Commentary

NASCAR Cup Charlotte II

Truex overcomes adversity for sixth Cup win of ‘17

Martin Truex Jr. gutted out his sixth win of the season on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Lee Spencer

Published: Oct 9, 2017, 9:54 PM

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Race winner Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota

Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota takes the win

Race winner Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota

Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota and Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

This win wasn’t the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team’s sexiest performance of the season. Truex didn’t qualify well. He didn’t dominate the competition. And he didn’t have his good luck charm — partner Sherry Pollex — sitting atop the pit box.

But Truex proved that, despite the obstacles, he could accomplish the task at hand — win the race and move on to the Round of 8 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Playoffs.

“We weren't even close to being able to win at the beginning of the race,” Truex said. “We started 17th, and that's a challenge at a track like Charlotte, being back in traffic. It's really hard to get a sense of just where you stack up to the fast guys until you kind of get up there around them.”

Truex’s average qualifying effort in the first three races of the playoffs was third. His 17th-place effort, the team’s worst since July, was uncharacteristic.

The team later discovered an issue with tires Truex used in time trials. So combine a lack of practice — after the final two sessions were rained out on Saturday — with a mid-pack starting position, and it’s understandable why Truex was under pressure when the Bank of America 500 began.

“They just didn't feel right, the car, the balance of the car went in a direction that we didn't expect it to, and that's why we qualified 17th, and then obviously we had to start the race on those,” Truex said of the tires. “And the car actually wasn't that bad on that first run, but when we put the second set of tires on, the balance completely changed in a way that we didn't expect it to, so then we had to play catch‑up.”

Truex climbed to sixth on Lap 37 after pitting following the first caution. But he failed to finish in the top 10 in the first stage for the first time since the July race at Daytona. By the end of Stage 2 on Lap 181 — after adjustments to improve the balance on the car andspots gaioned with quick work on pit road — Truex was running fourth.

“Sometimes you're off and no matter what you do you can't find the speed,” Truex said. “I thought we had the speed, we just didn't have the balance right. Once we got the balance right, we started picking them off.”

Kevin Harvick had led 105 laps, but Truex was closing in when the leaders made green-flag stops on Lap 226. Truex beat the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford off of pit road and cycled out with the lead on Lap 234.

With the confidence Truex has built in himself and the crew, it has become easier not to question crew chief Cole Pearn or his decisions.

“When things are going well, that's one of the biggest advantages you have over the competition is not doing that, not second‑guessing, not questioning,” Truex said. “I just say, ‘Hey, here's what it's doing,’ tell my guys this is what I need them to do, figure out how to fix it, basically.

“So it's a great advantage to have that confidence in your team, and it's only there because we've been in this situation before, and they've shown me that they can do it. So, yeah, it's an advantage. I definitely didn't second‑guess it. I was a little worried. I was like, 'Well, we're off quite a ways, and this is what I need, good luck, and I'll do the best I can behind the wheel.' It turned out to be okay.”

Truex lost the lead in the pits on Lap 268, but he returned to the point on Lap 280 and held the lead to the finish for his 13th-career Cup win and a 34-point lead in the standings.

Unfortunately, Pollex wasn't there to share in the celebration. Truex’s long-time partner continues her battle with ovarian cancer. But she was certainly there in spirit. Pollex continues to be an inspiration for not only Truex but the entire No. 78 team

“She probably could have came, but it was a little bit of the weather and mostly that it's kind of risky for her to be around too many people right now after having chemo Monday and germs and something as simple as a cold could put her in the hospital,” Truex said. "It's not worth the risk. So staying home, watched it on TV, just hanging out with her mom and her family relaxing.

“I think we've learned to enjoy these moments a lot more and cherish these moments a lot more than maybe we would have in the past. And I think that goes for honestly our whole team, and if you seen us in Victory Lane, it's like a bunch of little kids, the first time we've ever done anything exciting. It's just a really fun group. They really appreciate it. They work so hard. They put so many hours into this and so much time away from their family. It's nice to see them have success, and, for me, I enjoy that as much as the wins myself, just seeing them succeed and seeing them happy and seeing their hard work pay off.”

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