Martin Truex Jr. vs Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick & Brad Keselowski
Heavyweight Battle for NASCAR Cup Series Season Title
1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway
267 laps, 400 miles
Nov. 19, 2017
Note: The final four driver with the best finish in Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be crowned the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
Martin Truex Jr.
Age: 37
Hometown: Mayetta, N.J.
Team: Furniture Row Racing
Owner: Barney Visser
President: Joe Garone
Crew Chief: Cole Pearn
Homestead Car: No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Toyota Camry
Championship 4 Appearances
This will be Truex’s second Championship 4 appearance. The other was in 2015 also with Furniture Row Racing.
Truex Quotes:
Q: Your thoughts about being called the favorite?
A: “If I am the favorite, perfect, I like that. I think it’s a better position to be in. I was the underdog before and finished fourth, so yeah, bring it on.”
Q: How are you going to handle the pressure?
A: “I don’t think it’s any extra pressure at all. I have a lot of respect for the other three guys. Two of them (Busch and Harvick) were in the final four when I made it in 2015. Definitely have a little bit of experience in this position, but just honestly excited about the opportunity. I feel we’re in a whole lot better spot as a team than we were the first time we had a shot at it. I have a lot of confidence in our team right now and what we’re doing. We’re going down to Miami and just have fun and do what we know how to do – the best job we possibly can and hopefully come out on top.”
Entering Homestead, Truex is the statistical leader in the following categories
Wins: 7
Top 5s: 18
Top 10s: 25
Laps Led: 2175
Fastest Laps Run: 1,319
Miles Led: 2,941.23
Stage Wins: 19
Starting Position: 6.9
Average Finish: 9.7
Driver Ranking: 115.7
Abbreviated List of Truex’s Career Season Highs
Wins: 7 (previous 4)
Top 5s: 18 (previous 8)
Top 10s: 25 (previous 22)
Laps Led: 2175 (previous, 1809)
Truex’s NASCAR Records Set in 2017
Most season wins on a 1.5 mile track (6)
Most consecutive wins on a 1.5-mile track (4-Kentucky, Chicago, Charlotte, Kansas)
Truex Playoff Record, 2017
In the nine playoff races Truex has three wins and eight top fives for an average finish of 4.7. Take away the Talladega race where he was involved in a multicar crash, his average finish is 2.4.
No. 78 Over-the-Wall Crew, 2017
Front-tire changer
Chris Taylor, West Plains, Mo.
Front-tire carrier
Chris Hall, Springfield, Mo.
Rear-tire changer
Lee Cunningham, Lake River, IL
Rear-tire carrier
Adam Mosher, Fort Mill, S.C.
Jackman
Bailey Walker, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Gasman
Brian Dheel, Norton, Ohio
No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Road Crew, 2017
President
Joe Garone, Denver, Colo.
Crew Chief
Cole Pearn, London, Ontario, Canada
Car Chief
Blake Harris, Maypearl, Texas
Ass’t Car Chief
Greg Emmer, Allenton, Wis.
Race Engineers
Jeff Curtis, Fairfax Station, Va.
Pete Craik, Melbourne, Australia
Engine Tuner
Gregg Huls, Beatrice, Neb.
Engine Builder
Toyota Racing Development (TRD)
Spotter
Clayton Hughes, Thomasville, N.C.
Shock Specialist
Nick Kerlin, Old Fort, Ohio
Tire Specialist
Tommy DiBlasi, Annapolis, Md.
Front-End Mechanic
Nino Venezia, Philadelphia
Rear-End Mechanic
Rob Fairweather, Westbrookville, N.Y.
IT Support
Eric Cragun, Pleasant View, Utah
Pit Support
Ed Watkins, Richmond, Va.
Transportation
Chuck Lemay, DeKalb, IL, Barry Huston, Bloomingdale, Mich., Roy Miller, Elkridge, Md., Roger Pritchard, Hutchinson, Kan. Henry Benfield, Statesville, N.C.
