MARTIN TRUEX JR.
No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota
Homestead-Miami Speedway
CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Martin Truex Jr. heads to Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway 10th in points. If he can hold his position, he will make his first appearance on center stage at NASCAR’s Awards Banquet at the Wynn in Las Vegas on November 30th.
Last season at the 1.5-mile oval, Truex battled for the victory with NASCAR champion Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards before finishing in third place. The year before, the 32-year-old Michael Waltrip Racing driver led 62 laps before a cut tire ended his chance for the win.
Truex will close out the 2012 season posting career bests in top-five, top-10, average start and average finishes.
Truex on Racing at Homestead: “I love Homestead-Miami Speedway. It’s been an awesome track for me. It’s one of those tracks that I have always liked ever since I first went there. I guess back in 2003 when they first repaved and reconfigured it, I finished second in the Nationwide race. Ever since then, I have loved the place. It is such a cool track to race on because of the progressive banking and the way the racing groove is. At the start of the weekend, the groove starts out on the middle or top-side of the track which is what I just love about it. It is such a fun place to race on. Last year we ran third and had a shot at winning. The year before, we were leading and got a flat. This track is definitely a place where I believe we can win. It is certainly one of my best tracks. I can’t think of a better place to end the season. It’s time for a win and we can do it at Homestead.”
Grading 2012 Season: “I am going to give my NAPA team a B+. We have a lot of unfinished business to do and have just one race to do it. I thought Phoenix was going to be pivotal for us. Entering last Sunday’s race, I really thought we had a NAPA Toyota very capable of winning the race. We were fast all weekend long. Unfortunately, we suffered our first engine issue of the season and it ended our day early. So Homestead-Miami is going to be it for us. We need to finish our season on a high note and it’s time to finally get that win.”
ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST
· HOMESTEAD STATS: In seven starts, Truex has two top-five and five top-10 finishes. His average finish is 10th. He has led 97 laps in competition.
· TRUEX TOP 10: Truex ranks ninth in points earned in the last seven races at Homestead and fifth in the last five.
· MWR IN 2012: MWR’s five Sprint Cup Series drivers have scored a combined record of three wins (Bowyer at Sonoma, Richmond and Charlotte), 23 top-five and 56 top-10 finishes in 2012. MWR’s Toyotas have led 1,187 laps.
· SANDY NJ RELIEF FUND UPDATE: The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation will be collecting donations (monetary and product) on Wednesday, November 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Bass Pro Shops in Concord. N.C.
