Toyota Racing – Martin Truex Jr.

NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

RICHMOND, Virginia (September 10, 2020) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. was made available to media via videoconference in advance of the race at the Richmond Raceway:

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Earlier, Chase Elliott was on the call and he said that you two were okay, and there is a mutual respect there. What is your take on that?

“Yeah, I would definitely agree with that. It was just kind of one of those racing deals, where it was obviously really close. It was pretty much going to be the pass for the win in my eyes. I feel like in that moment, we both made a split-second decision and tried to anticipate or think about what the other one would do, and I think we both guessed wrong, to be honest with you. Just really close, obviously, nobody’s fault. I don’t think you can really put blame on one guy. Just kind of a racing deal that was unfortunate for both of our teams.”

Are you thinking he’s going to lift in that situation? When you saw the replay, did it look worse than you thought it was?
“Honestly, in the moment, I had enough momentum, and I said in my interview after the race was I thought I had the momentum, I thought I was going to be able to get him cleared. At the very last second, when I saw that he was right there on the corner, there was no way for me to keep from sliding up the hill. I mean it’s Darlington. Once you commit to the turn, especially with a bad angle, you are going to use up all of the race track. I honestly thought – I knew it was close, but at that exact moment, I couldn’t do anything. I was committed. Yeah, it’s just the way it worked out.”

When you think about Richmond and the Playoffs, what are your thoughts?

“I look forward to it. It is a great race track. I love going there, and it puts on a great show. Obviously, last year, we had a lot of success there. Really, the past handful of seasons it has been a really good track for our team. I think anytime you go to a place that you have had recent success, especially in the Playoffs, it’s a bonus. I’m excited to go there. Hopefully, it would be nice to get a win. It’s been a while.”

What is your philosophy in racing short tracks?

“I think it’s a little bit different for each one. I think at Richmond I just focus on the things that we’ve been able to work on to be better there. Just try to remember the things we have been working on, how to approach the driving part of it, as far as tire saving, how hard to push and what kind of balance you need throughout the race to be good at the end.”

You have been undefeated in Virginia the last four races, and all four have come with JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing). What have you found with JGR?

“I think it’s kind of a deal where we got to working on certain things, trying to get the car to do certain things that I like it to do and working with the same group of guys for several years there. Obviously at Furniture Row, it kind of began. Being able to go to JGR with basically the same race cars, and a lot of the same people, we just really continued to work in those same directions and areas. I think that short tracks are places where they are very unique. The things that have worked in the past typically you can carry through and use them for seasons. Just the things we have been working on for me particularly. Not only the way I drive, my style, but make the car compliment that. Obviously, we have a great team, and a great race car. It’s just a matter of putting all of the pieces together and continuing to refine on them over the years.”

What are your thoughts on Auto Club Raceway being converted into a short track?

“I actually just heard it yesterday. My crew chief (James Small) let me know. I hadn’t seen anything about it. I don’t know. I’m kind of a little bit sad. I really enjoyed California Speedway. Great race track. I feel like the older it has gotten, the more fun it was to drive in a race on, so I’m a little bit disappointed from that stand point, but anytime there’s a new track, there is excitement. It will be cool to see what they come up with. I don’t know any of the details at all. It will be interesting to see what they build there.”

Since this is the first season for your crew chief James Small, has there been an acclimation period for him on the top of the pit box?

“Yeah, I think it’s a little different, but I wouldn’t put that all on James (Small). I think if you look at what we have done the last few months, specifically. I wouldn’t put that all on James. It’s just been one of those seasons. We went through some struggles, here and there, early on. When we came back from COVID, the break there, things were so different, it took a little bit of getting used to. We were doing a little bit of experimenting, and it wasn’t going very well for us. We were inconsistent, but we kind of got back to our normal stuff. The last 11 races have been – I feel like we’ve been a top-two or three car every week, and had a shot at winning a few, just like last week. They just haven’t worked at. We’ve had a little bit of bad luck this season for sure, but I feel like James has done a great job. He’s done everything I could ever ask him for, and I feel like he’s done a great job and I don’t feel like there’s anything that he’s really missed. From that standpoint, I feel like it’s been good. I feel like we’re still getting stronger, and have yet to show our full potential, so I’m excited about that.”

This is the first time for this package at Richmond. What is in your notes that makes you think you can unload fast here?

“Well, if you go back to 2017, 2018, 2016, it was all low downforce then. It’s basically back to what it was then. So, I have a lot of confidence. We led a bunch of laps in those races with that package. We definitely felt like we had the car to beat a handful of times, and it didn’t work out, but we’ve been strong there, I feel like no matter what package. I feel like we’ve been able to similar things with our car and our setup that I feel like have worked with both packages. That gives me confidence to go back and do what we did last season.”

Going to Richmond this weekend, when did the light switch flip on for you and short tracks?

“I know it looks like that because obviously so many races without winning, but I just don’t feel like it was ever really a light switch. I feel like it was a work in progress. Sometimes, it is hard to see how close somebody really is. All of those Richmond races, for three or four seasons. Even back to my days at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing), we ran really well at Richmond, being in position to win there and have some things happen. It’s just a culmination of things like I talked about earlier with the team and the cars and the driving style and just continuing to refine all of those little things. There wasn’t really ever a magic wand or anything special that we did; it was just a culmination of things.”

How important is it for Toyota to add another team?

“Well, I can’t really speak for them on what their plans are or what they would like to see in a perfect world. I know from being partners with them for so long – I know they want to expand. I know they want to add more cars. I think it would make us stronger for sure. Especially, when we go to superspeedways, but I think they are always look at all their avenues to get some more teams together, and we will see what the future holds.”

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