DENVER, Colo. (May 13, 2015) – Martin Truex Jr. said the non-points Sprint All-Star weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway comes with plenty of fun in a less stressful environment.
But in order for the Furniture Row Racing driver to qualify for a spot in Saturday night’s main event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he will have to win one of the two 20-lap segments in Friday night’s Sprint Showdown or get voted in by the fans. The Sprint Showdown is only for drivers not qualified for the All-Star race.
The 17 drivers who have already qualified for the Sprint All-Star race have either won a race in 2014 or 2015, or are former Sprint Cup Series champions or former All-Star winners. The remaining three slots will come from the Sprint Showdown and fan vote.
“The bad news heading into the weekend is that we’re not qualified for the big show,” said Truex. “The good news is that we’ll be at a 1.5-mile track which has been one of our strong suits this season. Our best overall run at a 1.5 track was last Saturday night in Kansas where we led the most laps (95) and had an excellent shot of winning that race.”
For the record, Truex finishes at 1.5-mile tracks this season have been – sixth at Atlanta, second at Las Vegas, ninth at Texas and Kansas for a four-race average finish of 6.75.
“It’s a safe bet that the Showdown will be two no-holds-barred races,” said Truex. “Every car will be going for the gold, including our Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet. Silver and bronze don’t count. It’s first or nothing.”
Truex is off to his best start since joining the Sprint Cup Series full time in 2006. He has notched 10 top-10 finishes in the first 11 races and currently sits second in driver points. He and reigning Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick are the only two drivers who have secured 10 top-10 finishes to start the season.
“We’ve proved that we can run in the top-10, but we also want to prove that we can win a race,” noted Truex. “I truly believe we’re getting closer and closer to Victory Lane.”
Truex has participated in five All-Star races. His best finish was second in 2010.
Furniture Row Racing Traveling Crew, 2015
No. 78 Over-the-Wall Crew
Front-tire changer
Dave Collins, Hayden Lake, Idaho
Front-tire carrier
Craig Curione, Sanborn, N.Y.
Rear-tire changer
Kyle Turner, Yorktown, Va.
Rear-tire carrier
Adam Mosher, Fort Mill, S.C.
Jackman
Carey Wimbish, Granite Falls, N.C.
Gasman
Brian Dheel, Akron, Ohio
No. 78 Road Crew
General Manager
Joe Garone, Denver, Colo.
Crew Chief
Cole Pearn, London, Ontario, Canada
Car Chief
Blake Harris, Maypearl, Texas
Engineers
Jeff Curtis, Fairfax Station, Va.
Pete Craik, Melbourne, Australia
Spotter
Clayton Hughes, Thomasville, N.C.
Engine Specialist
Craig Griffitts, Thomasville, N.C.
Engine Builder
Earnhardt-Childress Racing
Shock Specialist
Nick Kerlin, Old Fort, Ohio
Tire Specialist
Tommy DiBlasi, Annapolis, Md.
Mechanic
Gary Frost, Romeo, Mich.,
Austin Frankart, Fort Seneca, Ohio
Technical Support
Ryan Kelly, London, Ontario
Transportation
Chuck Lemay, DeKalb, IL, Chris Burton, Cincinnati, Barry Huston, Bloomingdale, Mich., Roy Miller, Elkridge, Md., Henry Benfield, Statesville, N.C.
