Colorado magazine names Martin Truex Jr. 'Athlete of the Year'

Former athletes who previously received the Mile High Sports Magazine honor include Peyton Manning (NFL Denver Broncos), Carmelo Anthony (NBA Denver Nuggets) and Joe Sakic (NHL Colorado Avalanche).

"On Monday mornings in Colorado, you talk about how the Broncos played on Sunday. It’s just what you do. But this year, on more than one occasion, Monday morning included conversations about how well Furniture Row Racing and Martin Truex Jr. did over the weekend," said Mile High Sports Magazine editor-in-chief Doug Ottewill.

"The fact that this team got the general sports fan talking about, and interested in, motor sports is remarkable. Truex and his team put our state on the map in a sport where we’d previously had little, if any, representation. That’s a remarkable feat, and it’s exactly why we chose to honor him. Simply put, they were excellent all season long.”

A career season

Truex piloted the No. 78 Chevrolet for the Denver-based Furniture Row Racing team in 2015 and battled for the championship in the season finale at Homestead, ending the year fourth in points.

The Barney Visser-owned operation was the only single-car team to make the cut for the postseason this year, escaping elimination in all rounds and advancing through to the title decider.

Truex also scored a victory in the June Pocono race, ending the season with eight top fives, 22 top tens and 567 laps led.

"I am deeply honored to be recognized in the home state of our Furniture Row Racing team," said Truex. "Though it will be showcased as an individual honor, the Mile High Sports award would never have been possible if it weren't for the talented and dedicated group of people at our Denver shop for giving me fast race cars throughout the season.

"Our team owner and Denver native Barney Visser has given us the resources to compete with the top teams of the sport. And Joe Garone, another Denver native, has skillfully guided the program in his role as general manager. Needless to say, our results in 2015 have been a total team effort. I also want to give a shout out to all the Colorado NASCAR fans for their support, which means so much to everyone associated with Furniture Row Racing."