MARTIN TRUEX JR.
No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS
Watkins Glen International
CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. has many reasons to look forward to Sunday’s second and final road course race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season at Watkins Glen International.
In six starts at The Glen, the Mayetta, N.J. native owns two top-five and three top-10 finishes including a fourth-place finish last year. He’s scored the sixth most points in the last six races on the 2.45-mile New York track. In the 2012 season’s only other road course race, Truex led 15 laps and his Michael Waltrip Racing teammate Clint Bowyer led 71 laps en route to the victory at Sonoma.
But Truex has his eye on the bigger picture as well. He’s fifth in points with just five races remaining before the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He owns a 72-point lead compared to the 11th-place driver for the tenth and final Chase points berth.
MARTIN TRUEX JR. ON RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: “I’m looking forward to Watkins Glen. I’ve had a lot of great runs there and great finishes. We were in the mix for the lead with a few laps to go last year. I always enjoy running up there. I grew up running the North Series and remember going up there with my father years ago. That’s one of my tracks I grew up going to and consider it special. I love to road race and especially at Watkins Glen. I am really looking forward to it.”
TRUEX ON TOYOTA RACING DEVELOPMENT (TRD): “At Indy, TRD brought out a new engine for us and it was just unbelievable with the gains they have made. We came to Pocono with a similar package and it proved to be another great engine. TRD and all of their guys have done an awesome job for us. They have come a long way—not only in the last few years, but throughout this season. I feel like we are up there with the top teams now. It certainly helps, especially on restarts, we have an engine package that can really keep up. I really appreciate what those guys have done for us and will continue to do for us.”
ON MWR STATUS HEADING INTO CHASE: “I think we are close to where we need to be, but we still have some more work to do. I don’t think a team is completely happy unless they are winning every race. We have some work to do, but I am just proud of my NAPA team as well as the entire Michael Waltrip Racing organization especially looking back at where we all started. Having a real shot at making the Chase is a really big deal for us. Michael Waltrip Racing has never had a car in the Chase. Right now we are looking at putting two Toyotas in there. All and all, things are going well for us. I think with the tracks coming up like Michigan, Bristol and Richmond, we have a real shot at it. I also would like to get that win out of the way, too. If we can get a win, it would boost our confidence even more and provide the momentum we need to be a serious threat out there.”
ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST
· Media Availability: Truex will visit the WGI media center Friday at 2:30 p.m.
· Put To Test: The NAPA Racing team participated in Goodyear’s tire test with the 2013 Toyota at Martinsville Speedway on Aug. 7 and 8.
· 2012 MWR: MWR’s three fulltime Sprint Cup teams are within the top 15 in owner points. Martin Truex’s No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota is fifth 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 is 13th in owner points.
