MARTIN TRUEX JR.
No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS
Pocono Raceway
CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. is having his best year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Truex, tied for sixth in the championship driver standings with six races to go before the start of NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup returns to Pocono Raceway this weekend for the Pennsylvania 400.
The NAPA driver is poised and on mark to secure his second Chase berth and first for Michael Waltrip Racing. When he qualified for the Chase in 2007, Truex was 11th in the standings with an average start of 17th and average finish of 16th. This year his average starting position is 13th and average finishing position is 12th. A victory at Pocono would help cement his place in the 2012 Chase.
2012 TRUEX VS. CAREER
Year Win T5 T10 Rk
2006 0 0 2 21
2007 1 4 7 11
2008 0 2 6 17
2009 0 0 3 24
2010 0 1 4 20
2011 0 0 6 22
2012 0 4 10 T6
Through 20 Races
MARTIN TRUEX JR. ON 2012: “We have come a long way in the last two years. It is a fun time for everyone at Michael Waltrip Racing. There are so many great people that are leading the way at our organization and allowing us to do what we are doing. It starts at the top with owners Rob Kauffman and Michael Waltrip. They have put it all together for us with funding and quality people. We continue to learn and get stronger as an organization. I feel like we are closing in on where we need to be on a consistent basis so that we can hold our own against the top-five teams.”
TRUEX ON RETURNING TO POCONO: “The package we ran at Indy is something I think will work at Pocono. Since NASCAR changed the side skirt rules, we’ve struggled a little bit as a team. We were really onto some stuff at the beginning of the season that was working well for us. Then NASCAR made the rule change and we had to go back to work. The package we ran at Indy was a lot different than what we usually run. I think we made some gains at Indy. It was similar to what Mark (Martin) ran at Pocono and contended for the win. To be honest, we had a fast car at Pocono too. It was remarkable that we finished 20th with a car that had the door taken off of it on the first lap. With that said, I think a top-10 finish or even a chance at the win is a real possibility for us on Sunday.”
ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST
· 2012 MWR: MWR’s three fulltime Sprint Cup teams are within the top 12 in owner points. Martin Truex’s No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota is tied for sixth in driver and owner points, Clint Bowyer’s No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota is 10th in driver and owner points and the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine is 12th in owner points.
· MWR IN 2012: MWR’s five Cup Series drivers have scored a combined record of one win (Bowyer at Sonoma), 12 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes through the first 20 starts of the season. Four of the five drivers have recorded two or more top-five finishes – Truex Jr. has four, Bowyer has three and Mark Martin and Brian Vickers each have two. All five drivers, including Michael Waltrip, have recorded a top-10.
