JOLIET, Ill. – Martin Truex Jr. may have but one victory to his credit entering the Chase this year, but he certainly announced his presence as a contender at Chicagoland Speedway, the venue for Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400.
In Saturday’s first practice session, Truex topped the speed chart at 183.312 mph, nearly a full mile-an-hour faster than second-place Denny Hamlin at 182.389 mph. In cooler temperatures in the afternoon, Truex ran 184.849 mph and was the only driver to top the 184-mph mark.
Truex, who will start from the fourth position on Sunday, has no top fives in nine starts at the 1.5-mile track, but from all indications so far, that’s likely to change in the first Chase race.
“We’ve got a great race team here, we’ve got great race cars, and we’ve got a lot of confidence,” said the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
- NASCAR to debut new short track package at Phoenix - February 28, 2023
- The Wrench Who Stole Racing - December 16, 2022
- Matt DiBenedetto’s excellent run comes to abrupt, violent end - February 17, 2019
