DENVER, Colo. (May 28, 2014) – There are four good reasons why Martin Truex Jr. is looking forward to returning to Dover (Del.) International Speedway for this weekend’s FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks Sprint Cup Series race.
Reason No. 1. Truex, a native of Mayetta, N.J. calls Dover his home track.
Reason No. 2. Dover’s Monster Mile was the site of Truex’s first Sprint Cup victory on June 4, 2007.
Reason No. 3. Dover is a favorite venue for Truex, who has posted one win, one top-five, six top-10s and two poles at the all-concrete oval.
Reason No. 4. Based on last weekend’s performance – the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte — Truex and the Denver-based, single car team feel they found more speed for the No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet.
“Going to your home track is always an uplifting feeling and that’s the way I feel about the Dover race this weekend,” said Truex. “I personally like the Dover track and the challenges of the one-mile all-concrete oval. Dover always carries a special fondness for me since it was the site of my first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory.”
Though the past performances at Dover give Truex an extra bounce in his step, it’s more of the present that has the Furniture Row Racing driver feeling buoyant.
In the Coca-Cola 600, Truex ran up front for the majority of the race and it appeared he was headed to a top-10 or top-five finish. But with nine laps remaining in NASCAR’s longest race (400 laps, 600 miles), he was forced to the pits due to a mechanical breakage (right-rear drive plate). The end result was a 25th-place finish.
“I didn’t know if I should leave Charlotte excited about the additional speed we found or disappointed that we weren’t able to close the deal,” noted Truex. “It just seems like the bad luck won’t go away for us. But we’re going to continue to plug away and hopefully the speed we had in Charlotte will carry over to Dover.”
The Furniture Row Racing team headed to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for a test session following the Charlotte race. The Pocono Cup race follows Dover.
“Pocono is just a little further from Mayetta than Dover so I guess it ranks as my second home track,” said Truex. “The next two weeks are races that have a special meaning not only to me, but to my family. These are two tracks I really want to do well.”
