Though it’s early in the NASCAR season, Martin Truex Jr. feels his Furniture Row Racing team is on the right path to have continued success and overcome obstacles as it pursues a goal of earning a Chase berth at the conclusion of the 26-race regular season.
Truex has driven his No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet to finishes of eighth and sixth in the first two Sprint Cup Series point races of the season. He also had finishes of second and fifth in a pair of non-point events during Daytona Speedweeks.
The top-10 results in the past two point races have lifted Truex to fifth in the driver standings, the highest ranking for a Furniture Row Racing driver in its 10-year history.
“Obviously everything is working out pretty well so far,” said Truex. “There’s definitely room for improvement — there always is. You can’t stand still in this business. But I am happy with the decisions that have been made. This is just a good start to the year for us, and to start building on some consistency. If we can run towards the front each and every week, we’ll put ourselves in position to win races. That’s ultimately what we’re here for. Our performances at Daytona Speedweeks and Atlanta have been gratifying because of the offseason work and personnel moves that were made.”
Regarding Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of Sunday’s Kobalt 400, Truex feels his 14th-place finish there last year did not reflect the kind of performance he had at the 1.5-mile oval.
“We had a strong car there last year,” noted Truex. “We were in the top-10 for most of the race and even got as high as second. But a pit-road call on the final stop didn’t pan out the way we thought it would. We went from a solid top-10 to out of the top-10. But we had the performance, and if we can build off what we did last year, we should have a good run on Sunday.”
Truex said he really enjoys the Las Vegas track even with the bumpy Turn 1.
“Las Vegas is a fast track, but those tricky and choppy bumps in turn one throw a curve into the setup of the car,” explained Truex. “Over the years, the track has lost some of its grip and the groove has gotten wider. It’s a fun track that has been good to me over the years.”
Truex has nine career starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and has claimed two top-10s. His most recent top-10 was eighth in 2013. His average Las Vegas start is 19.2 and average finish is 16.0. He has completed all but four laps during the nine races — 2420 out of 2424 for a 99.8 percentage.
FRR PR
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