Photo by: Action Sports Photography
CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Martin Truex Jr. vows to “close the deal this time” in Saturday night’s 500-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Truex dominated the first half of the March race, leading 63 laps before finishing 17th on the half-mile, high-banked track. This time, Truex’s Michael Waltrip Racing team plans to dominate the closing laps and earn the Mayetta-N.J. native’s second career Sprint Cup victory. He’s no stranger to victory lane at the Tennessee track where he won a Nationwide Series race in 2004.
Mother Nature might be the story this weekend. An earthquake shook the MWR race shop on Tuesday and a potential hurricane could impact the Southeast this weekend.
TRUEX QUOTES
MARTIN TRUEX JR. ON RETURNING TO BRISTOL: “Last time we had a very fast car for the first half of the race so I know the NAPA KNOW HOW crew wants to go back and get the second half of the deal figured out. It sure would be nice to get a win there in the Cup Series since I know what it feels like. I won my first Nationwide Series race at Bristol in 2004. It was a real accomplishment for me on so many levels because it can be such a brutal place. Now it’s time to get a Cup win and a chance to get one of the wild cards to make the Chase.”
BRISTOL’S BRUTALITY: “The thing is you never get the chance to rest there. You are constantly up on the wheel driving hard. You do not get a chance to relax on the straightaways because there really isn’t much of one. You come out of one corner and the next thing you know, you are going into another. Things happen fast. There is no time for error. It’s a cool little place especially since they made the changes to the concrete and banking. It’s hard to believe that you can run two to three wide, but you can. Plus, it’s not hard to deal with all the bumping and banging at Bristol when you have a fast car. Obviously, it’s not a lot of fun when you have a car that’s fighting with you or a bunch of cars running into you, but it’s so much fun when you are fast. It gives you some options so when you have a good car, it is an absolute blast.”
EARTHQUAKES & HURRICANES: “I just experienced my first earthquake today so I guess anything can happen. I’ve never been through a hurricane when I lived in New Jersey, but we’ll just hunker down and ride out whatever comes. Sounds like a typical Bristol week!”
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