Qualifying Report - Dover International Speedway

Martin Truex Jr. — No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota — qualified fourth.

Friday Recap

• Jimmie Johnson won his second Coors Light Pole Award of 2010 with a time of 23.116 sec/155.736 mph
• Non-Chase drivers AJ Allmendinger and Mark Martin rounded out top three.
• Point leader Denny Hamlin will start fifth
• JTG-Daugherty’s Marcos Ambrose will start 24th
• Sunday’s race begins at 1:00 p.m. (Eastern) on ESPN-TV, MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 128.

MARTIN TRUEX JR. — “It was a decent lap. You can always do better. You can always find more wrong with your lap versus what you did right. Today it’s been a decent practice day. Our last run ended up being our best we had been all day. It wasn’t quite good enough and we needed to make a few more changes. It was a good pick up for us. That might end up being one of the biggest pickups of the day when considering making adjustments and going back out running. All and all, it was a good pick up for us. It was perfect and we’ll still try and make it better yet. It was a good lap for the NAPA Toyota. It’s been awhile since I’ve been in victory lane, but the last time was here. I love coming up here to Dover. It’s been a great week we had two Martin Truex Jr. Foundation events that included my third annual golf tournament. It’s been a really good week and I would like to top it off with a win.”

Martin Truex Jr. Dover 2 Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 56 NAPA Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. kicks off a week-long fundraising initiative in his home state of New Jersey before Sunday’s AAA 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway. Truex won the pole at Dover in May and the mile-oval is the scene of his lone Sprint Cup victory in June 2007. It’s a busy week of events before Dover:

On Tuesday fans are invited to the Martin Truex Jr. Fan Event at the Holiday Inn in Manahawkin, N.J. for an autograph session, dinner with Truex along with entertainment, raffle prizes and auction items.

Wednesday is the day for the third annual Martin Truex Jr. Foundation Golf Tournament presented by NAPA. This year’s tournament at the Sea Oaks Country Club in Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J. will feature 144 golfers including NAPA Racing’s crew chief Pat Tryson. The event will be followed by the 19th Hole Dinner Celebration presented Sea Watch International. The highlight of the dinner will be the unveiling of the first Martin Truex Jr. Foundation “Humanitarian of the Year Award.” Proceeds finance the Martin Truex Jr. Pediatric Unit at Southern Ocean County Hospital in N.J. and fund the Iredell County (N.C.) Backpack program at Troutman Elementary School.

QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR. ON HIS FUNDRAISING EFFORTS: “I’m really proud of what my foundation has accomplished since Sherry and I launched it back in 2007. So far, we’ve raised more than $400,000 for a bunch of community programs. We’re getting ready to build a children’s wing at Southern Ocean County Hospital. It’s the local hospital where I was born. It’s going to be a really cool place where kids can go and get treated. This month, we’ve launched a backpack program for kids who go to the Troutman Elementary School in Troutman, N.C. We chose that school because it’s not far from where I live. Each Friday, kids who participate, will get a backpack filled with food. We heard stories about some of the kids coming into school saying they were hungry and didn’t have much to eat on the weekends.”

ON RETURNING TO DOVER: “It’s a track that has been very good to me and my family. I won races there in both the Nationwide and Cup Series events. Back in May, I won the pole with my NAPA AUTO PARTS team and that was pretty cool. Now we want to get our first win there as a new team.

“Since the first time I took a lap on it, I have loved the place. When you find a track like that it usually makes it easier to be good there. I like the fact that the concrete is very unforgiving. The speeds are high and the banking makes it intimidating. It’s pretty fast. I find it to be a track that you really have to attack, but at the same time, respect that it is very unforgiving. You have to be willing to put it right there on the edge and have the discipline not to cross over it.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

Sunday marks Truex’s 181st NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Truex owns nine starts at the 1.058-mile concrete oval. He’s earned one top-five, three top-10 and eight top-25 finishes. His average start is 19th and average finish is 15th.

Truex made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Dover driving for his father in 2001. He went on to win two more Nationwide races at the “Monster Mile” in 2004 and 2005.

Join the 23,000 fans who signed up for NAPA’s free Track Pass offer and listen to Truex’s in-car audio during the race. Register at www.nascar.com/napatruexscanner or www.NAPAonline.com. The offer is good through the remainder of the season.

Martin Truex Jr. New Hampshire Race Report

Martin Truex Jr. Race Summary: The No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. earned a 20th-place finish Sunday in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Truex saw his Toyota come to life at the halfway mark and nearly climb into the top 10, but late-race cautions and handling issued slowed his charge to the front. Truex remains 20th in points as the series visits Dover International Speedway on Sunday. Only nine races remain in the 2010 season.




Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota

Started 16th and finished 20th.

Ran in the top 20 in first half of race. Struggled with chattering tires and not turning well.

By halfway, car started turning good lap times and by lap 194, it started running times similar to the leader’s.

Dodged wreck on lap 222 when Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton made contact.

Raced in 12th, telling crew car was loose in top groove.

Late race handling issues kept him from climbing higher in the closing laps.



TRUEX QUOTE: "We got pretty darn good there for awhile. I don't know what happened at the end on the restarts. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. We were extremely loose on the restarts and the tires chattered. Then on the final green-flag run, it ended up plowing. We took a chance by staying out and it didn't quite work out like we needed it to. Glad to see it worked out for David though."



RACE NOTES:

Clint Bowyer won the first race of the 2010 Chase for the Championship and is now second in points.

Denny Hamlin finished second and Jamie McMurray third. Tony Stewart and Jeff Burton were racing in the top-five, but ran out of gas in the closing laps.

Denny Hamlin now leads Clint Bowyer by 35 points

The race last 2 hours and 58 minutes. Cautions slowed race slowed race eight times for 34 laps.

Twenty-one lead changes among eight drivers.

NASCAR estimated attendance at 95,000.

Martin Truex Jr. New Hampshire Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the site of several firsts for Martin Truex Jr. and the Truex family. The No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut on Oct. 31, 2004 as relief driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. In June, younger brother Ryan won his first race at NHMS and become the third Truex to score a K&N Pro Series East victory on the “Magic Mile.” NHMS is also the site of Martin Truex Sr.’s lone East Series victory in 1994. This weekend the Truex family returns to the mile oval with the potential of adding two more NASCAR victories to the Truex resume as Martin Jr. races in Sunday’s Sprint Cup race while Ryan seeks to clinch a second-straight K&N Pro Series East championship on Friday.

QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR. ON HIS SPRINT CUP DEBUT AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: “It wasn’t the way I wanted to make my first start obviously, but it was a big deal for me to drive Dale Jr.’s car. Everybody was going crazy. I had to wear his fire suit and all that. It was kind of wild. I had a good weekend. I practiced the car and qualified it in third position. New Hampshire was a cool place to get my Cup start. It’s my home track because my family has raced there forever.”

ON WATCHING RYAN SCORE HIS FIRST NHMS WIN IN JUNE: “It was awesome. I was so proud of him. When I stand up on that trailer and watch him race, it really brings me back to my younger days of going to the track with my dad. And to see how happy my dad was when Ryan won made me appreciate the times I had with my father doing the same thing. At times it feels like Ryan is my son because he is so much younger than me. We have never actually raced together except on computers. Even then it gets pretty competitive. Believe it or not, I will be more nervous this weekend watching him try to win and clinch the championship than racing against him in the future.”

ON RACING AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: “The pressure is off of us now because we didn't make the Chase. But what we do have is the opportunity to still win races in the NAPA Toyota. This weekend we can take a few more chances and try a few more things. New Hampshire is like my home track and to be honest, I just want to get back to victory lane. It’s been way too long and we’re trying really, really hard. We just need to make it happen and put it all together. I love that place and know how to win there.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

• Martin Truex Jr. is 11 years, 8 months and 19 days older than Ryan Truex.

• Truex competes in his 180th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Truex has nine starts at the 1.058-mile oval. His best start is second (Sept. 16, 2007) and best finish is third (July 1, 2007). He’s earned three top-five, four top-10 and eight top-25 finishes. His average start is 12th and average finish is 15th.

• The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation will host its third annual MTJF Golf Tournament presented by NAPA AUTO PARTS on Sept. 22 at Sea Oaks Country Club in Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J. The 19th Hole Dinner Celebration presented by Sea Watch International will be immediately following the tournament: www.martintruexjrfoundation.org.

• Time is running out to sign up for the NAPA Belden Spark Plug Wire “Take the Lead” Sweepstakes. Ten lucky winners will ride with Truex at Charlotte Motor Speedway. To enter, visit NAPABELDEN.com or NAPAonline.com now through Sept. 20.

• Over 19,600 fans signed up for NAPA’s free Track Pass offer and you can too. To listen to Truex’s in-car audio, register at www.nascar.com/napatruexscanner or www.NAPAonline.com. The offer is good through the remainder of the season.

Martin Truex Richmond Post Race Report

Martin Truex Jr. Race Summary: No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. and his Michael Waltrip Racing team finished 22nd Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. Truex crashed just minutes after Friday’s practice started. The accident forced him to use a backup car during qualifying and Saturday’s race. Truex suffered bad luck during the race when a caution came out on lap 145 seconds after he made a green flag stop dropping him two laps behind the leaders. With only three cautions there were no chances to regain the lost laps. Truex and the Sprint Cup Series returns to action Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota

Started 29th and finished 22nd.

Fell down a lap to leaders on lap 137.

Pitted around lap 145— seconds before caution flag flew dropping him two laps behind leaders.

Took wave around before lap 153 restart.

Lap 225 caution enabled him to make up one of the two laps.

Fell down a second lap with 81 laps remaining.

Truex crashed early in Friday practice forcing him to qualify and race the backup car.

TRUEX QUOTE: "This was an all-around rough weekend for the NAPA AUTO PARTS team. We wrecked a car in practice and we never seemed to get the handling during the race. I am really proud of my guys for the job they did all weekend. Hopefully the next 10 races we can use to make our cars better for next year."

RACE NOTES:

Denny Hamlin won Saturday night’s race at Richmond.

Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Marcos Ambrose rounded out top five.

Race took 2 hours and 54 minutes with three cautions for 28 laps and none after lap 242.

Six leaders exchanged the lead 14 times with only 14 cars on the lead lap when checkered flag fell.

Richmond concluded regular season. Ten-race “Chase for Championship” among a dozen drivers begins Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Qualifying Report - Richmond International Raceway

Richmond International Raceway Qualifying Results


Martin Truex Jr. — No. 56 NAPA BRAKES Toyota — qualified 29th.

Friday Recap
Carl Edwards won the Coors Light Pole Award
Juan Pablo Montoya and AJ Allmendinger rounded out top three.
Point leader Kevin Harvick will start 20th
MWR's David Reutimann starts fifth
JTG-Daugherty’s Marcos Ambrose will start 12nd
Saturday’s race begins at 7:30 p.m. (Eastern) on ABC-TV, MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 128.

MARTIN TRUEX JR. — How was your qualifying lap?
“It was not very good.  We were pretty decent in that second practice there in race trim.  Our car just doesn’t have good speed on new tires right out of the gate.  It takes a few laps for it to come around and pretty much what it did right there.  Just the front tires just never hooked up.  I’m disappointed in the lap, but I’m proud of the guys and the job that they did after the problem we had in the first practice.”

What happened to force you to go to a backup car?
“The throttle stuck wide open going into turn one.  It was unfortunate and a bit of an error on our part back at the shop as far as getting the car prepared.  It had a little trouble with the throttle pedal assembly in the car.  A bit of a mistake that set us back, but they recovered well -- the guys did on the NAPA Toyota.  I’m just real disappointed on that lap right now.”

Martin Truex Jr. Richmond Race Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Martin Truex Jr. reminded NASCAR fans how good he and his Michael Waltrip Racing team are Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway when he raced in the top five throughout the 500-mile race before finishing 12th. His pit crew came within a tenth of a second of winning its third Tissot Pit Crew award. Truex expects that momentum to carry into Saturday night’s race at Richmond International Raceway where he finished seventh in April. Truex’s No. 56 will have a silver look for Saturday’s race. The NAPA Brakes paint scheme adorns Truex’s ride to help kick off NAPA’s Great Breaks on Great Brakes promotion. Customers can receive up to a $50 mail-in rebate with purchase of qualifying NAPA Brakes products at any participating NAPA AUTO PARTS store or AutoCare Center through Sept. 30.

QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR. ON RETURNING TO RICHMOND: “Richmond has been one of those tracks that’s been up and down for me. I’ve had great runs and some disappointing deals. It’s short-track racing where a lot of stuff happens. It’s a fun place to race and for the NAPA team, we had a good run during the spring race. We finished seventh. We didn’t qualify very well, but we were able to drive our way up through the field for a top-10 finish.”

ON RACING AGAINST DRIVERS TRYING TO MAKE THE CHASE: “A few weeks back I was one of those guys. I was a contender. I won’t race them any differently or cut them any slack because they don’t cut me any breaks. I race them clean anyway so my focus is on winning races in the NAPA Toyota. And to be honest, it’s Clint Bowyer’s deal to lose. He’s been running well and Richmond is a good track for him. I don’t see him dropping out unless something really crazy happens.”

ON NEW NAPA BRAKES PROMOTION: “The NAPA Brakes Toyota is an awesome looking car. I am looking forward to driving the scheme this weekend. NAPA knows how to create great promotions for customers and this one is no exception. I hope fans will go to www.napaonline.com and take advantage of the offer. I’m hoping this new look with change up our luck a little bit. Maybe we’ll get a good break too in the last few laps on Saturday night to end up in victory lane.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

Truex will appear on SPEED-TV’s Trackside Friday at 11 p.m. EDT

The No. 56 team tested at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia on Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s race.

Saturday marks Truex’s 179th Sprint Cup start and 10th at Richmond. His best start is second (Sept. 12, 2009) and best finish is fifth (May 3, 2008). He owns one top–five and two top-10 finishes at Richmond with and average start of 14th and average finish of 24th.

The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation will host its third annual MTJF Golf Tournament presented by NAPA AUTO PARTS on Sept. 22 at Sea Oaks Country Club in Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J. The 19th Hole Dinner Celebration presented by Sea Watch International will be immediately following the tournament: www.martintruexjrfoundation.org.

Sign up for the NAPA Belden Spark Plug Wire “Take the Lead” Sweepstakes. Ten lucky winners will be chosen to ride with Truex at Charlotte Motor Speedway. They’ll also get to drive a few laps with the Richard Petty Driving Experience and take a behind-the-scenes tour of Michael Waltrip Racing. To enter, visit NAPABELDEN.com or NAPAonline.com now through Sept. 20.

Take advantage of NAPA’s free Track Pass offer. To listen in to Truex’s in-car audio, register at www.nascar.com/napatruexscanner or www.NAPAonline.com. The offer is good through the remainder of the season.