Four years ago, Martin Truex Jr. sat on his front porch thinking his career was over. Four years later, he held off a hard charging Kyle Busch to win the Ford EcoBoost 400 and the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship.
With the final race of the 2017 Monster Energy Cup series looming, four drivers go into Homestead hoping to hoist the trophy come Sunday night. Before the green flag waves on Sunday, here's how the Championship 4 have fared at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
1. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished second in the AAA 500 and clinched a spot in the Chase final four at Homestead. "The pressure is on for five drivers looking for that final spot," Truex said. "I'm just glad I can sit back and relax, and watch frustration boil over for other drivers. So, while they're going 'postal,' I'll be going 'coast-al.'"
While Martin Truex Jr. didn't win the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, his runner-up finish -- and points he amassed through the course of the day, via stage finishes -- secured him a spot in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is right when he says NASCAR needs more Martinsville-like dramas to play out every week. What they need is “drama and exciting finishes — the fans sitting there in the grandstands cheering like crazy, and booing, and cheering and booing after every interview, for 15 minutes after the race — we need that every weekend.” Damn right.
Martinsville, where eight boys were trying to lock themselves into the final field of four contenders for the championship in Homestead. At the same time, 31 boys and a girl were doing their utmost to spoil the party for someone by winning the thing themselves.
1. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished second at Martinsville as Kyle Busch took the win. "We didn't win," Truex said, "but it was a good points day for us. And points get me very excited. You know what I get when I see my points pile up? A huge bonus."
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway this weekend for the first race in the Round of 8. The track has been a part of the Playoffs since its inception in 2004. Five times the driver who won this race has gone on to claim the championship trophy.
Thirty-six races. A few are great venues that produce very entertaining television events. A lot more are not. Some tracks have two events, and you wonder why. Some have two and you wonder...why not three?
