No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. and his Michael Waltrip Racing teammates hope for a repeat of last year’s success when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday.
Truex, Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers finished third, fourth and fifth on the half-mile high banks in this race last year. Coupled with a strong showing in the August night race, Vickers, Bowyer and Truex ranked first, third and fourth in points scored at Bristol in 2012.
Martin Truex Jr. On Bristol:“I’ve had some really great runs at Bristol. We finished second in the fall of 2011 and backed it up with third in the spring race last year. Then last fall, we led 44 laps but we were on the wrong pit strategy cycle and finished 11th. All three of our MWR Toyotas ran strong at both races last year. I feel like Bristol is one of the places where we can go back with this new 2013 NAPA Toyota and run well. I don’t think the chassis set up will be much different from last year. I think Bristol will be a good indication of where we stand with this new 2013 NAPA Toyota on the short tracks. I hope we won’t be throwing any helmets or having an helmets thrown at us. I am really looking forward to this race. My NAPA guys have been doing such a good job. This season we’ve had fast cars. Our eighth-place Toyota at Vegas was probably the worst car we’ve had so far. That’s a good indication of the quality of cars I’ve had. I expect an even better NAPA Toyota because Chad (Johnston-crew chief) really knows what I like to run at Bristol and knows how to give it to me based on my feedback. It’s time to get to victory lane already!”
What Kind of Racing Will We See?:“That’s a good question. In the fall, it was a night race. This time we’ll race in the day time. The car is a little bit different. I suspect we are going to run up against the wall at some point. The last time it took all weekend until we could race up in the very top groove. I think at some point in the race, we will be able to run up there. I think I am going to go on past history to figure out what I will need and see how it feels over the duration of the weekend. We have had a lot of success running the high side since they reworked the surface. Hopefully the track will come in so that we can race up there.”
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