Returning to the site of a past conquest is always a good feeling, especially when that site is near your old stomping grounds.
Martin Truex Jr., who is in his eighth full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will compete at Dover International Speedway in Sunday’s FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks (1 p.m. ET, FOX), a little more than two hours away from his hometown.
The Mayetta, N.J., native logged his only victory (2007) in the premier series at the Monster Mile and has won twice (2004, 2005) there in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Over the past two years, Truex, who drives the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, has experienced somewhat of a career renaissance.
Last year, he posted career highs in top fives (seven), top 10s (19) and average starting (12.1) and average finishing (12.1) positions. Although he didn’t find Victory Lane in 2012, he came close by finishing second in both Kansas races and tying his career-best points finish (11th). He also finished 11th in 2007, the year in which he won the spring Dover race.
In 14 races at the one-mile concrete track, Truex has posted six top-10 finishes, tied with Homestead-Miami Speedway and trailing only Texas Motor Speedway. Three of his top 10s at the track have come in his last four visits (eighth in May 2011, seventh in June 2012, sixth in September 2012).
He currently sits ninth in the points standings, 109 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. This is far different from where Truex was just sixth races earlier. After a 40th-place finish in the sixth race of the season at Martinsville, he was situated 25th in the standings. Since then, he has been on a tear.
“We’ve run well in the last six races and our numbers show it. In fact, we’ve run well all year but just had one issue or another that messes us up,” said Truex. “Our focus is on getting all the little things right so that we can be even better and better each week.”
In the next race at Texas Motor Speedway, he finished second to Kyle Busch after leading 142 of 334 laps. He followed that up with a fourth, 17th, seventh, 12th and ninth. In the first six races of the season, he only posted one top-10 finish (eighth at Las Vegas), while finishing in the top 10 in four of the last six races.
Outside of last year, his ninth-place position is his best placement in the standings after 12 races. Last year, he was ranked sixth after the 12th race. He went on to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for only the second time in his career, finishing the season 11th. In 2011, he was 21st after 12 races, but rebounded a little to finish 18th. The previous year, he entered the 13th race in 12th place in the overall standings. By season’s end, he had dropped to 22nd.
In 2009, he was 18th after the 12th race of the season at Charlotte. He had dropped back to 23rd after the 36th race. The following year, Truex’s position remained consistent. After the Charlotte race, he was 15th and finished the season in the same position. After the 12th race of the 2007, Truex was 16th heading into Dover. His victory at Dover in the 13th race of the season elevated him to 13th. He was in 11th place after the final race.
Truex is looking forward to competing in front of family on Sunday and, more importantly, adding a second trip to Victory Lane to his resumé.
“Winning there twice in the Nationwide Series and then in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2007 makes Dover a special place for me and my family,” he said. “I just look forward to going back and trying to win it all over again.”
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.
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