Toyota Racing – Martin Truex Jr.
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
ATLANTA (March 17, 2021) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. was made available to media via videoconference prior to the Atlanta event today:
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Did NASCAR allow you to have a team photo in Victory Lane as long as you were masked?
“I don’t know. It sort of happened that way. The guys were coming to get the car and they snapped a photo. I’m not really sure what’s happening with that.”
Was that any different than what you experience in Martinsville?
“I think Martinsville, I took a picture and they basically made me leave right away, so it was a little strange. I’m not sure if anything has really changed there, just the way it panned out.”
How excited were you to be able to go to Atlanta twice this year?
“Atlanta has always been a track that I’ve enjoyed. I feel like – we haven’t won there yet – but we’ve been very successful there and led a lot of laps and always seem to be around the front. Very, very fun racetrack, being able to run all over the track, the tire wear and all of those things are things that I enjoy behind the wheel and been fortunate to have some really good cars there as well. Going there with some momentum this time, and hopefully we can take advantage of that. I’m looking forward to racing twice there this year.”
How has the chemistry changed between you and James Small from last year to this year?
“Honestly, I don’t know that it’s changed a whole lot. James (Small) and I have had a lot of experience together in the past even before last year, but I would say overall, just having a notebook on everything we’ve been working on, we’ve been doing and really just getting better at not having practice and qualifying. I think that’s been the biggest change. Between us, we just continue to work on all of the small details together. I don’t know if a lot has changed besides having more experience together.”
How have you prepared for your Xfinity start?
“There’s not a whole lot you can do to prepare. I went and set in the car on Monday. Really, I feel like it’s going to be similar to what we race there with the Cup cars with low downforce. Talking to Chris Gayle, who is the crew chief on the 54, he’s going to get me up to speed on some things leading up to the race, but honestly, there’s not a whole lot you can do to get prepared. Just get in there and wing it and have some fun. The car will be fast, and I’m looking forward to racing with STANLEY on board, and hopefully do a good job for them. It would be nice to win that race on Saturday.”
What kinds of things are you doing to get ready to run on Bristol dirt?
“I talked to C. Bell (Christopher Bell) on Monday a little bit and kind of got his thoughts on what it might be like and I asked if there was anything that I really needed to pay attention to or to think about. I got a little insight from him, but honestly, it’s like anything else, until you actually do it, it’s hard to really know. It’s another instance where it’s really hard to prepare. That’s why I wanted to race the truck race – to help with the Cup car, and also, I haven’t been in a truck since 2005, so I look forward to that opportunity. Auto Owners came on board and we put that together, so really excited about that. Thanks to Kyle (Busch) and everyone at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) for putting it all together. I’m just really using it for a learning experience, and hopefully, have some success at the same time. I’ll do some iRacing, I guess, this week, and hopefully that helps a little, but I doubt it will.”
How do you prepare to run a stock car on the dirt?
“I really don’t know to be honest with you; that is why I’m racing in the trucks. James (Small, crew chief) and I talked about trying to get into a modified or something at Bristol, but at the end of the day, we felt like it was going to be so different to running a truck or a Cup car. I feel like all of the other vehicles that race on dirt are so different. We felt like this was the best way to go. Honestly, I think if you look at the field, there’s a small handful of guys that have a lot of dirt experience and are very talented on dirt, but I think for the most part, most of the field is going to be trying to figure it out. It’s going to be interesting for sure. I look forward to trying it out and doing something different. It’s always fun to learn new things.”
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