DENVER, Colo. (July 14, 2015) – The highlight that probably stands out most for Martin Truex Jr. at New Hampshire Motor Speedway took place when he was more than 350 miles from the New England facility.
It was back in 1994 at his home in Mayetta, N.J. when the 15-year-old Truex watched his father – Martin Truex Sr. – win the Busch North Series race at New Hampshire on The Nashville Network.
“I was so proud of my dad when he won that Busch North race in New Hampshire,” recalled Truex. “That was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I was sitting home watching it on TNN because I had school that week. It was just awesome to see him win a race on TV.
The 1.058-mile flat track does indeed have a fondness for the New Jersey racing family. Along with Martin Sr.’s win, Martin Jr. and younger brother Ryan have also scored wins at New Hampshire — Martin Jr. in the K&N Pro Series and Xfinity Series and Ryan in the K&N Pro Series.
“As a family we’ve been going to New Hampshire for a long time and we’ve all had some success there,” said Truex. “It’s always been a special place for the Truex family. However, the one highlight that is missing for me is a New Hampshire Cup win.”
Truex Jr. will be looking to add to the family legacy at New Hampshire’s Magic Mile in Loudon this weekend when the Sprint Cup Series begins the second half of the 36-race season with the New Hampshire 301.
When it comes to New Hampshire, Truex is well aware of the importance of qualifying and staying up front in his Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet.
“New Hampshire is a very difficult track to complete a pass on,” noted Truex. “It makes life a lot easier if you have a strong qualifying effort and a car that is equally as strong in race trim. Track position is obviously very important. It’s a difficult track to get your car working the way you want, and also a difficult track in regards to pit strategy.”
The Furniture Row Racing driver, who has driven his No. 78 Chevrolet to one win, five top-fives and 14 top-10s in the first 18 races, will be looking to make a rebound.
After winning in Pocono on June 7 and finishing third the following week in Michigan, Truex has experienced a streak of bad luck with finishes of 42nd in Sonoma, 38th in Daytona and 17th in Kentucky.
“The racing bad luck will eventually find you,” said Truex. “We got taken out in both Sonoma and Daytona, and last week in Kentucky, we had a strong first half of the race then hit some debris that caused damage to the right-front. From that point on we were aerodynamically handicapped. The only good that I can take away from those three races is that we had solid performing cars capable of top-10 and top-five finishes.”
Truex currently sits fifth in driver points and sixth in the Chase playoff standings.
Front-tire changer
Dave Collins, Hayden Lake, Idaho
Front-tire carrier
Craig Curione, Sanborn, N.Y.
Rear-tire changer
Kyle Turner, Yorktown, Va.
Rear-tire carrier
Adam Mosher, Fort Mill, S.C.
Jackman
Carey Wimbish, Granite Falls, N.C.
Gasman
Brian Dheel, Akron, Ohio
No. 78 Road Crew
General Manager
Joe Garone, Denver, Colo.
Crew Chief
Cole Pearn, London, Ontario, Canada
Car Chief
Blake Harris, Maypearl, Texas
Engineers
Jeff Curtis, Fairfax Station, Va.
Pete Craik, Melbourne, Australia
Spotter
Clayton Hughes, Thomasville, N.C.
Engine Specialist
Craig Griffitts, Thomasville, N.C.
Engine Builder
Earnhardt-Childress Racing
Shock Specialist
Nick Kerlin, Old Fort, Ohio
Tire Specialist
Tommy DiBlasi, Annapolis, Md.
Mechanic
Gary Frost, Romeo, Mich.,
Nino Venezia, Philadelphia
Technical Support
Ryan Kelly, London, Ontario
Transportation
Chuck Lemay, DeKalb, IL, Chris Burton, Cincinnati, Barry Huston, Bloomingdale, Mich., Roy Miller, Elkridge, Md., Henry Benfield, Statesville, N.C.
