Photo by: Action Sports Photography
CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Martin Truex Jr. and crew chief Chad Johnston embark on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ first road-course race of the season at Sonoma on Sunday. The 10-turn, 1.99-mile course is a favorite of Truex’s. Since joining Michael Waltrip Racing, the New Jersey native has been in contention to win at the track the last two races.
Last week, Truex saw his good friend and former teammate and car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. win at Michigan. The other “Junior” in NASCAR’s premier series has come close to winning this season several times along with his MWR teammates.
Truex Likes His Chances: “I can see another Junior win coming this weekend, but this time it’s this Junior. I am really happy for Dale Jr. He’s a good friend of mine and I appreciate the chance he gave me to prove myself in this sport. NASCAR is a tough sport. The deal to getting a win is simple. It’s all about being in the right position and doing it consistently. We’ve been running consistently in the top-five and top-10 positions. That’s what every winning team does. Eventually you are going to hit on it. This past weekend, we had a tremendous amount of speed, but the cautions just didn’t fall right for us and we got a fender torn up on a restart. Those types of things, we can’t control. It just wasn’t our day. However, if we can keep going to the track and being fast, one of these days it will all come together. A NAPA win in the Napa Valley has a nice ring to it.”
Truex on Sonoma: “I really enjoy road-course racing and don’t mind the extra right-hand turns. I enjoy it. The NAPA Toyota has always been fast there and last year, we ran second most of the day. We just burnt up the tires at the end so it prevented us from finishing it off with a win. I am looking forward to going back there and having a great run.”
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