-Ryan Truex was posted as 10th at the checkered flag, but due to scoring confusion because the No. 30 car spun on the last lap, he was later officially adjusted to 11th place. He was the only rookie in the Top 20, which earned him the Sunoco "Rookie of the Race" award.
-Truex stunned the field by posting a 4th place qualifying effort, bested only by Sprint Cup Series regulars Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. He also led Saturday's final practice with a speed of 175.749 mph.
-Truex hovered in the top 10 for the first 50 laps of the 195-lap race, and eventually dropped as low as 18th around Lap 64. Due to pit stop cycles, Carl Edwards put the entire field a lap down, but many cars got back on the lead lap after Edwards pitted.
-He moved back up to 15th around Lap 140. As the race wound down, Truex battled side-by-side with Elliott Sadler to put himself in position to potentially score a Top 10.
-Saturday marked Truex’s first race since June, his first start with Joe Gibbs Racing and his first start at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a NASCAR series. It was his 11th start in the Nationwide Series in 2011. He is currently 23rd in the point standings.
-Truex will be behind the wheel of the No. 20 next week in Richmond. He is also slated to drive at Chicago, Dover, Kansas and Phoenix.
Ryan Truex on his 11th Place Finish at Atlanta
“We went into the practice and qualifying with no expectations. My goal was to finish the race with the car in one piece. When we were first in final practice and then qualified 4th, I was so pumped up for the race. It was a really hard-fought 11th, and we almost got a Top 10. We might not have had the fastest car on the track, but it was the best looking one out there with Schick Xtreme3 on it. JGR gave me a great car and I can’t wait to get back on the track at Richmond.”
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