When Martin Truex Jr. started working with engineer James Small at Furniture Row Racing, the biggest obstacle to their communication might well have been Small’s Australian accent.
When Truex transitioned to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018, Small came with him. Last year the Aussie served as lead engineer on a No. 19 team that won seven races, tops in the NASCAR Cup Series.
With the departure of crew chief Cole Pearn during the offseason, Small has assumed that role on Truex’s team. So far, the transition has been comfortable, as far as the driver is concerned
“So far it’s been good,” Truex said on Wednesday during Daytona 500 media day interviews. “I think James has been right there on the front lines with us the past few seasons, and obviously he wasn’t out in the spotlight, because he was an engineer and not a crew chief.
“But I feel like he’s really doing the same things as before, and our communication really hasn’t changed a whole lot. I just feel like it’s business as usual. From that standpoint, it feels comfortable, and he’s done a good job of just keeping things the way we’ve always done them. Not trying to change, not trying to be somebody… change the team up to be the way he wants it.
“He knows what we have works, and his approach is so similar to Cole’s that it’s really been seamless so far. Hopefully, that continues to be the case.”
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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