For the Mayetta, New Jersey Truex family the roots are deeply embedded at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where three different members of the Truex clan have scored a victory at the 1.058-mile oval.
The Truex patriarch — Martin Sr. — won a K&N Pro Series race in 1994. Martin Jr. won two K&N races (2000, 2003) along with a Nationwide victory in 2005. And the youngest son, Ryan, claimed two K&N Pro Series wins in 2010. That’s a total of six victories at the New England venue for the auto racing Jersey Boys.
“New Hampshire Motor Speedway is just tough, it’s really tough,” noted Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series. “However, I love going there because of the history for my family and me. It’s been a big part of my career, big part of my brother’s career and a big part of my dad’s racing career. It’s a special place for me.”
While Truex has historical fondness for New Hampshire Motor Speedway he also has some reservations about the track, which will play host to Sunday’s Sylvania 300 Sprint Cup race.
“The track is definitely not racer-friendly,” said Truex. “It’s just so difficult to pass there and frustrating to race on. You could be leading the race, have a bad pit stop and go out 25th. And no matter how good the car is you will most likely finish 25th.”
Truex, who came from two laps down to finish 14th at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, posted a 12th-place result in his last visit to New Hampshire in July. His overall New Hampshire Sprint Cup numbers include: 17 starts, three top-fives, six top-10s and 148 laps led. His starting average is 11.4 and finishing average 14.5.
“We have nine races remaining and it would be nice to start showing our potential at New Hampshire,” said Truex. “Our first order of business is to nail a qualifying lap on Friday. This is one track where you really want to start up front.”
FRR PR
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