DENVER, Colo. (March 29, 2016) – Calling Martinsville (Va.) Speedway a puzzle over the years took a positive turn last season for Martin Truex Jr. The Furniture Row Racing driver scored a pair of sixth-place finishes in 2015 at the .526-mile oval, and had qualifying efforts of third and second respectively.
The two sixth-place results were light years better than his finishing average of 27.60 in the previous five starts at NASCAR’s shortest track. He also led a total of 50 laps at Martinsville last year (23 and 27), compared to only one lap led in his previous 18 starts.
“Martinsville is one of those tracks where I have continued to get better at throughout my career,” explained Truex. “I also feel the time I have been at Furniture Row Racing we have continued as a team to figure that place out as well.
“Early in my career Martinsville was my least favorite racetrack. It was a puzzling track where I could always seem to go fast in practice and qualify up front but never race well. It has just taken time over the years to put all of that stuff in the memory bank of what needs to get accomplished throughout the weekend because it’s such a tricky little place.”
Truex, who will drive the No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota this weekend, is looking for another strong performance in Sunday’s STP 500 Sprint Cup Series race, the first short track competition of the season.
“What we did last year at Martinsville was last year and you can’t stand pat in this business,” noted Truex. “Your goal is to always win, but finishing sixth at Martinsville is a pretty good day. A lot of things have changed since we last visited Martinsville and once you’re there luck has to be on your side. When you have 39 cars on a half-mile track the odds do increase of being collected in a wreck.”
Truex feels his Furniture Row Racing Toyota has had the speed, but the results have not equaled the performances during the first five races of the season.
After losing the season-opening Daytona 500 by inches, Truex followed with finishes of 7th in Atlanta, 11th in Las Vegas, 14th in Phoenix and 32nd in Fontana.
At Fontana Truex led the third most laps and was out front at three different times of the race, but an issue with the No. 22 car sent the No. 78 into the wall causing serious damage. Truex wobbled home with his worst finish since last year’s fall race in Richmond.
“We’ve been close, but not quite there yet,” said Truex, who is ranked 11th in driver points. “Once we hit on all cylinders I feel we can be a consistent contender. The competition is tough out there and that just makes you work that much harder to find more speed.”
