DENVER, Colo. (Oct. 14, 2015) – If there has been a heartbreak venue for Martin Truex Jr., Kansas Speedway would be at the top of the list.
The Furniture Row Racing driver has seen a few potential wins slip away from him at the 1.5-mile oval. He was runner-up in both Sprint Cup races in 2012, and in this year’s spring race, he led the most laps (95), but a late-race fuel/tire strategy backfired and left him with a ninth-place finish.
“Kansas is the race that I keep on saying that we’re due to strike gold,” said Truex. “It’s been one of my better tracks over the years with a couple runner-up finishes. I felt we had the car to beat in this year’s spring race at Kansas — we led the most laps but fuel mileage strategy bit us at the end.”
A victory at Kansas would sure ease the anxiety that Truex currently feels heading into the second of three races in the Contender Round of the Chase playoffs.
He kicked off the 12-driver Contender Round with a third-place finish Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The top-eight drivers after next week’s race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway will advance into the Eliminator Round.
“A victory at Kansas would mean automatic advancement into the next round of the Chase, and no sleepless nights worrying about the wildcard race at Talladega,” noted Truex. “There’s something about Kansas Speedway that makes me feel comfortable. Any time you have confidence in a track it’s a huge advantage, especially in high-pressure situations as we are right now in the middle of the Chase.”
Truex, who continues to have a banner season, ranks third in Chase points heading into the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. His third-place result in Charlotte also established a couple of personal marks. He set a season career best of eight top-five finishes and tied a personal career season mark of 19 top 10s.
“Whatever records we equal or set are a result of a team effort,” said Truex. “I am surrounded with plenty of talent on this team, as was evident last week in Charlotte when we came back strong on Sunday after struggling in qualifying and practice.”
