MWR NEWS: MWR - Richmond Race Report

Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry - finished seventh - now 14th in points.

David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota - finished 15th - now 27th in points.

Martin Truex Jr. Race Summary: Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota team proved it’s not where you start—it’s where you finish. After starting the race in the 26th position and struggling to find the proper balance early, the No. 56 team fell a lap down to the leaders on lap 129, but raced its way back onto the lead lap by way of the lucky dog on lap 170. The team made adjustments during their pit stop at that time and seemed to find the right mix to make a run toward the front. Truex Jr. found himself gaining ground quickly and was racing in 19th just 20 laps later. As the race progressed, the No. 56 team continued to gain ground and found itself inside the top-10 racing in eighth by lap 269 and raced as high as fifth before the final three cautions. Truex Jr. and the No. 56 team raced hard with the leaders over the final 30 laps to bring home a seventh-place finish.

TRUEX: “I cannot get over how bad our NAPA Toyota was at the start of the race. And then (Crew Chief) Pat (Tryson) started adjusting on it and bam! It came to life. In the history of my career, I've never had a car turn around that well. It was a fun night. We may have adjusted on the track bar a little too much at the end, but it still drove off the corners really well. I cannot get over how our night changed. Tryson and the team did an awesome job for me. It was an awesome night!”

Truex Notes:

Truex Jr. started 26th and finished seventh.

The No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota fell a lap down at lap 129

Raced its way back onto the lead lap by way of the Lucky Dog on lap 170

Truex Jr. raced from 26th to 19th by lap 190 and reported the car was handling much better

By lap 269 Truex Jr. was racing in the eighth position and gaining on the leaders

Truex Jr. raced as high as fifth before finishing seventh following the final restart.

David Reutimann Race Summary: David Reutimann and the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine started the race on the outside of the front row along side Kyle Busch following a solid qualifying effort on Friday afternoon. At the start of the race on Saturday night, Reutimann looked to continue his strong effort by maintaining a top-five position for the first 160 laps. As the track conditions changed into the night time hours the No. 00 team fought a tight center condition and continued to work on the car throughout the race. Reutimann consistently ran in the top-15 the entire race which is exactly where he finished as the checkered flag waved. Reutimann is now 27th in points as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series moves to Darlington for Saturday night’s race.

REUTIMANN: "That wasn't really the result we wanted. We had a very good Aaron's Dream Machine early on, but it just got tighter and harder to turn the center as the race went on. Just disappointed. We were so good early I was hoping to finish a little better than we did. That said, we brought home a clean car with a top-15 finish. Hopefully we can do a little better next week."

Reutimann Notes:

Reutimann started second on the outside of the front row and finished 15th.

Reutimann has finished in the top 15 in five of the seven races he’s finished in 2010.

Reutimann raced in the top-five for the first 160 laps.

The No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine battled a tight center condition throughout the race

The No. 00 started 11th on the final restart on lap 395 and finished 15th.

RACE NOTES:

Kyle Busch beat Jeff Gordon by 0.755 seconds.

Kevin Harvick finished third. Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards rounded out the top five.

The race lasted three hours and was slowed by six cautions for 37 laps.

The estimated race attendance was 93,000

The race featured 12 lead changes among eight drivers