Toyota Racing – Martin Truex Jr.
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (November 2, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. was made available to the media on Saturday after winning the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
It is Truex’s first pole of the season, second consecutive in this event and third overall at Martinsville Speedway. It is Toyota’s series-leading 13th pole of the season.
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance/Thank You Martin Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Are you having moments like this might be the last pole ever?
“Yeah, you definitely do. It’s here whether you like it or not or whatever. It was exciting today. It is always fun to be – anytime you win anything in this series it is always exciting. Practice was awesome, fun, and to be able to back it up in qualifying felt good. I still know how to go fast around here which is great. We just need to figure out how to go fast on the long run here tomorrow. We were off a little bit on that in practice, so we need to figure out how to find some of that, but so far, a great start to the weekend.”
What does the fan reaction to your pole mean to you?
“It is definitely always neat to see that. It is always humbling. Makes you proud. I don’t know that I’ve ever run over anyone here and got booed here on the way out, so that is helpful. (laughter) We’ve seen quite a few people do that over the years – so that’s part of it, I guess. I don’t know – I appreciate that, and everyone has treated me great over the years. Lot of good people in this sport. Lot of good people in the stands. I appreciate their support over the years, and hopefully, we can give them something to cheer about again tomorrow.”
Do you have any sense of what the tire wear is going to do tomorrow?
“I think we’ve seen quite a lot more tire wear today than we have with this car lately. Is it enough? I don’t know. You never know until the race starts. This place – you come here one day and you’re like this is what it is going to do, and then you come back the next day – and it is like, that is unexpected. This place is just very, very tricky. It is hard to know what is going to happen, but from what I’ve seen today, there is enough fall off, there is enough tire wear – stickers are way faster than 30, 40, 50 lap tires. Hopefully that continues. We need to make our tires last a little bit better, but I think across the field there will be plenty of tire wear and there will be guys that are fast in the beginning of runs and fall back.”
Are you considered about the rubber getting stuck in the throttle body like Denny had today?
“About as much as I’m concerned about getting hit by lightening (laughter). One-in-a-million. I don’t know how – that is – his number just came up. It’s nuts. That may never happen in 10 more years here. It is just crazy, bad luck.”
Does winning a pole sink in more here as you close out your full-time career?
“It definitely reminds you again about how much fun it is to be successful. Reminder that if you keep working hard, good things will eventually come your way. It has been a tough stretch here lately – especially, the last three or four months – a lot of disappointing days. A lot of days where things are going good, and one thing takes it away. It is frustrating, because from the outside looking in, it could look like we are not trying or that we gave up – we’re not running good or whatever, and that really hasn’t been the case. I’m proud of my guys for sticking with it and working hard. We’ve been trying hard, so even when you have a small victory like today, it is very cool and very special. In this series, it is so difficult, and it reminds you that you know how to go fast. That is always fun. I enjoyed today, and I know what I need for tomorrow. I just hope we can get there.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
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