Watkins Glen: Another Twisty Track for NASCAR Road Course Winner Truex
CORNELIUS, N.C. – No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. admitted in June that Sonoma Raceway wasn’t one of his favorite road courses. Days later the Michael Waltrip Racing driver led 51 of 110 laps before crossing the finish line 8 seconds before the next closest car, becoming a NASCAR road course winner.
In what could be a scary omen for the rest of the field, Truex says he loves Watkins Glen International where he’ll race this weekend. Truex owns four top-10 finishes in seven starts on the New York track and has a good shot at sweeping both road-course races on the schedule.
“I still really like Watkins Glen a lot,” said Truex. “I just love the speed it generates. It’s a place that has always been special to me. I went there when I was younger running Busch North and stuff back in the day. It was the first road course that I ran a stock car on. I’ve got a lot of experience there and I can remember going there just to watch my Dad. It’s like New Hampshire and Dover to me — it’s one of those tracks that I was going to before I ever raced. It’s definitely a cool place for me to go. It’s a place that I definitely want to win. I’ve had some good runs there and hopefully this is the year we can get it done.”
A victory at The Glen would help solidify Truex’s bid for a second-consecutive berth in the Chase. He is 14th in points and holds the second of two wild cards.
ON THE CHASE:
“We are in the hornets nest this weekend when it comes to Watkins Glen and the points situation. We are holding a wild card position and it’s not the ideal situation to be in. Based on what we did at Sonoma, I feel good about our chances because we have performed better at Watkins Glen. I have very high expectations for this weekend. It’s going to be fun and hopefully we’ll go up there and have another great weekend.”
THE GEN 6 IN 2013:
“It is amazing what has changed this year with the new car. It seems like it’s constantly evolving. Our set ups for our new 2013 Toyota seem to change every week. And all of a sudden there are certain teams that hit on something and are good for a couple of weeks. Then another team seems to take over. MWR just needs to keep plugging away to find that little bit of an edge that’s missing. Hopefully we will find it soon.”
Join us at Watkins Glen International to cheer on NASCAR road course winner Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota. Or, watch all the racing action live Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.
MEDIA ALERT: Truex will visit the Watkins Glen media center on Friday at 2:30 p.m. and appear on Sunday’s edition of NASCAR RaceDay on SPEED starting at 10 a.m.
UP TO THE TEST: The NAPA AUTO PARTS team participated in a Goodyear tire test on Tuesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
MWR: Martin Truex Jr. won at Sonoma on June 23 and Brian Vickers won the New Hampshire race on July 14. If the Chase began today, Bowyer & Truex would qualify for the driver’s Chase and the No. 55 is battling for a spot in the owner’s Chase.