fans can receive up to a $50 Visa rebate card by mail with a qualifying brake parts purchase at participating NAPA AUTO PARTS stores and AutoCare centers when they upgrade to a premium or better during the month of May.
· CHECK THIS OUT: Visit NAPA Reserve Online at napaonline.com to make shopping for an auto part easier. Order online and pick up at your favorite NAPA AUTO PARTS store.
