TNT’s All-Access Shows Truex Off the Track

CORNELIUS, N.C. – Ever wonder what Martin Truex Jr. does away from the track when he isn’t driving the No. 56 NAPA Batteries Toyota? Watch TNT at noon Sunday and you’ll find out. TNT’s All-Access this week reveals Truex off the track, following the Michael Waltrip racing driver from the finish of last weekend’s Daytona race to the moment Sunday when he fires his engine at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Truex’s segment airs at noon Sunday during the network’s Countdown to Green pre-race show. Truex is one of only six drivers to be profiled in TNT’s summer coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

“Fans will certainly see what it’s like to be me,” said Truex. “They’ll see what goes on when I stop in at Michael Waltrip Racing for our weekly competition meetings. I’m taking them fishing with me and my dog Boden on Lake Norman. They’ll also see me at the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge shoot for a T.V. special. Plus, Sherry and I are going to Levine Children’s Hospital to visit patients who may benefit from my Foundation’s Special Needs Fund. I think fans will get a good understanding of what it takes to be the driver of the NAPA Toyota. I feel very fortunate to show them that I love my job!”

Sunday’s race at the “Magic Mile” comes at a good time for the Michael Waltrip Racing driver. Truex is looking to rally back from a wreck at Daytona that saw the NAPA team drop from eighth to eleventh in the standings with just eight races left to earn a second-straight berth into the Chase.

New Hampshire is almost home to the Mayetta, N.J. native. Five times a Truex has crossed the finish line first in one of NASCAR’s major divisions. Truex Jr. owns three victories at the “Magic Mile.” He won the 2000 and 2003 K&N Pro Series East races and the 2005 Nationwide Series race. Martin Truex Sr. won the 1994 East race and Martin Jr.’s younger brother Ryan repeated that feat in 2010.

TRUEX ON HEADING “HOME”: “It’s all about getting the train back on the tracks this weekend. New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a place I’ve had a lot of success at. I’ve won races there along with both my father and my brother. It’s a Truex track and it’s a really special place for me. I have a lot of special memories going there as a kid. There is nothing like watching your father work on his car and right across from him is Dale Earnhardt Sr. It’s a tough track to pass on, but if you get the car doing what you want, you can go from the back to the front. It’s all about getting your car handling right and doing the things you need it to do. It’s got flat corners so it’s very tough to get your car turning well and to get the power down. With the progressive banking, you have options to work with and different lines to run to help with the balance of the car. But, it’s very hard to get the balance just right.”

Truex will also be in the broadcast booth for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race on ABC on Saturday. Coverage at New Hampshire Motor Speedway starts at 3:30 p.m., and Truex’s appearance will begin about 40 laps into the main event.

GET BACK AND GIVE BACK: NAPA will donate $1 to Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund for every qualifying rebate on batteries, starters and alternators redeemed by customers in July. Consumers can also select to donate (in $5 increments) part or all of their earned mail-in rebate that range from $5 to $25. NAPA also is encouraging the public to donate $10 – no purchase is needed – to Intrepid by texting the word NAPA to 27722.