Ryan Truex / No. 18 Grime Boss Toyota Preview
F.W. Webb 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
No. 18 Grime Boss Toyota News and Notes:
CHANGING UP THE TRUEX SCHEDULE: In place of the September 15th NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) event at Chicagoland Speedway, Truex will compete in the Nationwide Series’ first stop at the Illinois-based track on July 22nd, for Joe Gibbs Racing. By competing in the consecutive events (New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway) Truex will have the opportunity to qualify for Nationwide Insurance’s “Dash 4 Cash” program and vie for $100,000.
FIRST NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES START AT NHMS: Saturday afternoon’s event will mark Truex’s first Nationwide Series start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but it isn’t the first time the 20-year-old competitor has logged laps on the track. Truex has impressive stats in the K&N East Pro Series at NHMS. Truex has four K&N starts where he has two back-to-back victories (2010), and has never finished worse than third. The two-time K&N East Pro Series champion has one pole (2009) at the New England speedway.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: The Truex family have cemented themselves in NASCAR and NHMS history over the years as the only father/son(s) combination to visit victory lane at the one-mile speedway. This weekend, the youngest Truex looks to visit victory lane at NHMS for the third time. He won both K&N East Series events at the track in 2010. Martin Truex [father] visited victory lane in 1994 in the K&N East Pro Series where he started second and led 82 laps to claim victory. Martin Truex Jr. [son] claimed the checkered flag in the 2005 Nationwide Series event. He also has a pair of wins in the K&N East Pro Series (2000 and 2003).
IN THE NO. 18 SEAT THIS WEEKEND: Truex will become the fifth driver to step behind the wheel of the No. 18 Toyota Camry this season for Joe Gibbs Racing. The No. 18 has been on a roll in 2012, claiming four wins, three pole awards, 12 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. Truex’s JGR teammate, Joey Logano, wheeled the No. 18 to Toyota’s 200th NASCAR victory at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this season. Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin, Joey Logano and Michael McDowellhave piloted the No. 18 Camry in 2012.
LAST TIME OUT FOR TRUEX: Truex last saw NNS track action at Dover International Speedway (6/2). The younger Truex, one week removed from an emergency appendectomy, claimed his first career Nationwide Series pole, led 43 laps and brought home a career-best second place finish.
SEE AND MEET TRUEX: Truex and sponsor Grime Boss will be on hand at New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s FanFest Thursday evening. Truex will hit the stage for a Q&A with WOKQ at 7:45 p.m. before signing autographs for fans.
#BOSSIT:This weekend Truex will sport the Grime Boss colors on the hood of his No. 18 Camry. Grime Boss wipes are the latest innovation from Nice-Pak Products, Inc., the largest global producer of pre-moistened wipes. Manufactured in the USA, Grime Boss is a unique extra-large wipe with Dual Scrubbing Action, including one tough side and one soft side. The proprietary Pro-KleanTM Formula contains vitamin E and aloe to moisturize hands, without harsh chemicals. Grime Boss wipes are the perfect solution to clean even the toughest messes from the kitchen to the garage. To learn more about Grime Boss, visitwww.GrimeBoss.com or www.GrimeBossRacing.com. For more information on Nice-Pak Products, visit www.nicepakwipes.com.
#SOCIALSAVVY: Fans can follow Truex on a variety social media channels: Twitter @Ryan_Truex and Facebook at facebook.com/RyanTruex. Truex also frequently posts photos on Instagram at @Ryan_Truex. Fans can also find his sponsor Grime Boss on twitter @GrimeBoss and facebook: facebook.com/GrimeBoss.
JOE GIBBS RACING AT NHMS: Joe Gibbs Racing’s Nationwide Series program has 24 starts with 12 drivers at NHMS. JGR Nationwide entries have claimed the last four consecutive victories, one pole, 12 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes while leading 532 laps of competition. JGR’s victories came with two different drivers behind the wheel: Tony Stewart (2008) and Kyle Busch (2009, 2010, 2011).
Truex’s Career Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series Season Stats:
Starts
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Poles
Laps Led
Avg. Start
Avg. Finish
9
0
2
6
1
44
7
9.14
Truex’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats:
Starts
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Poles
Laps Led
Avg. Start
Avg. Finish
29
0
2
7
1
44
13.6
18
Truex’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway K&N East Series Stats:
Starts
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Poles
Laps Led
Avg. Start
Avg. Finish
4
2
4
4
1
152
5.2
1.8
From the Cockpit:
Ryan Truex: “New Hampshire is my favorite track. My family has had a lot of success here over the years. I’m confident coming into this weekend, especially knowing the strong history Matt Lucas [crew chief], the 18 car and the JGR crew have here,” said Truex. “I look at this weekend as I do every race, be patient early on and make sure I’m in contention at the end to win. At Dover everything clicked from practice, to qualifying to the race. We just need to finish one spot better this Saturday and it’ll be perfect.”
No. 20 Grime Boss Toyota / Joe Gibbs Racing Team:
Driver – Ryan Truex Crew Chief – Matt Lucas Car Chief – Charlie Brock
Shock Specialist – Brad Rothlin Front-end – Todd Brewer Rear-end – Eddie D’Hondt
Tire Specialist -Matt Sauer Engine Tuner – Peter Jellen Truck Driver – Bennie Stevens
Spotter – Chris Lambert Jackman – Trey Burklin Gasman – Kenneth Purcell
Front Tire Changer – Nick O’Dell Front Tire Carrier – Brad Donaghy Rear Tire Changer – Jake Seminara Rear Tire Carrier – Kenny Barber
