Martin Truex Jr. — Notes & Quotes
Bristol Motor Speedway – August 23, 2013MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
What is your outlook for the race at Bristol?
“We definitely want to win. Looking forward to Bristol. We’ve had some really good success here the last couple of years at Michael Waltrip Racing and we’ve had a great car throughout practice this afternoon. We’ll just have to wait and see how it goes. This race can get kind of crazy and it seems like everybody is running the top groove around the high side like we did last year in the night race. It’s going to be an interesting race for sure. The bottom is really non-existent. It’s going to be hard to pass. There’s going to be some guys fighting for the top and getting mad at each other and throwing helmets and it’s going to be exciting. Looking forward to it and hopefully we’ll come out on the good end of things.”
How do you balance going for a win versus taking too big of a chance?
“I think that we certainly go into every race weekend trying to win the race. Obviously, depending on where you’re at kind of dictates some things that you can do. For the most part, we’re just going to keep doing the things that we’ve done all year and done in the past as a team. There’s certain times at certain places where you can really gamble fuel mileage- wise or things like that to try to get a good finish. For the most part, our strategy is going to be the same as it’s been all year long and that’s just get everything we can get each of — these next three weekends and wherever it puts us we’ll have to be happy with that. You can’t lose sleep over it. You can’t make yourself crazy. It is what it is. I’m looking forward to the race here this weekend and I think we can have a shot at having a great run and we’ll just have to concentrate on that. I don’t think you really race any different. You just have to put the points behind you and just go out there and do the best job you can and do the things that got you here.”
What is the key to racing at Bristol?
“It seems to change so much. This race, I expect it to be a lot like the summer race last year. Fighting for the high side, being on the right pit sequence is going to be important, but as far as driving the car, especially today — the track is just so fast. We were running some really, really fast lap times in practice and everybody is running up against the wall. There’s not a lot of margin for error. You have to be very, very aggressive with driving the car and at the same time not step over that line. Bristol, especially when you run the high side, it’s a big momentum race track so we’re in the gas a lot and not really slowing down at all through the center of the corner. Carrying a lot of speed and really putting the car on the edge is what makes you good here.”
How do you approach the next three weeks?
“It’s not the situation you want to be in obviously. It would be awesome to be sitting here and say we’re a virtual lock — some guys are already locked in and I’m very jealous of that — not going to lie. I don’t know, I quit looking at the points two months ago, honestly and I told myself that all we can do is what we’re going to do. There’s no sense in worrying about it, there’s no sense in losing sleep. It’s hard not to think about sometimes for sure, but again I think if we think about it too much and worry about it too much that we will beat ourselves and we don’t need to do that. We’re a good enough race team, had a good enough season that we shouldn’t be in this position, but we are and so we have to step up and make it happen when the pressure’s on and the way to do that in my eyes is to not look at it and not worry about the points and not stress yourself out and not say it’s the end of the world if we don’t make it and just go out and do the job.”
Does the stress of making the Chase make these races more difficult?
“I don’t think it makes it more difficult. It makes it a little more disappointing and frustrating because I feel like some of the stuff that’s happened to us has been like, you’ve got to be kidding me, but that’s part of racing. That’s how it goes, some days are just not your day no matter how fast you are, no matter how good of a job everybody does and so that just comes with the territory. We need to step up and overcome that stuff and show people what we’re made of.”
What will the impact be on Michael Waltrip Racing to lose Rodney Childers?
“He’s (Rodney Childers, 55 crew chief) not going to be easy to replace — he’s very, very good at what he does. He’s been a big part of Michael Waltrip Racing obviously. He was there long before I was. He’s very smart and I really enjoyed my time there working with him because we did work very closely together with all our teams. He brought a ton to the table. It’s going to be hard to replace him for sure, especially this late in the season. He’s definitely a special talent. That’s part of the sport — people change and find things and better opportunities elsewhere and I wish Rodney the best of luck. Hopefully, we’ll find somebody good to fill that position.”
What do you think about Ryan Truex racing a Cup car at Bristol?
“It’s really, really cool honestly to be out there and see him (Ryan Truex) running. The only race car he’s been in all season — he ran in Daytona in a truck and he ran some laps last weekend for (Marcos) Ambrose at Mid-Ohio. That’s the only racing he’s done this year period. He didn’t test, he hasn’t been in the Gen-6 car. He hasn’t run a Cup car in three years. He went out there today in the second practice — he’s like 21st. He’s like a tenth slower than me. That shows you what he can do and just so proud of him for staying the course, for working hard. He put so much effort into it and he knows what he wants to do and he knows what he can do. It’s a shame that other people haven’t seen that yet, but they’re going to. I’m just proud of the way he handles himself and he’s a good kid. I expect he’s going to do a really good job tomorrow night. It’s going to be awesome to be out there with him. It was fun to see him there in practice today. I got around him a few times and was checking up to make sure he was running where he was supposed to. Wasn’t doing anything silly so it’s going to be cool for him to race tomorrow night. It’s going to be a tough race for him, it’s a long one. Track position and things like that — he’s going to learn a ton and that’s what he’s here for. It’s going to be cool to see him out there and hopefully he has a good night — he could really use it.”
Is your dad nervous about the two of you racing against each other?
“I asked my dad this morning, ‘Are you nervous about this?’ He’s like, ‘No, I just told him to stay the hell away from the 56 (Martin Truex Jr.).’ He’s like, ‘That’s all I can see happening now, you guys wrecking together and you not making the Chase.’ I think out of all three of us, my dad is more nervous about the whole situation than we are. Ryan (Truex) seems fine with it. He’s just ready to go. He was talking about it all week and it couldn’t have got here quick enough for him.”
