NASCAR
Martin Truex, Jr. Looking for First Martinsville Win After Last Year’s Loss
Coming off of his tough loss last year at Martinsville, Martin Truex Jr. returns to the Virginia short track looking for more. Truex was leading on the last lap in 2018’s fall Martinsville race until Joey Logano nudged him in the final turns. Though the 2017 champion is winless at the Half Mile of Mayhem, he’s looking as strong as ever for his first Martinsville win.
Truex, Jr’s Martinsville Stats
In 27 career starts on the paperclip-shaped track, Martin Truex, Jr. has garnered five top 5s, 11 top 10s, and a best finish of 2nd in this race two years ago. His average finish is a dismal 18.0, but he has four-straight finishes of eighth of better. Over the span of his career, Truex has also led 262 laps at Martinsville.
Truex’s ultimate blunder last year was a mistake he likely will not repeat. “We know what we need to do,’’ Truex told NASCAR.com. ”
“Now it’s just a matter of going out and doing it. I know [crew chief] Cole [Pearn] and the guys have a good plan every week, so I’m confident we can do that. We have been fast, ran up front and led laps at all of these tracks in this round.
“All eight [playoff] guys would love to go into Martinsville this week and win the race to move on. That’s our goal, but we also feel good about the other tracks too. We’ve got a great team. We just have to go out and execute.’’
After Saturday afternoon’s qualifying, Truex’s #19 Camry will line up in the 3rd position to start Sunday’s 500 lap event. With six wins already this year, tune in tomorrow to see if Truex can make it seven. A victory this weekend would not only be his first Martinsville win, but also put him through to the Championship 4 for the fourth time.
Can Martin Truex, Jr. turn Martinsville Speedway into Martin’s-ville? Coverage begins on Sunday at 3 PM EST on NBCSN.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo credit to Ryan Willard via Speed Sport
