Darlington: Martin Truex Jr. preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. -- Martin Truex Jr. heads to his favorite track for this weekend's running of the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. A win at the Lady in Black would lead to a huge payoff for Michael Waltrip Racing's new driver. The ...

CORNELIUS, N.C. -- Martin Truex Jr. heads to his favorite track for this weekend's running of the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. A win at the Lady in Black would lead to a huge payoff for Michael Waltrip Racing's new driver. The obvious reward is a win for his new team and sponsor NAPA, a cool $285,000 for his Martin Truex Jr. Foundation thanks to the DIRECTV Head2Head Knockout competition and a guaranteed starting spot in the Sprint All-Star race.

Truex Jr. on Darlington: "Darlington is a special place because of the history and the things that have happened there over the years. Especially when you think about all the guys that have won. It's also a special place to me because I clinched my first championship there in the Nationwide Series. I think there were two or three races to go in the season and we had the Wrangler colors and the Dale Earnhardt paint scheme on my car. It was a very cool day to have won the championship. I have a lot of pictures from that day hanging in my shop.

"What I like about Darlington -- it's one of the most challenging tracks on the circuit. I really, really like it. It is really a fun place to race. I have had some great runs there. I haven't won there, but I feel like some of my best performances as a driver have come at that track. It really challenges you as a driver. You really have to be up on the wheel and concentrate all day and all night long."

Truex Jr. on DIRECTV Promotion: "I am so excited to have made it to the final four. Thanks to DIRECTV, I have already won over $30,000 for the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation. That means a lot to my foundation as it will help many children in need. This weekend, if all goes well, we could walk away with an additional $250,000. That money will go a long way as we've got a lot of projects going on now so I want to thank DIRECTV for making this promotion possible."

Truex Jr. on Mother's Day Activities at Dover: "My parents have been a huge part of my racing career. It's going to be nice to bring my mother out to the pre-race festivities. She'll get to see what it's like to be out there as a driver with all the fans watching. She'll probably get a little bit nervous, but I look forward to taking her out there and ride around the truck with me before the race."