LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Martin Truex, Jr., driver of the No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Toyota Camry, hit the jackpot by clinching his first Monster Energy Cup Series win of the season March 12, 2017 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS).
When asked about his win, Truex replied it was a gift.
“We got a little bit lucky there. That’s why you fight until the end,” he said.
Truex, who won the first two stages of Sunday’s race, is the first driver to complete the cycle and win all three segments in NASCAR Cup’s new stage racing.
This is his first win at LVMS after 11 previous starts at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas track, where he previously had one top five and three top 10 finishes.
Last Sunday in Atlanta, Truex finished fourth in each of the first two stages, picking up an extra 14 standing points. Those additional points from the two stage races, Lap 85 and Lap 170, in addition to an eighth-place finish helped lift Truex 10 positions from 17th to seventh in the overall Cup standings.
“All of us at Bass Pro Shops are extremely proud of Martin,” said Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris. “We dedicate this race to all our associates and customers who are racing fans.”
Truex’s stellar 2016 season led to him being named the 2016 Driver of the Year by NASCAR.com. Truex was also named Driver of the Year by the Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA).
He celebrated his 11th year in 2016 in NASCAR’s premier circuit with his best performance to date. The 36-year-old driver from Mayetta, N.J. garnered 17 top-10 finishes, eight top-five, five poles, four wins and a series’ leading 1,809 laps led. He’s in his fourth season with Furniture Row Racing.
The 2017 racing season is being run under the new NASCAR format which divides the races into three stages—with each stage allowing drivers to be awarded additional championship points. Each playoff point will be added to a driver’s reset total following the 26th race, if that competitor makes the playoffs. In addition, NASCAR passed a rule that gave teams just five minutes to repair any damage on their cars or they were forced to retire.
Bass Pro Shops previously sponsored Truex from 2004 and 2009 while part of Dale Earnhardt Inc. This stretch included two Xfinity Series championships for Truex – 2004 and 2005.
Bass Pro Shops, which was founded in 1972 by avid outdoorsman and conservationist Johnny Morris, is a leading retailer of equipment for hunting, fishing, camping, boating and other outdoor pursuits. The outdoor retail leader has 102 stores throughout the United States and Canada, serving more than 120 million sportsmen a year. Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit www.basspro.com/.
About Bass Pro Shops®
Bass Pro Shops is a leading destination retailer offering outdoor gear and apparel in an immersive setting. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today 102 retail and marine centers host 120 million people annually. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is known as a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.”
